Whether you plan to go to college, professional school, or graduate school, you will need to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to receive aid such as grants, work-study, and federal student loans.
Typically, the FAFSA requires you to submit details about both your and your parent(s)’ financial information if you are a dependent student. However, if you are an independent student, you will likely be submitting the FAFSA on your own.
Here’s how you can submit the FAFSA without the help of your parent(s).
Can I File the FAFSA Without My Parents?
Your ability to submit the FAFSA without your parent(s)’ information depends on your dependency status.
All FAFSA applicants are considered either independent or dependent students.
If you are an independent student, you only need to submit your own financial information (and your spouse’s, if you are married) and do not need your parent(s)’ information.
If you are a dependent student, you will need to submit both you and your parent(s)’ financial information.
What is the Difference Between an Independent Status and a Dependent Status?
You are considered a student with an independent status if you are one of the following:
- At least 24 years old
- A graduate/professional student
- An orphan or ward of the court
- An emancipated minor
- Married
- Someone who is homeless or at risk of being homeless
- Have legal dependents (children)
- Have a dependency override from a financial aid administrator with proper documentation
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you can be considered as an independent student for the FAFSA.
If you answer no to all of the questions, you are considered a dependent student.
More information on specific circumstances and common questions can be found on this FAFSA worksheet on dependency status.
How to Fill Out the FAFSA Without Your Parent’s Help
If you are an independent student and answered yes to at least one of the questions above, you do not need your parent(s)’ help to fill out the FAFSA.
On the other hand, if you are a dependent student, you may not necessarily need help from your parent(s), but you will still need their financial information.
Make sure you have the following information at your disposal before filling out your FAFSA. Most of this information will need to be obtained from your parent(s):
- Your Social Security Number (never go off memory!)
- Your parent(s)’ Social Security Numbers
- Tax Information
- Tax Returns
- IRS W-2
- Parent(s) tax information
- Family income
- Records of untaxed income
- Child support
- Veteran benefits
- Information on any financial assets you have
- Cash in your checking and/or savings account
- Investments like stocks and bonds
- Business assets
- Mortgages
What Do You Do if Your Parents Refuse to File the FAFSA With You?
If your parent(s) refuse to help you fill out the FAFSA and provide any of their financial information, you have several options at hand.
Convincing your parent(s) to give you their financial information is the most optimal situation so that you can receive as much money as you can for college costs, but we understand that this might not be possible in unusual or difficult circumstances.
If you are not submitting your FAFSA as an independent but are still in a situation that considers you as one that is not included in the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines, take the following steps.
Reach Out to Your Financial Aid Office
If you do not meet the requirements to be an independent student and cannot access your parent(s)’ financial information for whatever reason, reach out to the financial aid offices of the schools that you hope to attend.
Explain your situation to the financial aid administrators and provide the appropriate documentation that legitimizes your situation (ex. A letter from a church member, a sibling, a teacher, etc.)
Doing so will call the attention of the university’s financial aid office to consider other financial options they can give to you and work with you to remedy the issue (ex. More work-study options, special loan options, etc.).
See If You’re Eligible for a Dependency Override
Financial aid offices can grant dependency overrides to students they believe qualify as an independent student without meeting the federal government’s outlined criteria.
This means that even if you do not qualify for FAFSA as an independent in technical terms, this dependency override considers you as an independent.
You can only receive a dependency override from a financial aid administrator, not the federal government.
A dependency override is extremely difficult to obtain; approximately, only 2% of undergraduates become independent because of a dependency override.
This should not hinder you from trying; every effort counts, especially if your extenuating circumstances are severe or unusual.
How to Obtain a Dependency Override
- Determine if your circumstances are unusual or special. Your situation should be in a similar vein to the following:
- Your parent(s) are incarcerated
- You are fleeing an abusive household
- You do not know where your parent(s)/guardian(s) are
- Explain your situation to the financial aid office via email or phone (if possible).
- Prepare the proper documentation to prove the validity of your situation.
- Discuss a dependency override with your financial aid director.
Explore Scholarship and Grant Options
Scholarships and grants are a form of gift aid that are basically free money from federal, statewide, private, or institutional organizations.
Scholarships are issued based on need, merit, and special achievements. Grants, on the other hand, are only issued based on financial need.
Scholarships and grants can be used to cover all kinds of costs, such as the cost of tuition, the cost of books/school supplies, the cost of room and board, etc., depending on the amount of money you receive.
Be sure to take advantage of scholarship opportunities and grant offerings.
Here are some of Sparrow’s favorite scholarship search engines:
Grant search engines:
Explore Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans and Private Loan Options
The federal government offers low-interest student loans to qualifying undergraduate and graduate students.
Consider applying for federal student loans to cover the cost of attendance.
If you can demonstrate financial need through your FAFSA as an independent student or with a dependency override, apply for the Direct Subsidized Loan.
| Direct Subsidized Loan | Direct Unsubsidized Loan |
| For undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need | For undergraduate and graduate students; do need to demonstrate financial need |
| Your school determines how much you can borrow | Your school determines how much you can borrow |
| The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on the loanIf you’re in school at least half-timeDuring defermentDuring the first six months of a grace period | You must pay the interest on the loan at all times. |
If you cannot demonstrate financial need because you did not submit your FAFSA with your parent(s)’ information, or if you could not obtain a dependency override, consider private student loans.
Private student loans are offered by private organizations, and these loans usually have independent terms and services.
Private loans should be your last option when it comes to exploring means to pay for your college education. Unlike scholarships and grants, loans need to be paid back on time, or they can harm your credit score and accrue overwhelming amounts of education debt.
If you are looking for competitive private student loan options, consider using Sparrow’s free online tool to find what loans are available to you on the market. After submitting an application with us, you can use our prequalification tools to determine whether or not you qualify for a loan before applying to it, explore cosigner options, and find the best repayment option and interest rates.
As Your Last Resort, Wait Until You Are 24
If all else fails, you still have the last resort option of waiting until you are 24 to submit your FAFSA as an independent.
In the meantime, you can attend college through private student loans, grants, scholarships, and savings. Furthermore, you should still receive some amount of financial aid despite not having any of your parent(s)’ information submitted in your FAFSA.
Another option is attending community college for two years so that you only have to pay for half of your college tuition costs.
Closing Thoughts From the Nest
Completing the FAFSA may seem daunting, but it takes an average of one hour for students to submit their FAFSA if they have all the necessary information on hand.
If you are a dependent student whose parent(s) are accessible to you, make sure to obtain your parent(s)/guardians’ financial information to expedite the process.
If you are a dependent student who is currently in extenuating circumstances that hinder you from applying with your parent(s)’ financial information, be sure to contact your school’s financial aid office.