FAFSA Form

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Form should be completed for each academic year. Financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The FAFSA Form will directly pull in IRS tax information from two years prior.

You are encouraged to file the FAFSA Form by the May 1 priority date. If selected for verification, students are encouraged to submit all requested documents by the June 1 document deadline for priority consideration.

You will need the following information when completing your FAFSA Form:

• Federal Student Aid Account (username and password created to gain access to the U.S. Department of Education's online systems).
• Social Security Number or ITIN Number.
• Federal tax information or tax returns (two years prior).
• Records of untaxed income.
• Cash, savings and checking account balances.
• Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number and email address of parent (if dependent student).

File Your FAFSA Form

Common FAFSA Form Mistakes

• You should never pay to complete or submit your FAFSA Form.
• Use your legal name, not a nickname or chosen name. The name on your FAFSA Form must match what appears on your Social Security Card.
• Use your permanent address, not a temporary campus or summer address.
• Use the correct Social Security Numbers for you and your parents (if applicable). If your parents do not have a Social Security Number, follow the guidelines for non-citizen contributors.
• Use your and/or your parents' marital status as of the day you submit your FAFSA Form. If one of your parents is widowed or divorced and has remarried, choose "Married or Remarried" and answer the questions about that parent and stepparent.
• Know correct emails for all contributors to ensure invitation to contribute to your FAFSA Form is received.
• All contributors must provide consent for sharing Federal Tax Information to complete the FAFSA Form with the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange. If a parent or student does not provide consent and approval to have Federal Tax Information transferred into the FAFSA Form, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid even if information is manually entered.
  • If you or a contributor provided consent but were informed you were ineligible for the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange, you will have the option to manually enter your information at that time. Do not estimate income, avoid using commas or decimals and round to the nearest dollar.
• If the number in your household size has changed since tax year two years prior to filing your FAFSA Form, manually enter your current household size as part of the FAFSA Form.
  • For a dependent student, include your parent (and spouse and partner), yourself, the parent’s dependent children or other people in the home if providing over half their monetary support (even if they live apart due to college enrollment).
• For an independent student, include yourself, your spouse (if applicable), your dependent children (even if they live apart due to college enrollment) and other people living with you if you provide more than half of their monetary support.
• List the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the federal school code 002565 as a receiving school prior to submitting the FAFSA Form.
• If making changes to your FAFSA Form, you must select "Sign and Submit" for any changes to be officially saved and sent to the listed university.

Am I considered a dependent student?

The FAFSA Form provides several criteria that determine if a student's considered independent of their parents for aid eligibility purposes.

You are instructed to file the FAFSA form with parent information if you do not meet any of the criteria for an independent student. An independent student is one of the following:

• At least 24 years old.
• Married.
• Graduate or professional student.
• Veteran.
• A member of the armed forces.
• An orphan.
• A ward of the court.
• Someone with legal dependents other than a spouse.
• An emancipated minor.
• Someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

You are considered a dependent student if you do not meet any of the above criteria even if you are:

• Financially independent from your parents.
• Your parents do not claim you on their taxes.
• Your parents do not plan to help you pay for the costs associated with attending a university.

There are certain exceptions to the dependency criteria due to unusual circumstances. If you believe you have an unusual circumstance, please reach out to Husker Hub.

Changing Your Dependency Status

Student services specialists can review a student's dependency status for eligibility for a dependency override for FAFSA Form purposes. Dependency overrides don't happen often, but when they do, it means that something serious has happened in your family. Reasons for a dependency override can include situations such as your parent(s) being in jail or in a hospital for long-term care, or it is unsafe or impossible to contact your parents.

None of the following situations—alone or in combination—qualify for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s dependency override process:

• You are financially independent from your parents.
• You do not live with your parents.
• You are not claimed on your parents’ tax returns.
• Your parents refuse to complete or sign your FAFSA Form, completed document requests, or help pay for your college expenses.
• Your parents live outside the United States.

This is a separate process for students who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. If this fits your current circumstances, please speak with a student services specialist.

Housing Insecurity and Homelessness

Dependency Override Discussion

A dependency override discussion can be had at any point in the academic year with a student services specialist. In this conversation, be prepared that the student services specialist will ask questions about your current and former living environment, your relationship with your parents or guardians, and any community support who may know of your circumstances. The dependency override process requires supporting documentation to be approved. Examples may include:

• Police Reports.
• Official Court Records.
• Letters from professionals on letterhead (e.g. clergy, school counselor, social worker, medical doctor, licensed therapist or counselor, teacher etc.) who are familiar with your situation.

If you complete the dependency override process for a specific year, you must request the dependency override each following year that you attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. You do not need to submit new documentation if your situation has not changed.

Anything you disclose to the student services specialist will not be shared outside of your conversation and the Dependency Override Committee for review for eligibility. We understand that these topics are often difficult to discuss. If during or after your conversation you want to be connected to a licensed counselor, please notify the student services specialist you worked with or contact University Health Center Counseling and Psychological Services.