Which of the following conditions may qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override?

• A. Student is unable to locate their parents
• B. Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
• C. Parents refuse to provide information for the FAFSA or verification
• D. The student is a ward of the court

Answer: (A)

Dependency overrides exist to treat a student as independent when you simply can’t provide the parental information the FAFSA requires because of unusual circumstances. The clearest example is when a student cannot locate their parents. If there’s no way to obtain the necessary parental data, the financial aid administrator can review documentation and grant an override so the student’s aid is determined without parental information.

This is why the scenario about not being able to locate parents is the best fit for an unusual circumstance: it directly prevents gathering the required data. Other scenarios—like parents not claiming you for tax purposes or parents refusing to provide information—don’t automatically establish the same unobtainable data condition, and would require additional justification or institutional policy to qualify for an override.