Back to FAFSA^® Guide 2025-26

How to answer FASFA^® questions about the student’s family

Get help with FAFSA^® questions about your personal circumstances, applying for a direct unsubsidized loan, and your family size.

FAFSA^® student basic information questions FAFSA^® student demographics

Student personal circumstances

Why do they need this info?

Most of your answers here will be used to figure out if you’re a dependent or independent student.
If you’re considered dependent, you’ll be asked to provide financial info about your parents in the FAFSA^®.
Your status as dependent or independent will also impact your financial aid offer.

Can I skip these questions?

The student is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training.

How to answer this question

Check the box if you’re currently serving in the U.S. armed forces, National Guard or Reserves on active duty for other than training purposes.
Don’t check if you’re a National Guard or Reserves enlistee on active duty for state or training purposes.
Don’t check if you’re a cadet or midshipman at a service academy.

Why do they need this info?

The Department of Education or your school will look at your answers to figure out if you qualify for certain types of military tuition assistance including:

Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Benefits
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Additional Pell Grant funding
Student loan repayment benefits such as deferment and limited interest rates

What else should I know?

These types of military aid are separate from the GI Bill and Post 9/11 GI Bill, which don’t require the FAFSA^® to get education benefits.
If you or your parent is a veteran and you plan to use the GI Bill to help pay for school, contact your Veterans Affairs Office for more info.

The student is a veteran of the U.S armed forces.

How to answer this question

Check the box if you:

- Have engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. armed forces, or are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee who was called to active duty for other than state or training purposes.
- Were a cadet or midshipman at one of the service academies, and were released under a condition other than dishonorable.
- Are not yet a veteran but will be one by June 30, 2025.

Don’t check if you:

- Are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and will continue to serve through June 30, 2026.
- Have never engaged in active duty (including basic training) in the U.S. armed forces.
- Are currently a ROTC student or a cadet or midshipman at a service academy.
- Are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee activated only for state or training purposes.
- Were engaged in active duty in the U.S. armed forces but released under dishonorable conditions.

Why do they need this info?

The Department of Education or your school will look at your answers to figure out if you qualify for certain types of military aid including:

Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Benefits
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Additional Pell Grant funding
Student loan repayment benefits such as deferment and limited interest rates

What else should I know?

These types of military aid are separate from the GI Bill and Post 9/11 GI Bill, which don’t require the FAFSA^® to get education benefits.
If you or your parent is a veteran and you plan to use the GI Bill to help pay for school, contact your Veterans Affairs Office for more info.

The student has children or other people (excluding their spouse) who live with the student and receive more than half of their support from the student now and between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

How to answer this question

Check the box if you have children or are expecting children in the year for which you are applying for aid.
Also check if you provide more than 50% of living expenses to a dependent who isn’t your child, such as a parent or someone else’s child.
Don’t check if you have a dependent, but don’t provide more than 50% of their living expenses.

Why do they need this info?

Your answers will be used to determine if you have children and/or other dependents that you’re supporting financially.

What else should I know?

If you check this, your college/university will most likely require documented proof that you provide more than 50% of support for the child.

At any time since the student turned 13, they were an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent).

How to answer this question

Check the box if you’ve had no living parent at any time since you turned 13, even if you’re now adopted.

At any time since the student turned 13, they were a ward of the court.

How to answer this question

Check the box if at any time since you turned 13, you were a dependent or ward of the court, even if you’re no longer a dependent or ward of the court today.

Why do they need this info?

This will help determine if you’re a dependent or independent student.
If you answer that you’re a ward of the court, you’ll be considered independent.
As an independent student, you won’t be required to provide any parental (or legal guardian) info on the FAFSA^®.

At any time since the student turned 13, they were in foster care.

How to answer this question

Check the box if you were in foster care any time after you turned 13, even if you’re no longer in foster care today. If you’re not sure, check with your state child welfare agency. You can find their contact info at childwelfare.gov/nfcad.

The student is a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in their state of residence.

How to answer this question

Check the box if you’re an emancipated minor. Read below if you’re unsure what that means.
An emancipated minor is a student who has been legally removed from their biological parents’ custody through a court order, gets married, or enters military service.

Why do they need this info?

Your answer will help determine if you should be considered a dependent student or an emancipated minor.

What else should I know?

Living on your own does not automatically qualify you as an emancipated minor. If you check the box, you’ll most likely be required to provide court documents proving you’re emancipated.
Emancipated minors aren’t automatically considered independent. You’ll still need to provide parent financial information in the FAFSA^®.
You may be able to work with your financial aid office to get your dependency status changed.

The student is or was in a legal guardianship with someone other than their parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in their state of residence.

