Student Dependency Status

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 lived as a self-supporting adult for at least two years.
• Student is an orphan or ward of the court.
• Student is a veteran of the United States armed forces.

Students who do not meet the criteria above may appeal for a dependency override on the basis of persistent, ongoing, and irreconcilable family dysfunction. Dysfunction may be the result of abuse, parental abandonment, or a home environment that endangers student health or safety. Details of the appeal policy are available here.

Parental unwillingness to pay for college or complete the aid application are not considered grounds for a dependency override. Married undergraduate students may be considered independent for the purposes of federal aid, but are not considered financially independent by the University unless they satisfy the guidlines established above.