"Using Common App data, researchers analyzed the behaviors and characteristics of three subgroups of students who meet one of the criteria that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid uses to deem an applicant financially independent: being 24 years of age or older, being a veteran or active-duty service member, or having a dependent. (Common App only began collecting data on applicants' parenting status during the 2024-25 academic year.)"
""Independent students may begin at community colleges close to home or have a need to stop out and then re-enroll in college, and transferring between institutions is essential for facilitating their educational attainment," the report reads. "Understanding independent applicants' backgrounds, academic profiles, and application patterns will add important context and insights for policymakers and practitioners supporting these students." And that's especially important because transfer students make up a growing share of college students, according to both the report and other recent data."
Financially independent transfer applicants are disproportionately first-generation students with higher financial need and more complex academic histories than younger, financially dependent peers. Common App data classify independence by being 24 or older, veteran or active-duty status, or having a dependent, with parenting status added in 2024–25. Independent students often start at local community colleges, pause and later re-enroll, and rely on transferring between institutions to complete credentials. Transfer enrollments are growing, and financially independent applicants have contributed to recent increases. Analysis of application behaviors across independence subgroups aims to inform strategies that support adult, veteran, and parenting transfer students.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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