The Free Application for Student Assistance is really designed for the kid who is going off to college with some help from his or her parents. That’s why this FAFSA Independent Student guide is important for single moms and other returning students.

When the data from the form is fed into the calculator, a number called the Estimated Family Contribution is returned. This is the amount you are expected to pay.

For dependent students, parents must pay around 12 percent of their qualified income which is the amount earned minus the amount protected under the formula. For most middle class families, it generally works out to be around 5 percent of their total income. The calculator also assumes that students themselves pay 50 percent of their total income over $1750.

But the FAFSA for the independent student works the same way. Though student parents get a special deduction for kids, spouse’s income is taken into account. Their own parent’s income, however is not.

So, that means that in reality, independent students are expected to pay around 35 percent of their income in school fees.

It hardly seems fair, does it?

Let’s be frank, the federal government only has the dependent student in mind when it makes its calculations. If you were working at McDonald’s as a high school student, you could afford to chip in a big portion of your earnings for school. If you are working at McDonald’s to support your baby while trying to attend school, you really can’t afford to use that money toward your education.

This FAFSA Independent Student guide is important because it helps you understand why it is so important to look for means of support outside of the federal government.