Family & Household Status
Source: https://finaid.princeton.edu/how-aid-works/family-household-status Parent: https://finaid.princeton.edu/how-aid-works/family-contribution
Determining Your Household
It is Princeton's policy to review two parents' financial information for the purposes of determining University financial aid eligibility. "Parents" include biological parents, adoptive parents, custodial parent and stepparent, and legal guardians.
If you live in your home with two parents, this will be your family and household unit to determine eligibility for Princeton financial aid.
- Both parents' information must be reported on the Princeton Financial Aid Application (PFAA)
- This is the case whether your parents are married or unmarried as long as they live in the same residence.
- One or both of your parents may work in a geographically distant location and may live in a separate home in that location for work purposes — you will still report both parents' information on the PFAA and FAFSA.
If your parents are not married and live in separate households, Princeton still requires information from two parents.
- The parent with whom you live most of the time (in the past twelve months) is your custodial parent for Princeton's financial aid program.
- Your custodial parent's information will be used on the PFAA.
- Your other parent is your noncustodial parent for Princeton's financial aid. Your noncustodial parent must submit the noncustodial parent's form.
- Noncustodial forms and tax documents may be uploaded to your financial aid portal, faxed, or mailed to our office.
If you have one parent due to death of a second parent, single-parent adoption, or medical donation and your parent is not currently married
- Upload supporting documents via the financial aid portal after submitting the application
- A birth certificate listing one parent is not sufficient supporting documentation
Only in the case of certain extenuating circumstances may the noncustodial parent requirement be waived.
- Students may receive consideration for a waiver by submitting the noncustodial parent waiver request form.
- Access the noncustodial parent waiver on the Form Library for the applicable academic year.
- This form, along with the required substantiating statements, may be uploaded through the financial aid portal.
FAFSA Requirements
All U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens are also required to complete the FAFSA.
The FAFSA will ask a series of questions to identify the parental information that should be used on the form. The FAFSA will be used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid funds.
Independent Students
2025-26 Independent Student Criteria
If a student meets one of the criteria below, they can be considered an independent student for Princeton's financial aid purposes.
Please note that independent status on the FAFSA does not automatically qualify a student to be independent for Princeton's institutional financial aid review. If you do not meet any of the criteria below, you are considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes. If you have extenuating circumstances, please review the Student Dependency Override webpage for information on what may qualify for a dependency override. Parental unwillingness to pay for college or complete the aid application will not be considered for a dependency override.
- Student is age 25 or older and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
- Student is under 25 but married and/or has dependent children and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult while married or with dependent children for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
- Student is an orphan or a ward of the court (or was at the time the student turned 18) not later legally adopted and can provide supporting documentation
- Student is in legal guardianship (or was at the time the student turned 18) due to parental death, neglect, abandonment, and/or abuse and can provide supporting documentation
- Student is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and can provide a DD-214 with an honorable discharge
- Student is a non-US military veteran, regardless of country of service, and meets the following criteria:
- Full-time, continuous, active-duty service of 24 or more total months.
- A documented equivalent of an honorable discharge status from the country of service, which is achieved by completing the contracted obligation with proper military behavior, appropriate personal conduct, and proficient performance of duty.
- Provision of government documentation that the above criteria has been met.
* Students who intended to serve at least 24 months of active duty, but whose service was involuntarily shortened due to medical discharge can petition the student status committee to qualify.
2026-27 Independent Student Criteria
- Student is age 25 or older and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
- Student is under 25 but is/was married and/or has dependent children and has documentation of living as a self-supporting adult while married or with dependent children for at least 24 consecutive months immediately preceding the start of the term
- Student is an orphan or a ward of the court (or was at the time the student turned 18) not later legally adopted and can provide supporting documentation
- Student is in legal guardianship (or was at the time the student turned 18) due to parental death, neglect, abandonment, and/or abuse and can provide supporting documentation
- Student is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and can provide a DD-214 with an honorable discharge
- Student is a non-US military veteran, regardless of country of service, and meets the following criteria:
- Full-time, continuous, active-duty service of 24 or more total months.
- A documented equivalent of an honorable discharge status from the country of service, which is achieved by completing the contracted obligation with proper military behavior, appropriate personal conduct, and proficient performance of duty.
- Provision of government documentation that the above criteria has been met.