Undergraduate students who are under the age of 24 are considered to be dependent for federal student aid purposes unless they are married, have dependents other than a spouse for which they provide more than half of their support, are an orphan or ward of the court, are a veteran or active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, or satisfy other very limited criteria. If a student who is under the age of 24 does not satisfy one of these criteria, the odds of being considered independent are very slim. If you believe that you should be considered independent due to a unique circumstance, please contact the BMCC Financial Aid Office.