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Office of Financial Aid
University of Mississippi

Legal Guardianship

When you filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you reported that you are in legal guardianship. Before we can determine your eligibility for financial aid, you must document your legal guardianship status. This can be done by:

  • Providing a copy of a court’s decision that as of today you are in legal guardianship,

    OR

  • Providing a copy of a court’s decision that you were in legal guardianship before you reached the age of being an adult (majority) in your state.

A legal guardianship is a formal decision by a judge that suspends parents’ custody of their child and gives custody to a non-parent. Persons that courts appoint as guardians vary by state.

The court must be located in your state of legal residence at the time the court’s decision was issued and you must be in legal guardianship immediately before you reach the age of being an adult in your state.

Documentation of your legal guardianship status must be provided before we can continue processing your application for financial assistance.

Students can upload appropriate documentation through the Student Forms Self-Service Portal. All students must first create a Student Forms account; please visit https://finaid.olemiss.edu/studentforms/ for information on how to set up your account.