Student-family financial dependency

This article covers the injustice of students in education (especially higher education) being forced to be financially dependent on family members.

Background
In many jurisdictions especially in the United States, students especially in higher education are required to be financially dependent on their parents or family members, yet the family members are not required to provide such financial support. In the United States, the amount that family members are required to pay is known as the Expected Family Contribution and is governed by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This determines the student's eligibility for financial aid.

Alternatives
Students whose families do not pay the Expected Family Contribution may be able to take out high-interest loans and/or to qualify for scholarships. Students typically do not have an established credit history, and thus the determined interest that the student will owe will typically be very high. Taking out high-interest loans typically puts students at a huge financial disadvantage and incurs a great amount of debt.

Arguments in favor of regarding as an injustice
It is fundamentally unfair for students to be imputed with the income of their family members when there is no obligation for the family members to pay for the education. Either families should be legally required to pay the Expected Family Contribution, or there should not even be an Expected Family Contribution.

Arguments against regarding as an injustice
There are already very limited funds for student financial aid. Students whose families are able to pay should not be given financial aid that the family doesn't need, and if the family does not want to provide the financial support to the student then the student probably isn't worth being given an education.