No Family... Can I get financial Aid?

I was reviewing the paperwork for financial aid and it says that guardians are not eligible to be used on a financial aid or FAFSA application and that only legally adopted parents can be used.

I was given away at birth via a court grant and my parents were only gifted guardianship until I was 18 and I'm now 20 I still live with my mom (guardian) and I have no contact or information about my real family. So how does this situation work?

My wife's parents passed away and she was considered an orphan even though she was over 18 and got a ton of financial aid because of it, even though she had a bunch of money from the life insurance. I would follow that path too.

You should go to http://fafsa.ed.gov to read the instructions as to how to proceed, given your circumstances.

The above website is a wealth of information, and if you cannot find the information you need, you should call them at 1-800-4-FED-AID to inquire.

Also, may I suggest filing your FAFSA online at the above site, versus filling out a plethora of paperwork / waiting for your financial aid office to enter it appropriately from your forms, at their leisure :-(.

I think you can file as an independent student. To be sure, you may need to contact the FAFSA people. I know a few people who live with other relatives and are in your same position.