<p>This actually varies according to school policy. I used to work at a school that would allow pregnant students to be considered independent (unborn children are allowed to be considered part of the household per FAFSA regs). If they were selected for verification, we would ask them for a statement indicating how they planned to support the child. Those who would be getting public assistance, taking out loans, living on their own were considered to be providing their own support (although they could live with the parents … since it’s a 51% test … it depended other factors in such a case). If they lived with their parents & said the parents would be providing support, they were not considered independent. </p>
<p>It was actually more stringent for the young men who were claiming independence due to supporting a child. They had to provide receipts for the support (diapers, formula, clothes, etc) to show that they were providing at least 51% of support.</p>