Who Must Provide Parent Financial Information?
If you are under 26 years old on the day you submit your Fee Assistance Program application, you must include your parents’ financial information, unless you qualify for an exception (more on this below). You must agree to provide this information to continue your application. Refer to the Are You Eligible? section for more details.
Note: Double-check that your date of birth in your profile is correct. If your date of birth is incorrect, you may not be prompted to provide your parents’ financial information. Misrepresenting your age may result in an investigation. Refer to the Violations and Investigations section for more information.
Exceptions to Parental Information Requirement:
Applicants under 26 years of age may be exempt from the parental information requirement if one or more of the following criteria apply:
- You are estranged from your parent(s) (refer to the Glossary for definition). You must contact program staff and complete a form prior to submitting your Fee Assistance Program application to be considered for this exception.
- You were legally emancipated.
- You do not know if a parent is living.
- A parent is incarcerated, institutionalized, permanently incapacitated, or hospitalized.
- You were in foster care or under the care of a legal guardian at the age of majority.
- Another circumstance prevents you from obtaining a parent’s financial information. You must contact program staff and complete a form prior to submitting your Fee Assistance Program application to be considered for this exception.
Note: If you believe you qualify for an exception, you must contact program staff before submitting your application at feeassistance@aamc.org or 202-828-0600.
Providing Parent Financial Information:
You must submit financial information for each parent if you are under 26 years old and do not qualify for an exception.
Note: If your parental household includes both parents, income from each parent is required. Submitting only one parent’s information is insufficient unless an exception applies. This mirrors the requirement for “applicant + spouse” households in the Applicant Financial Information section.
The application contains a threshold question: “Do you have any living parents?”
- Answer “No” only if both parents are deceased.
- It is important to note that this question is not asking whether you live with your parents.
Failure to respond accurately may trigger an investigation. For example, the AAMC compares parental information on Fee Assistance Program and AMCAS applications for discrepancies. Refer to the Violations and Investigations section of this guide for more information.
Defining Parents:
For the Fee Assistance Program, parents are:
- Biological parents.
- Adoptive parents. If you were adopted, you do not have to report your biological parents’ information.
- Stepparents (if married to a biological or adoptive parent as of Dec. 31, 2025).
Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, aunts, uncles, and other relatives are not considered parents for this application. The program staff understands that some parents may be unwilling to provide their financial information; however, you must submit this information to be considered for the Fee Assistance Program unless an extenuating circumstance prohibits you from obtaining that information (refer to the exceptions listed above).
Marital Status
If you have living parents, you are required to indicate their marital status as of Dec. 31, 2025. Your parents’ marital status determines what other information is required for this component. If you and your parents are uncertain of your parents’ marital status, review the following table, Parental Information: Marital Status Definitions. Note: You are the “Applicant.”
Parental Information: Marital Status Definitions
| Parental Marital Status | Definition | One Household Income Required | Two Household Incomes Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Married | If the applicant’s living parents were legally married to one another as of Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Married,” regardless of whether the parents were residing together or separately. Tip: Applicants who have one deceased parent and whose surviving parent was remarried as of Dec. 31, 2025, should select “Married.” |
X | |
| Not Married, Living Together | If the applicant’s living parents shared a residence and were never legally married as of Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Not Married, Living Together.” Tip: If the applicant’s parents were married to one another for any amount of time before Dec. 31, 2025, refer to the “Divorced” marital statuses. |
X | |
| Not Married, Living Separately | If the applicant’s living parents were never legally married to one another and did not share a residence as of Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Not Married, Living Separately.” Tip: If the applicant’s parents were married to one another for any amount of time before Dec. 31, 2025, refer to the “Divorced” marital statuses. |
X | |
| Divorced, One or Both Remarried |
Applicants should select this status if their living parents were issued a legal divorce from one another and either one or both parents were legally remarried to someone else as of Dec. 31, 2025. Stepparent income will be required for remarried parents. Tip: If the applicant’s parents were never legally married to one another, refer to the “Not Married” marital statuses. |
X | |
| Divorced, Neither Remarried |
If the applicant’s living parents were issued a legal divorce from one another and were not legally remarried to someone else before Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Divorced, Neither Remarried.” Tip: If the applicant’s parents did not share a residence but were legally married to one another as of Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Married.” |
X | |
| Separated | This is a legal status. Select “Separated” if the applicant’s parents have received a court order for legal separation from one another. Tip: If the applicant’s parents were not legally separated from each other as of Dec. 31, 2025, regardless of where they reside, the applicant should select “Married.” |
X | |
| Widowed | If one of the applicant’s parents has passed away and the other is still living, regardless of whether the parents ever were legally married to or divorced from one another, the applicant should select “Widowed.” Tip: If the surviving parent was legally remarried as of Dec. 31, 2025, the applicant should select “Married.” |
X | |
| Single | If the applicant has only one parent and has never met the other parent, select “Single.” Tip: If you have met only one parent in your life because one is deceased, refer to the other marital statuses and select the status that most reflects the surviving parent’s circumstance as of Dec. 31, 2025. |
X |
Enter the full name and state of legal residence of each parent. You can update the information on this page before submission. After submission, you will be unable to edit these fields.
If your parents’ marital status is “Married,” enter both parents’ names and state of legal residence. When you get to the Parent Financial section, you will report income for one parental household.
If your parents’ marital status is “Divorced, One or Both Remarried,” “Divorced, Neither Remarried,” “Not Married, Living Separately,” “Not Married, Living Together,” or “Separated,” enter both parents’ names and states of legal residence. When you get to the Parent Financial section, you will report income for both parental households.
If your parent is “Widowed” or “Single,” enter your parent’s name and state of legal residence. When you get to the Parent Financial section, you will report income for one parental household.