<p>Please note I tried calling my school college financial aid office and explaining but she just told me wait 7 days then call or go in and bring special documentation once it's processed. But I just checked and mines says processed and to call the school financial aid office.</p>
<p>I just turned 18 but ever since I was 14 or 13 I've been living with my grandparents my dad left when I was around that age even when I did live with him he was an abusive drug addict I have no contact with him at all, and my grandparents for some reason have never claimed legal custody. My mom is deceased since about 10 years ago. So I put I have special circumstances on the application since I do. But I'm not on the best terms with my grandparents and I'm moving out in January before the spring semester starts so can I claim
Independence? The lady told me to change my application and put that but it wouldn't let me
Correct it since it's been processed?</p>
<p>Also I don't know what documentation I can bring? Since my grandparents aren't my legal guardians and I don't talk to my dad? The only thing I can think of is maybe a stub from when my survivor benefits would go in my grandparents name for me?</p>
<p>The lady at my school financial aid office wasn't any help she basically told me wait but it's already been processed and said to call.</p>
<p>I am sorry for your situation. From what you have written, I think there is a good chance you could get a dependency override — no promises, though, because it is up to the school to decide based on the information you provide. What did you put on your FAFSA for parent info?? Did you skip the parent info? </p>
<p>You will need to wait until your FAFSA has been processed, but in the meantime, here is what they will most likely want: Documentation that your mother is deceased. Documentation that your father is not in the picture, and that it is not in your best interest to make contact with him. That part differs from school to school, but generally you need 2-3 letters from people who know your situation. I would suggest one from your grandparents, one from a school counselor, and one from a clergyperson/therapist/social worker (or if you don’t have any professionals who could provide a letter, maybe one from another family member or close family friend). The goal of all of these letters is to show that your father has not been in the picture. You will also need to write a personal statement explaining your situation. You have to lay it all out there for the aid officer to see, even though that may be a difficult thing to do … detail the addiction and the abuse.</p>
<p>It sounds like the person you talked to is just someone who answers the phones (not an aid officer). When your FAFSA is processed, you can call back & ask for an aid officer. You can also go to the school’s website and search for “dependency override form” - many schools have them available online. PM me if you have any additional questions (I am a financial aid director).</p>
<p>On the parent info I just skipped it because I have no parent to put, and I didn’t think I could put my grandparents because they’re not my legal guardians…</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the information. I’ll call back once it has been processed although I checked and it says it’s already been processed?</p>
<p>But if anything can I claim independency? Because I will be moved out on my own 3 weeks before the spring semester starts.</p>
<p>You were correct to leave off the parent info. You cannot use your grandparents. No, you are not able to claim independent status — moving out won’t make you independent. You have to request a dependency override and have it approved. The aid office then processes your FAFSA on their end to get it to go through (it will reject this time, because there is no parent info - that’s okay, that is how it works). </p>
<p>The school doesn’t have your FAFSA yet because most schools only load FAFSAs every few days or once a week. It is there, just not in their system yet.</p>
<p>Are you trying to go to school this January?</p>
<p>I looked up the dependency override form for my school and they only have one dated 2012-2013. Should I still use that and turn it in, or should I go in the school and request one?</p>
<p>Okay thank you! And yes I am. Also it says in the email the school will contact me if they need more information, but online it says to call them?</p>
<p>Print out the old form so that you know the kind of information that is likely to be required. Complete the form, and take it in to the financial aid office. That will give you a chance to either speak with an officer, or set up an appointment with one for a later date.</p>
<p>I have another question, what should the letters state? Like personal reasons and my experiences that they know about as to why he’s not in the picture? </p>
<p>And if I get letters from family and friends is that okay? I haven’t gone to regular high school since my Sophomore year, I’ve done online schooling and I finished a year and a half early.</p>
<p>The letters need to focus on what happened in your life before your father left. They need to contain very specific instances, even though I know that is hard to have to put on paper. I had a student a couple years ago who wrote a letter that said her father was abusive. I told her I needed more details, and she provided a few … but it just seemed like he wasn’t especially nice. Finally, I got her to open up about how she and her siblings were left for days without food - how her dad ignored them - how he hit them. She included sheriffs reports. It was a slam dunk — I quickly approved the override.</p>
<p>If you do not have professionals who can talk about your situation, have family members write letters. They need to stay away from things like, “OP has been through so much and deserves this chance to go to school.” Instead, they need to detail why you were placed with grandparents, and why it would not be good for you to be in contact with him.</p>