<p>From Finaid.org</p>
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Dependency Status
The requirements for a student to be considered independent are rather strict. Only two are reasonably under the student's control and those are </p>
<p>getting married before submitting the FAFSA </p>
<p>delaying college until age 24 </p>
<p>Either of these will qualify the student as independent for the awarding of federal funds. For the awarding of institutional funds, many schools adopt a stricter stance and require evidence that the student is strictly self-supporting. A student who lives at home with his or her parents (even if he or she pays rent) and doesn't earn a modest income probably won't qualify. </p>
<p>If a student gets married after filing the FAFSA, it will have no effect on the current year's need analysis. You can't change your dependency status mid-year by getting married. A mid-year change in marital status will affect dependency status only in subsequent years. </p>
<p>Independent student status does not always lead to an increase in eligibility for financial aid. Although it does mean that the parents' finances are not considered by the need analysis process, a student who gets married will have to include the financial information for his or her spouse. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml%5B/url%5D">http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/maximize.phtml</a></p>
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<p>The only criterion listed above which is under the student's control is marriage. However, students who are contemplating married should be aware of the following: </p>
<p>What counts is the student's marital status as of the date he or she submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If the student gets married after that date, he or she will not be considered independent until the subsequent year. Federal law specifically prohibits schools from changing a student's marital status mid-year. </p>
<p>Changing the student's status to independent through marriage might not increase eligibility for financial aid. A married student is no longer required to provide financial information for his/her parents. Instead, the married student must provide financial information for his/her spouse. If the spouse is wealthier than the student's parents, this may result in a decrease in financial aid eligibility.
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<p>In the end it is the college using their professional judgement on how they are disbursing their money To me, in a nutshell this means, although you are independent for federal funds, the school can still chose not to give you institutional aid because you got married. I suspect they will still want to know how you are supporting yourself and a spouse (and maybe even who was supporting you before the marriage).</p>