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<p>My son is an independent student for FINAID purposes (he is a graduate student). However, he is a dependent for TAX purposes. Our insurance is very clear…as long as my son is a dependent for TAX purposes, and we contribute to his support as a dependent, he can be on our health insurance plan until he is 25. You need to check with your health provider for the specifics of your policy…but the “dependent” you are talking about here is for TAX purposes. Oh…and you just can’t “decide” to be a dependent for tax purposes either. To be a dependent for TAX purposes (not finaid) the family must provide greater than 50% of your support. If, for example, a person earned $50,000 a year (ok…I know that would be hard for a college student), I think it would be hard for the parents to declare that student as a dependent unless they had a VERY lavish lifestyle.</p>