Can he file his tax independently and not claimed by parents?
Keeping in mind what @Opus 17 states, it does not matter if the parents claim the student or not. The key word is "QUALIFY". If the parents *QUALIFY* to claim the student, then it does not matter if the parents claim the student or not. The student is still required to select the option for "I can be claimed on someone else's tax return".
So if the parent's "qualify" to claim the student, the student can not themselves as independent for tax purposes.
