2024-2025 Student Dependency Overrides

It is Princeton's policy to require information from the student's parent(s) for the purposes of determining University financial aid eligibility. Princeton students are considered financially dependent upon their parent(s), unless they meet one of the criteria below:

  • Student is over age 25 and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult for at least two years.
  • Student is under 25 but married and/or has dependent children and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult while married or with dependent children for at least two years.
  • Student is/was an orphan or ward of the court not later legally adopted or ever placed in legal guardianship.
  • Student is/was an orphan or ward of the court placed in legal guardianship within the last two years.
  • Student has been in legal guardianship for less than two years due to parental neglect, abandonment, and/or abuse documentation.
  • Student is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and can provide a DD-214.

A Princeton dependency override grants a student, who does not meet the above criteria and would otherwise be considered dependent, independent student status for Princeton financial aid purposes only. Parental unwillingness to pay for college or complete the aid application will not be considered for a dependency override. To view the full Dependency Override Process and Dependency Override Request Form, log in to the My Financial Aid portal, and select View Dependency Override Documents.


2024–25 Student Status Committee meeting dates:

  • September 3, 2024
  • October 1, 2024
  • November 5, 2024
  • December 3, 2024

  • Spring 2025 dates coming soon.

2025-2026 Student Dependency Overrides

Independent Student Criteria for the 2025-26 Academic Year:

  • Student is age 25 or older and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
  • Student is under 25 but married and/or has dependent children and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult while married or with dependent children for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
  • Student is an orphan or a ward of the court (or was at the time the student turned 18) not later legally adopted and can provide supporting documentation
  • Student is in legal guardianship (or was at the time the student turned 18) due to parental death, neglect, abandonment, and/or abuse and can provide supporting documentation
  • Student is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and can provide a DD-214 with an honorable discharge
  • Student is a non-US military veteran, regardless of country of service, and meets the following criteria:
    • Full-time, continuous, active-duty service of 24 or more total months.
    • A documented equivalent of an honorable discharge status from the country of service, which is achieved by completing the contracted obligation with proper military behavior, appropriate personal conduct, and proficient performance of duty.

    • Provision of government documentation that the above criteria has been met.

      * Students who intended to serve at least 24 months of active duty, but whose service was involuntarily shortened due to medical discharge can petition the student status committee to qualify.