Understanding the FAFSA: I don’t want to give or can’t get my parent’s information!

When filling out the FAFSA, many students are surprised to find that they must enter information regarding their parent’s financial status. This includes income, capital gains, assets, and tax information. In fact, the FAFSA often requires that supporting documentation to validate parental income be submitted with the application. But not all students or parents are comfortable providing this information, and some of the reason for this may be because they misunderstand or simply don’t know how the information is used or why it is needed.

The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid seeks to make determinations for all types of federal educational funding. Information requested on the form is used as part of a formula developed by congress to find out how much aid a student can receive. However, in the eyes of the federal government, parents should be involved in providing funding for their children. This is not to say that if the parents can afford it that the government won’t help. Rather, it’s merely supporting the federal plan that a person’s education costs be shared by the government, and the family.

For this reason, information regarding your parent’s income is used to determine how much your Expected Family Contribution should be. Because federal programs such as loans, grants, work study and scholarships are awarded based upon financial need, students from low income families will receive greater aid than those from more fortunate families.

But sometimes, students have been on their own for years already, or they are estranged from their parents and cannot get the information. Additionally, some parents may simply refuse to provide such details. In these cases, students are strongly encouraged to contact financial aid officials at their school, as there are exceptions that can be made, including allowing a dependent student to be listed as independent in the event that they cannot obtain their parent’s information, or if the student is genuinely under an independent status even though they are under the age of 24.