How do I fill out government aid or FAFSA when my parents don't help?
When parents are divorced or unsupportive and refuse to contribute financially or provide documentation, independent college students get trapped between reporting absent parents and filing as an independent. This confusion over dependent status makes it difficult to accurately complete applications for Medicaid or financial aid without risking legal complications or losing eligibility.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1asking parents about tax filing status
- 2looking up state regulations and definitions regarding independent living and school enrollment
- 3considering dropping the application to avoid complications for parents
- 4Filling out the FAFSA as a dependent using one parent's income regardless of financial contribution
- 5Searching the school name and CLEP tests to earn credits for general education
- 6Consulting the university financial aid office for guidance on required information
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“FAFSA for my sophomore year of college just opened but I need some advice on how to fill it out. My parents just got divorced and neither of them are contributing at all financially to my schooling and I don't plan on living with them very long into 2027.”source ↗
“Should I file as an independent or dependent?”source ↗
“I am applying for Medicaid in Pennsylvania, and it's asking me if I have a parent(s) who do not live with me. When I clicked yes, they asked me for information about the "absent parent."”source ↗
“Should I click "no" since I don't have an absent parent, or would it be a bad idea to lie? Would saying "yes" or "no" realistically affect my chances at Medicaid anyway?”source ↗
“thank you! It is pretty frustrating especially because when my parents divorced the judge did not include me much and now they have no idea how to file me because I'm not technically living with either of them and neither are contributing to my education.”source ↗
Where this came up
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