• Parents are incapacitated
• Parent Abandonment
• Parent incarceration
• Parents become deceased after filing FAFSA
• Refugee or asylee status
• Victims of Human Trafficking

1. File a FAFSA for the appropriate aid year and follow-up with any additional documentation that is needed to complete your financial aid file.
   1. On the FAFSA you can indicate that you cannot provide parental data on the FAFSA and indicate you have an “unusual circumstance”
   2. You will be granted a “provisional independent status” until you follow-up with the Financial Aid Office and provide necessary documentation
2. After completing the FAFSA, submit the Petition for Independent Status form

Additional info for completing the petition:

• From the unm.edu forms webpage; choose the appropriate academic year; navigate to “petition forms” section and choose “Petition for Independent Status” form
• When submitting the petition, be sure to explain in detail your reason for petitioning and provide supporting documentation including letters of support from friends, families, or community members that support your position. You should access Loboweb (financial aid tab) to see the outcome of your petition or for any additional documentation that may be requested of you.

3. Attach any necessary supporting documentation

Acceptable documentation may include:

• A documented interview between the student and the financial aid administrator;
• Submission of a court order or official Federal or State documentation that the students’ parents or legal guardian are incarcerated;
• A documented phone call or written statement from an attorney, a guardian ad litem, a court-appointed special advocate (or similar), or a representative of a TRIO or GEAR UP program that confirms the circumstances and the person’s relationship to the student;
• A documented determination of independence made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year; or
• Utility bills, health insurance, or other documents that demonstrate a separation from parents or legal guardians.
• A State, county, or Tribal welfare agency;
• An independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood; or
• A public or private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence.

4. Follow-up on Loboweb to see if there are any additional documents needed after you submit
5. Decision will be made within 60 days of receiving all necessary supporting documentation
6. A petition is not required each year to make a determination for independent status; however, if your situation does change you must let our office know or if we encounter conflicting information we may ask for new documentation from you to support the continuation of your independent status.

• Updates to dependency status:You must update anything that changes your dependency status (for instance, you are now pregnant or are now in legal guardianship) except a change in your marital status. If your marital status changes, you can contact the Financial Aid Office and submit documentation and the Special Circumstance Petition. It is important to note that you are not allowed to make  changes to marital status once your FAFSA is signed, the financial aid office would have to update your FAFSA for you.  If you have a change in dependency you can update your FAFSA yourself (except in regards to marital changes) or you can submit the corresponding documentation to the Financial Office and we can make the changes for you (for example: submit legal guardianship documents or proof of birth of a child or proof of pregnancy, etc.).