guardians	are	incarcerated;
a	documented	phone	call	or	written	statement,	which	confirms	the	unusual	circumstances	with:
a	state,	county	or	tribal	welfare	agency;
an	independent	living	case	worker	who	supports	current	and	former	foster	youth	with	the	transition	to
adulthood;	or
a	public	or	private	agency,	facility,	or	program	servicing	the	victims	of	abuse,	neglect,	assault,	or	violence.
a	documented	phone	call	or	written	statement	from	an	attorney,	guardian	ad	litem,	a	court-appointed	special
advocate	(or	similar),	or	a	representative	of	a	TRIO	or	GEAR	UP	program	which	confirms	the	circumstances	and	the
person9s	relationship	to	the	student;
a	documented	determination	of	independence	made	by	a	financial	aid	administrator	at	another	institution	in	the
same	or	a	prior	award	year;	or
utility	bills,	health	insurance,	or	other	documents	that	demonstrate	a	separation	from	parents	or	legal	guardians.
FAAs	may	use	a	dependency	override	made	in	a	prior	award	year	at	the	same	institution.	In	fact,	the	Department
encourages	you	to	use	the	flexibility	in	the	law	to	presume	a	student	with	a	dependency	override	is	independent	in
subsequent	years	unless	the	student	tells	you	their	situation	has	changed,	or	you	have	conflicting	information.	Though
institutions	can	ask	students	if	their	unusual	circumstances	or	homeless	situation	has	changed	each	year,	they	should	not
maintain	a	practice	that	delays	or	hinders	financial	aid	for	such	a	student,	nor	may	they	require	the	student	to	answer
prior	to	packaging	or	disbursing	aid	or	require	the	student	to	submit	additional	documentation	unless	there	is	conflicting
information	that	the	institution	needs	to	resolve.
To	override	the	student9s	dependent	status	on	an	initial	application	through	the	FAFSA	Partner	Portal,	the	FAA	should	use
the	Dependency	Override	code	of	<1=	(see	Volume	4A	of	the	2025-26	FAFSA	Specifications	Guide	for	more	information).
To	authorize	a	dependency	override	on	a	paper	FAFSA	form,	the	FAA	marks	the	bubble	for	an	override,	labeled	<D/O,=	in
the	<College	Use	Only=	area,	fills	in	the	school9s	federal	code,	and	signs.	A	separate	letter	attached	to	the	application	in
lieu	of	making	the	override	is	not	acceptable.
If	the	student	has	already	submitted	a	FAFSA	form,	you	can	use	the	FAFSA	Partner	Portal	to	authorize	or	cancel	an
override;	overrides	cannot	be	done	on	the	FAFSA	Submission	Summary.	If	a	student	had	an	override	done	at	another
school	in	the	current	year,	that	will	be	noted	with	the	school9s	federal	code	on	the	FAFSA	Partner	Portal.	Only	the	school
performing	the	override	will	receive	that	transaction.	If	the	student	adds	your	school	to	the	transaction	or	gives	you	their
data	release	number	(DRN),	you	can	access	the	record.
Dependency	Override	Example
AVG,	Chapter	5,	Example	5:	A	student	is	a	refugee	from	Ukraine	who	qualifies	for	federal	student	aid	as	an
eligible	noncitizen.	The	student9s	FAFSA	form	was	rejected	because	the	student	is	a	dependent	student	and	did
not	provide	data	for	their	parents.	When	the	aid	administrator	asks	the	student	for	their	parents9	information,	the
student	says	their	parents	are	in	Ukraine	and	have	been	displaced	due	to	the	upheaval	there.	The	student	doesn9t
know	how	to	contact	them.	The	FAA	asks	the	student	for	documentation	and	the	student	says	they	have	a	relative
living	in	the	U.S.	who	can	confirm	the	situation.	The	FAA,	per	institutional	policy,	asks	for	the	relative	to	either
appear	in	person	and	sign	a	statement	confirming	the	student9s	account	or	to	send	the	aid	office	a	notarized
statement.	The	relative,	who	works	not	far	from	the	school,	comes	to	the	aid	office,	signs	the	statement,	and	the
FAA	grants	the	student	a	dependency	override.
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