Getting Married?
Federal Law Concerning Marital Status
for Students Planning to be Married.
In accordance with federal law concerning a student's marital status and federal financial aid, a Financial Aid applicant must list her/his marital status as of the day that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is submitted.
It is important to know that federal law prohibits students from updating their marital status on the FAFSA from single to married. If the marital status of the FAFSA is reported as single, the student must be considered single for the entire award year. The federal award year runs from July 1 - June 30 and commences with a new FAFSA form.
A student who is planning to be married in the coming year may want to consider how filing single or married will impact her/his financial aid eligibility.
Some student may benefit by waiting until they are married before applying for federal financial aid. This is not always the case. To get an estimate of the difference in eligibility, our office recommends that students visit our computer lab and use the financial aid estimator program.
Student will need federal tax returns for themselves, their fiance, and their parent(s). Students can then use the financial aid estimator program to determine eligibility for financial aid both as a single applicant and as a married applicant.
For further assistance, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships has counselors available to discuss how marriage affects eligibility and the correct way the FAFSA should be completed.