Can a Dependent Student's Sibling Attending a Military Service Academy Be Included In Household Size Or Number In College?

Household Size: It depends. If the dependent student's sibling can answer “no” to all of the dependency status questions in step 3 of the FAFSA, the sibling is considered “dependent” for Title IV purposes and can be included in the dependent student's household size. A sibling who is currently attending a U.S. military Service Academy or preparatory school and has not yet graduated from the service academy or preparatory school, is not a veteran for Title IV purposes. Therefore, the sibling is a dependent because she cannot answer "yes" to the veteran dependency questions (and assuming she answers "no" to all the other dependency questions). The dependent student's sibling can also be included in household size if the parents provide more than half of her support during the award year covered by the FAFSA. 

An independent sibling of the dependent student who is attending a military service academy can only be included in household size if the dependent student's parents provide more than half of the sibling's support during the award year covered by the FAFSA. Because the military service academy provides tuition, fees, food and housing (living expenses), and other equipment such as uniforms for most of the award year covered by the FAFSA, the military service academy is most likely providing more than half of that sibling's support. Therefore, the dependent student's parents would not be able to include that sibling in their household size.

Number in College: No. The dependent student's sibling (dependent or independent) who is enrolled in a U.S. military service academy is not included in the number in college on the FAFSA because virtually all of his or her educational expenses are paid by the federal government (service academy). See Volume AVG, Chapter 2 of the FSA Handbook.

Note: Effective with the 2023-24 award year, the COA component for “room and board” has been renamed "living expenses." "Room" has been renamed "housing" and "board" has been renamed "food." The COA component for “books and supplies” has been renamed “books, course materials, supplies, and equipment.” See Section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended [20 USC 1087LL].