For federal, state and university
aid, an independent student is someone who meets one or more of the
following categories:
-
Is
24 years of age or older by December 31 of the award year;
-
Is an orphan or ward of the court
or was a ward of the court until the individual reached the age of
18;
-
Is a veteran of the Armed Forces of
the United States;
-
Is a graduate or professional
student;
-
Is
married (includes separated but not divorced); or
-
Has legal dependents other than a
spouse (“legal dependent” is an individual for whom the
student provides more
than half of his/her financial support)
An individual, who does not meet one
of the above six categories, may be considered "independent"
if a financial aid administrator
makes a documented determination of independence by reason
of unusual circumstances. Such circumstances include
situations when a student's parent cannot be located, or where an
otherwise dependent student has been a victim of domestic violence
and is no longer residing with his or her parents.
Conditions that do not qualify
as unusual circumstances and do not merit a dependency
override include:
-
Parents refusing to contribute to
the student's education;
-
Parents unwilling to provide
information on the application or for verification;
-
Parents not claiming the students
as a dependent for income tax purposes;
-
Student demonstrating total
self-sufficiency
Note the following:
-
A determination of independence in
one award year does not mean that the student would automatically
be independent
in a subsequent award year. The student must affirm
in the subsequent year that the conditions for determining the
student to be independent continue to exist
-
An institution’s determination
that a student should be considered independent is also not
binding at another institution. The financial aid
administrator at the school the student is currently attending
makes the determination and that the institution must have
sufficient documentation to support its decision
If you have an unusual circumstance
that meets the conditions used to warrant an “independent”
decision, then please contact the
Rutgers University’s Office of Financial Aid – Newark Campus for
additional information.
