Must a Student Be 21 Or Younger To Be Considered an Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Or At Risk of Homelessness?

No. For homeless youth purposes, "youth” is defined as a student who is 21 years old or younger or still enrolled in high school as of the date he or she signs the FAFSA. Under this definition, a student who is 21 or older might not have a homeless youth determination made by a high school or district homeless liaison, a director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program, or a director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program. This means that 22 and 23-year-old students may not be able to answer "yes" to the FAFSA dependency status questions indicating the student is homeless or at risk of being homeless and has had a determination made by a high school, a school district homeless liaison, a director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program, or a director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program. The student can answer "yes" to one of those questions if the student has had a determination made by one of those entities.

These students who are 22 and 23 years old, and who cannot answer "yes" to one of the homelessness questions, still qualify to have a homeless youth determination made for them, however. In these situations, the student answers "no" to the FAFSA questions and contacts the financial aid administrator (FAA). The FAA must then make a homeless youth determination for the student.

See AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A, What Documentation Should a Student Submit To Prove He Or She is Homeless Or At Risk Of Homelessness? 

Tools: Refer to the following tools to assist with this student population:

• Tip Sheet for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY)
• Homelessness--Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determinations: 2023-24 Template
• Homelessness--Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determinations: 2024-25 Template