<p>This is my situation:</p>
<p>I live on my own and I pay almost everything (rent, bills, and etc, they pay for insurance and tuition at a CC) My parents haven't been claiming me for two years, so I claim myself on the tax form. Is there anyway I can apply for FAFSA where I only provide my information without the parents? Pretty much saying that I'm independent. My parents are well off that when I applied for FAFSA in high school, I wasn't able to get any aid. But if I will be paying for everything myself for UC tuition, is there anyway?? Other information, by the time I apply for FAFSA again, I think I will be 21 (Feb 1990) and transferring for FALL 2010</p>
<p>The basic answer is no.</p>
<p>The long answer is on the FAFSA, you can only file as an independent in a limited number of circumstances – if you have a child, if you are married, if you are an orphan or ward of the state, if you are on active duty for the military, if you’re a veteran, if you are over 24 or if you are attending school beyond your bachelor’s degree. If none of these situations apply to you, you must file as a dependent student regardless of your family’s financial situation, including situations in which you are paying for yourself.</p>
<p>Filing situation on the FAFSA has little to do with your taxes – I filed as a non-dependent on my taxes all throughout college, but I was still considered a dependent student for the purposes of federal student aid.</p>
<p>The FAFSA is structured this way to prevent the inevitable abuse that would happen if they allowed case-by-case definitions. A lot more students would claim to be independent if there were loopholes for this.</p>