Student Dependency Status

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 dependency override grants a student, who does not meet the above criteria and would otherwise be considered dependent, independent student status for 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.

2022-23 Student Status Committee meeting dates:

• August 19, 2022
• February 3, 2023 (submission deadline: January 31, 2023)
• March 23, 2023