<p>It’s the date that the FAFSA is submitted that determines your parents’ status of being separated or not, not their status as of the last day of the year. Though the 2015 FAFSA (which is what you will be completing for your first year of college) asks for income for the calendar 2014 year, some things are to be filled in as of the date you are submitting the form, such as marital status of parents (separated as of that date), assets, etc.</p>