As the author states, this hack is for the FAFSA (the free application for federal student aid)... And given that FAFSA is listed on http://mitadmissions.org/afford/deadlines it looks like it would work with MIT.
When can a student fill out the PROFILE as an
independent? A student is considered independent,
for financial aid consideration, if he or she is
or has at least one of the following: is at least
24 years old as of Jan. 1 of the academic year,
is married, is a graduate or professional student,
has a legal dependent other than a spouse, is a
veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, or is an orphan
or ward of the court (or was a ward of the court
until age 18). If not, the student is considered
dependent. A parent refusing to provide support
for his or her child’s education is not sufficient
for the child to be declared independent.
Financial aid eligibility is, in part, determined
by a student’s dependency status. Independent
students are treated differently from students
who are dependent on their parents. However, some
schools and programs require parental information
on the PROFILE even if the student is considered
independent based on the criteria above.
Someone at financial aid told me that they once dealt with a 35 year old, and they made him submit his parents financial information. Who knows if that actually happened, though...