Independent Students are students who meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Age 24 or older as of December 31 of the award year
- Orphan or ward of the court
- Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
- Working on a master's degree or in a doctoral program
- Married student as of the date the FAFSA is completed
- Student with legal dependents other than a spouse (for example, dependent children or an elderly dependent parent)
- Person with unusual circumstances determined by the financial aid administrator.