How to answer this question

Check the box if your legal guardian is someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state if residence.

Why do they need this info?

This will help determine if you qualify for federal financial aid as a dependent or independent student.
If you have a legal guardian who is not a biological parent (as deemed by a court) then you’ll be considered independent.
You won’t have to provide any info about your biological parent or your guardian for the FAFSA^® if you’re independent.
Otherwise, you’ll still be considered a dependent student for federal financial aid purposes—even if you don’t have any contact or a relationship with your parents.

What else should I know?

If you check yes, you likely have to provide court documents validating the guardianship, along with documents that explain why guardianship was granted to a person other than your parent or stepparent.

Student other circumstances

Why do they need this info?

The FAFSA^® asks if you’re homeless to determine if you’re a dependent or independent student.
Students who have experienced homelessness are considered independent and don’t have to provide parent info in the FAFSA^®.

Can I skip these questions?

What else should I know?

If your answer is yes, you’ll need to provide documents that prove your status. These can come from a homeless liaison (from your high school or school district), director or designee of a homeless shelter (or similar type of shelter or program), a high school counselor, TRIO or GEAR UP director, or a financial aid administrator familiar with your situation.
If you didn’t receive a written determination, the financial aid administrator may be able determine whether you were homeless or at risk for being homeless.
You won’t need to provide parent information if the financial aid administrator determines you were homeless.

How to answer these questions

Answer yes if one of the following describes your situation:

“Homeless” means you don’t have fixed, regular, and adequate housing. You may be homeless if you’re living in shelters, parks, motels, hotels, public spaces, camping grounds, cars, abandoned buildings, or temporarily living with other people because you have nowhere else to go. Also, if you are living in any of these situations and fleeing an abusive parent, you may be considered homeless even if your parent can offer a place to live.
“Unaccompanied” means you’re not living in the physical custody of your parent or guardian.
If you answer yes, check the box if someone provided a written determination that you were homeless or at risk for being homeless.
Select “None of these apply” if you didn’t receive a determination and contact the financial aid administrator at your college. They can determine whether you’re homeless and therefore not required to provide parent information.

Student unusual circumstances

Why do they need this info?

This question will help determine if you’re a dependent or independent student because you’re unable to locate your parents or would be at risk if you contact them.

Can I skip this question?

You can skip this question if:

You were born before 2002.
Your current marital status is married (not separated) or remarried.
You selected “College graduate, professional or beyond” for the question Student College or Career School Plans (question 4 on the FAFSA^® paper version).

How to answer this question

Select yes if you’re in one of these situations:

Left home due to an abusive or threatening environment.
Are abandoned by or estranged from their parents, and have not been adopted.
Have refugee or asylee status and are separated from their parents, or their parents are displaced in a foreign country.
Are a victim of human trafficking.
Are incarcerated, or their parents are incarcerated, and contact with the parents would pose a risk to the student.
Are otherwise unable to contact or locate their parents, and have not been adopted.

Apply for a direct unsubsidized loan only

Why do they need this info?

Your parents refuse to provide their financial info in the FAFSA^®.
If this is the case, the only federal financial aid you may be considered for would be a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
A financial aid administrator at your school can determine if you qualify for this loan if your parents won’t provide their info.

Can I skip this question?

You can skip this question if:

You were born before 2001.
You’re currently married (not separated) or remarried.
You selected “College graduate, professional or beyond” for the question Student College or Career School Plans (question 4 on the FAFSA^® paper version).

How to answer this question

Answer yes only if your parent(s) refuse to provide their info to complete the FAFSA^®
Answer no if one of your parents agrees to provide their information to complete the FAFSA^®

Family size

Why do they need this info?

The FAFSA^® factors in your family size when calculating your Student Aid Index (SAI).
Your SAI is the number schools will use to determine how much financial aid you’ll get.
Your SAI will also be used to see if you qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.

Can I skip this question?

You can skip if:

You were born after the year 2001.
Your current marital status is Single (never married), Divorced, Separated, or Widowed.
You selected “First-year, second year, or other Undergraduate” for the question Student College or Career School Plans (question 4 on the FAFSA^® paper version).
You selected “None of these apply” for the question Student Personal Circumstances (question 5 on paper version®) and you answered no for Student Other Circumstances (question 6 on paper version) and Student Unusual Circumstances (question 7 on paper version).

How to answer this question

List the number of people living in your household/home, including yourself, your spouse, and any other people (including children) who get at least 50% of their financial support from you.
Don’t include your parents in this number, even if they’re in college or a degree-seeking program.
Adults who have already earned a degree, are in graduate or professional programs, or who are over the age of 24 will not be counted as being in college at the same time as you (even if your parents are helping to pay their educational costs).