When the military defines immediate family for emergency leave or other issues, they include the mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, spouse's parents, and children. This also includes stepparents and stepchildren. However, for loan purposes, usually, only spouses and dependents can qualify for funds, not the entire immediate family. Dependents are usually children under the age of 18, children who still live at home, or children who are still filed as dependents for tax purposes. Dependents who are going to college usually can get loans for tuition expenses even if they move away from college and don't live at home for the majority of the year. Each lender works differently though and it's worth checking if they offer loans to people that extend outside of the spouses and dependents.