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University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
Dependency Override Application Information
1.
What is a dependency override?
A dependency override occurs when a Financial Aid administrator overrides the requirement for parent information due to extreme
circumstances such as documented abuse or abandonment by the parent. A dependency override at the University of Hartford is
determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the situation, the supporting documentation provided, and whether the situation is
reason enough for a student to be considered independent rather than dependent.
Dependency override applications must be approved yearly.
2.
Who is your parent for financial aid purposes?
A parent is your biological or adoptive parent. Grandparents, legal guardians, and foster parents are not considered parents, unless they
have adopted you. If they have adopted you, you must complete the FAFSA with their information.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What makes a student dependent or independent?
Under the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended, the U.S. Congress established thirteen criteria for determining a student’s
dependency status, based on the answers to the following questions as of the date of the student’s initial FAFSA application.
If you are able to answer “Yes” and provide our office with documentation for any of the following questions,
you may not need to complete this application.
•
Where you born before January 1, 1992?
•
As of the date you filed the FAFSA, were you married? (Answer ‘Yes’ if you are separated but not divorced.)
•
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, will you be in a master’s or doctoral program?
•
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
•
Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
•
Do you have children who will receive more than half of their financial support from you from July 1,2015 to June 30,2016?
•
Do you have dependents who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you now through June 30,2016?
•
When you were age 13 or older, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a ward of the court?
•
As of today, are you considered an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
•
As of today, are you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
•
On or after July 1, 2014 did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine you were an unaccompanied homeless
youth?
•
At any time on or after July 1, 2014 did the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless?
•
At any time on or after July 1, 2014 did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program
determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
What conditions do not merit a dependency override?
None of the conditions below, separately or in combination, qualify as unusual circumstances or merit a dependency override:
•
Parents refuse to provide information on the FAFSA and/or for the Verification process.
•
Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
•
Parents refuse to contribute to a student’s education (i.e. pay tuition/fees, etc.)
•
A dependent student who demonstrates self-sufficiency.
•
A student who does not wish to communicate with parents.
•
A student previously considered independent for financial aid purposes, but who is not meeting the 2015-2016 criteria.
What happens next?
Once we receive all of the documentation required, your application will be reviewed by the Professional Judgment Committee.
If additional documentation is required you will be notified via University of Hartford email. Documents must be sent within 20
business days from the date of notification. If your appeal is approved, your FAFSA will be processed as an independent student for this
academic year. If your appeal is denied, you will be required to correct your FAFSA with parental information and a parent signature.
What can you do if your parents refuse to help?
The U.S. Department of Education provides guidance to financial aid administrators stating that neither parent(s) refusal to
contribute to the students’ education or to provide information on the FAFSA or for Verification is sufficient grounds for a
dependency override, even if the parents do not claim them as a dependent for income tax purposes or the student demonstrates
self-sufficiency. The federal government considers it the family’s responsibility to pay for higher education but may provide
financial assistance if the family is unable to pay the full cost of education. It is an unfortunate reality that a parent refusal may
prevent students from paying for their education until they meet the independent student definition. Here is some additional
information to share with your parents.
•
Remind your parents that submitting their information on FAFSA does not obligate them to pay your bill or provide you
support, but their refusal will prevent you from receiving most financial aid.
•
If your parents are concerned about their privacy, remind them that the confidentiality of student records, including financial
aid information, is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The University of Hartford cannot
release information unless previously approved under FERPA regulations.
University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
A. Student Information
Name____________________________________________________________ ID #_________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________ Date of Birth _______________________________
City ________________________________ State _______ Zip Code ________________ Phone _________________________
B. Dependency Override Request:
All dependency override requests require the following documentation. Be as specific as possible.
Detailed explanation of your situation and how your support yourself
Separate statements (either notarized or on the included Reference Sheet) from three adult
relatives/family friends who have first-hand knowledge of the history and current status of your situation
and who can verify your circumstances.
Supporting statement on letterhead, notarized, or on the included Reference Sheet from a high school
counselor, social worker, clergy, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other professional third party.
Legal or court documentation of abandonment, abuse, etc.
Copy of your 2014 IRS Tax Return Transcript (obtained by calling the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 or logging on
to www.irs.gov and clicking the link under Tools to ‘Order a Tax Return Transcript.’)
