Financial independence and age: Distributive justice in the case of adult education

Abstract

Under current law, students pursuing an undergraduate degree in the United States are considered financially independent (from their parents) for the purposes of financial aid if, among other conditions, they are 24 years of age or older. When students' parents are able to pay, considering them financially independent may result in more generous financial aid allocations. Such aid allocations may in turn constitute regressive redistribution. In this article, we explore the concept of `financial independence' and argue that the age condition results in unjust financial aid allocations. We also propose replacing the age condition with a minimum income condition and argue that less regressive redistribution would result.