<p>Financial aid offices have varying policies for this. Some are fine with whatever the parents say. Others will request documentation of the fact that the parents are providing at least 50% of the support for the grad student … and if that grad student is borrowing to pay for school, or if he/she has funding from the school, that will likely mean not being counted as # in college. Again, interpretation is up to the school, and they are technically correct no matter what, as long as they apply their policy consistently. Always good to contact the school to ask!</p>