Copies of your W2’s for 2014 if you worked (regardless of whether or not you filed taxes)
Verification Worksheet (available at admission.hartford.edu/finaid)
Child Support Worksheet (available at admission.hartford.edu/finaid)
Please complete and submit to:
University of Hartford, Financial Aid, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117
Contact Financial Aid at (860)768-4296 or via fax (860)768-4961 or email [email protected]
University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
C. Please answer the following questions:
1. Regarding your mother and father, when is the last time you:
a. Lived with (from month/year to month/year)
Mother _____________________________________________Father_____________________________________________
b. Had contact with (month/year)
Mother _____________________________________________Father_____________________________________________
Explain the nature of contact:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Regarding your mother and father, to your knowledge, where are they living?
Mother ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Father_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Who is currently supporting you?
Name: ________________________________Address___________________________________________________________________
4. Explanation of Circumstance: Explain in detail your unique circumstances that you believe provide a
basis for a dependency status override. Be sure to address your situation regarding both your mother
and father. Attach an additional sheet if necessary. Be specific.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE
By signing this application, I certify that all of the information reported on this application is complete and correct.
Student Signature _________________________________________________________ Date_______________
You will be unable to save changes to this document. Please print a copy for your records.
Please complete and submit to:
University of Hartford, Financial Aid, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117
Contact Financial Aid at (860)768-4296 or via fax (860)768-4961 or email [email protected]
University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
Reference Worksheet
A. Student Information
Name____________________________________________________________ ID #_________________________________________
B. Reference Information:
This form should be completed by the family member(s), family friend(s), and a third party professional(counselor,
minister, teacher, etc.) who has first-hand knowledge of the student’s situation and who can corroborate and verify
the circumstances that necessitate the student’s application for a dependency override.
Please make additional copies as necessary. Attach additional sheets, if necessary.
1. How long have you known the student:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is your relationship to the student?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. If you are a third party professional, please indicate where you work:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Explain what you know of the student’s current relationship/contact with his or her parents and any
relative background information that you have regarding the history that has led to the current
circumstance:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her mother?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her father?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Please explain the nature of contact with his or her mother and/or father.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Explain why you believe the student is unable to provide information from his or her parents?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By signing this statement, I certify under penalty of perjury that the information I have reported on this
form is accurate and complete. I understand that purposely giving false or misleading information to
qualify a student for federal student aid is a federal offense than can result in fines and/or incarceration.
Signature: __________________________________________________________ Date: _______________________________________
University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
Reference Worksheet
A. Student Information
Name____________________________________________________________ ID #_________________________________________
B. Reference Information:
This form should be completed by the family member(s), family friend(s), and a third party professional(counselor,
minister, teacher, etc.) who has first-hand knowledge of the student’s situation and who can corroborate and verify
the circumstances that necessitate the student’s application for a dependency override.
Please make additional copies as necessary. Attach additional sheets, if necessary.
1. How long have you known the student:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is your relationship to the student?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. If you are a third party professional, please indicate where you work:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Explain what you know of the student’s current relationship/contact with his or her parents and any
relative background information that you have regarding the history that has led to the current
circumstance:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her mother?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her father?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Please explain the nature of contact with his or her mother and/or father.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Explain why you believe the student is unable to provide information from his or her parents?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By signing this statement, I certify under penalty of perjury that the information I have reported on this
form is accurate and complete. I understand that purposely giving false or misleading information to
qualify a student for federal student aid is a federal offense than can result in fines and/or incarceration.
Signature: __________________________________________________________ Date: _______________________________________
University of Hartford
2015–2016 Dependency Override Application
DEPOVR
Reference Worksheet
A. Student Information
Name____________________________________________________________ ID #_________________________________________
B. Reference Information:
This form should be completed by the family member(s), family friend(s), and a third party professional(counselor,
minister, teacher, etc.) who has first-hand knowledge of the student’s situation and who can corroborate and verify
the circumstances that necessitate the student’s application for a dependency override.
Please make additional copies as necessary. Attach additional sheets, if necessary.
1. How long have you known the student:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is your relationship to the student?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. If you are a third party professional, please indicate where you work:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Explain what you know of the student’s current relationship/contact with his or her parents and any
relative background information that you have regarding the history that has led to the current
circumstance:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her mother?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. To your knowledge when is the last time the student had contact with his or her father?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Please explain the nature of contact with his or her mother and/or father.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Explain why you believe the student is unable to provide information from his or her parents?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By signing this statement, I certify under penalty of perjury that the information I have reported on this
form is accurate and complete. I understand that purposely giving false or misleading information to
qualify a student for federal student aid is a federal offense than can result in fines and/or incarceration.
Signature: __________________________________________________________ Date: _______________________________________