<p>My college told me that I needed 5 documents to send. A Dependent Student Verification Worksheet, an Independent Student Verification Worksheet (waived), a Student 2008 1040, Parent 2008 1040, and an UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH VERIFICATION LETTER. This is strange, because I am in no way unaccompanied. </p>
<p>I found out I messed up on my fafsa. I mentioned that I was an unaccompanied youth. However, I quickly changed this, and they give me this additional document (Before, I never was required to send the UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH VERIFICATION LETTER). Why would my college do that?</p>
<p>I work in a financial aid office. With the new rules for independent status, we have had quite a few students make mistakes & check the wrong box. They end up only answering the student questions, because it looks like they will be independent. When they realize their mistake, not only do they have to go back into their FAFSA to correct it to change the answer to unaccompanied youth … but they must also include parent info & have a parent sign the application with a PIN to make it official. Hopefully, you completed all of the required steps.</p>
<p>Each school is different, but where I work, we have a form for verification of Orphan/Ward of Court, one for Unaccompanied Youth, and one for Emancipated Minor. On each of these forms, there is a box to check that states something like, “I incorrectly stated that I was a (O/WC, UY, EM). I am not a (O/WC, UY, EM).” Is there such an option on the form they want you to complete? If it wasn’t sent to you, you will find it under the Forms tab on your school’s financial aid website; download, complete, and submit. If there is no such option on the form, contact the school to ask them to waive the requirement for that form, just like they waived the requirement for the independent verification worksheet.</p>
<p>You will still need to submit the dependent verification worksheet, your taxes, and your parents’ taxes no matter what. The only “maybe” is the Unaccompanied Youth form.</p>