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information about their parents’ finances

to their financial information or support, the

and to have their parents sign the

“independent student” designation is critical to

completed form. Fortunately, the College

enable them to complete the FAFSA.

Cost Reduction and Access Act includes

Determination of independent student status

provisions to assist unaccompanied

must be made by one of the following:

homeless youth in filling out the FAFSA.

More information is provided below.

1. A school district local homeless education

Inability to be financially self-sufficient

•

liaison;

once enrolled in college

2. A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Once attending college, many

Development emergency shelter program

unaccompanied youth struggle to

director or its designee;

provide for their basic needs. They often

maintain rigorous work schedules that

3. A Runaway and Homeless Youth Act

impact the amount of time they can

program director or its designee; or

devote to their studies. A particular

4. A college financial aid administrator

challenge exists during breaks at

residential colleges and universities, when

As the implementation of the CCRAA moves

dormitories close. During these times,

forward, administrators of higher education

unaccompanied homeless students living

institutions and university systems have realized

in the dorms often have nowhere to go

the need for training and additional guidance

and insufficient funds to pay for housing.

for financial aid administrators. A thorough

Failure to access available support

•

knowledge of the Act and its provisions for

systems

unaccompanied homeless youth by financial

Unaccompanied homeless youth often

aid administrators is particularly critical for youth

go unidentified, either due to their own

like Carl (see sidebar on page 3). If a youth

hesitancy to disclose details about their

becomes homeless and unaccompanied after

personal lives or lack of knowledge on

graduating high school and has not stayed in a

the part of university staff. This prevents

HUD- or RHYA-funded shelter, he or she will need

student support services and other staff

to depend on a financial aid administrator to

from helping to address their unique

make the independent student determination.

needs.

A lack of guidance on and standard procedure

for determining eligibility has resulted in many

financial aid offices denying a youth’s eligibility

The College Cost Reduction

or requiring inappropriate information to be

and Access Act

provided to prove independent status. To this

end, the U.S. Department of Education has

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act

included specific guidance on the issue in its

(CCRAA), signed into law in 2007, includes

Application and Verification Guide (AVG),

specific provisions designed to remove barriers

available for downloading at

to accessing federal financial aid for college

org/nche/ibt/higher_ed.php#avg.

for unaccompanied homeless youth. The

Act enables these youth to be qualified as

“independent students” for the purposes of

Promising Practices for

filling out the FAFSA, thereby removing the

Institutions of Higher Education

need for these youth to provide parental

financial information and a parent signature.

Determination of independent student status

Youth must be determined as unaccompanied

•

Become familiar with the U.S. Department

and homeless, or as unaccompanied, at risk

of Education’s Application and

of homelessness, and self-supporting during

Verification Guide (AVG). The guide

the school year in which they apply for aid.

provides instructions and guidance

Because many unaccompanied homeless youth

to financial aid administrators on

have no contact with their parents or access

National Center for Homeless Education □ org/nche

Increasing Access To Higher Education For Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Information - National Center For Homeless Education Page 4

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