The thirteen questions in this step determine whether or not you are required to provide parental information on the application. Students answering yes to one question are exempt from providing parental information and can skip Step 4 (numbers 61-95).
Occasionally, a student's family circumstances seem to indicate that the student should not be required to provide parental information. Student income, place of residence, and parents' unwillingness to participate are NOT grounds for such a decision. Leaving parental information blank when it is required will cause the FAFSA to reject. Only the financial aid administrator at the school where you are planning to attend can make such a determiniation and provide a dependency override. If you believe your application should be treated differently than those of other students, contact the financial aid office at the school to determine what documentation is required.
Answering yes to any of these questions may require you to send official documentation to your college financial aid office.
Question 48: Birthdate
Note that if you were born on or after January 1, 1986 you should answer "no".
Question 49: Marital Status
This question should indicate martial status the day the application form is completed. If you are legally married or separated you should answer "Yes". If you are single, engaged to be married, divorced, or widowed you should answer "No". You may answer "Yes" if you meet common law requirements in your state of legal residence. (Nebraska does not recognize common law marriage.) You cannot update FAFSA information for changes in martial status after the application form is filed.
Question 50: Graduate Status
A master's or doctorate program would also include professional degrees such as medicine, law, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. It does NOT include associate degrees (2 years), bachelor's degrees (4 years) or certificate or diploma programs.
Question 51: Service in the Armed Forces
You may answer "Yes" if you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on active duty for purposes other than training. You should answer "No" if you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who is on active duty for state or training purposes.
Question 52: Service in the Armed Forces
Veterans are those who have been in active service in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard and were released under a condition other than "dishonorable". (Box 24 of the DD214 indicates the "Character of Service"). If anything other than "dishonorable" appears in that box, you should answer "Yes" to this question, as long as you engaged in active duty for at least one day. If "dishonorable" appears in that box, you should answer "No".
There is no minimum amount of time required to be served to be a veteran, but it does have to be active service. This is less stringent than the VA's definition of veteran for receiving certain VA benefits. You should also answer "Yes" to the question about veteran status if you aren't yet a veteran but will be by June 30, 2010.
Students who attended a U.S. military academy or its preparatory school (USMAPS or NAPS, not high school academies) for at least one day and were released under conditions other than "dishonorable" count as veterans for Title IV purposes. Students serving in ROTC or currently attending a U.S. military academy are not veterans.
Members of the National Guard or Reserves are only considered veterans if they were called up to active federal duty by presidential order for a purpose other than training. It does not matter how long the active duty lasted or if the student returned to reserve status afterward, but, as with the other qualifying veterans, the student must have had a character of service that was not "dishonorable".
Question 53: Legal Dependents
Support means financial support. The child should live with you and you should be able to prove that you are providing more than ˝ support to the child (rent, childcare, medical insurance, etc.) You may answer "Yes" if an unborn child will be born prior to June 30, 2010 and you anticipate providing more than ˝ support for the child in the upcoming school year.
If a student and a student's child live with the student's parents, you should mark no to this question.
Question 54: Legal Dependents
You may answer "Yes" if you are providing more than ˝ the support for another person in your household (legal guardian of someone, aging parent, grandchild). Typically boyfriends and girlfriends cannot be counted unless you can document that you provide more than ˝ their support.
Question 55: Orphan or Ward of the Court
Answer Yes if at the age of 13 you did not have a living parent (biological or adoptive), were in the custody of the state or court system or were in foster care. Answer Yes even if you are not currently in foster care or state custody.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of foster care or dependent/ward of the court status.
Question 56: Emancipation
Answer Yes if you are an emancipated minor. You must have documentation that you are currently emancipated by a court within the state of your legal residence. If the court order is no longer in effect or you have changed your state of residency without receiving a new court order answer No.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of emancipation.
Question 57: Legal Guardianship
Answer Yes if you have a legal guardian. You must be able to provide supporting documentation of the legal guardianship from within the state of your legal residence. If the court order is no longer in effect or you have changed your state of residency without receiving a new court order answer No.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of legal guardianship.
Question 58: Unaccompanied Youth/Homelessness
Answer Yes if at anytime after July 1, 2008 a high school official determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless. “Homeless” includes living in motels, cars, shelters or temporary living with someone other than parent or guardian. “Youth” is anyone under the age of 21 or is still enrolled in high school.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of homelessness.
Question 59: Unaccompanied Youth/Homelessness
Answer Yes if at anytime after July 1, 2008 a director of a federally funded emergency shelter determined that you were and unaccompanied youth who was homeless. “Homeless” includes living in motels, cars, shelters or temporary living with someone other than parent or guardian. “Youth” is anyone under the age of 21 or is still enrolled in high school.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of homelessness.
Question 60: Unaccompanied Youth/Homelessness
Answer Yes if at anytime after July 1, 2008 a director of a runaway or homeless youth facility determined that you were self-supporting and at risk of becoming homeless. “Homeless” includes living in motels, cars, shelters or temporary living with someone other than parent or guardian. “Youth” is anyone under the age of 21 or is still enrolled in high school.
Your college financial aid office may request official documentation of homelessness.
If you have answered no to questions 48-60, you will move on to the parent's section and complete Questions 61-95.
If you answered yes to one question on 48-60, you must complete Questions 33-47 and 96-106.