Special Circumstances and Professional Judgment

The goal of adjusting the FAFSA is to reduce the EFC, in the hopes of increasing a student’s federal aid eligibility. Therefore, students who already have a 0 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) do not qualify for a Professional Judgment review; they already receive the maximum amount of aid possible. A change to the EFC could, but is not guaranteed to, result in a change of eligibility for need based awards. The Professional Judgment is not a guarantee of additional funding.

Examples of reasons to request a change to the FAFSA:

• Loss or reduction of income (needs to be out of job 3-6 months before review will be completed)
• Child Support reduction or change
• Divorce/Separation of parents/spouse
• Death of parent(s) or spouse
• One-time taxable income (IRA disbursement, pension distribution, etc.)

Email your Financial Aid Counselor to determine if a PJ may help you qualify for additional aid. In the subject include “Change in Family Circumstances” and provide a detailed explanation of your special circumstances. Your assigned counselor will reply and request the necessary documents for the review. An aid administrator’s decision regarding adjustments is final and cannot be appealed to other individuals of the institution or the U.S. Department of Education.

Possible Documentation Required:

• Signed taxes (years to be determined by the counselor)
• W2s and /or 1099 forms
• Unemployment benefits
• Court or Legal Documents
• Death certificates
• Additional Documentation may be requested

The Cost of Attendance (COA) consists of standard school expenses (tuition, fees and books) and an estimate of a student's standard living expenses (housing, food, transportation and other expenses). Each student's financial needs are different so the estimated COA may not accurately reflect every student's circumstances. Federal regulations permit financial aid counselors, on a case-by-case basis, to increase the COA to reflect the student’s actual (documented) living expenses.

The goal of adjusting the Cost of Attendance is to allow the student to borrow additional loan funds, subject to annual loan limits and/or credit approval (for PLUS or private loans). Adjusting the Cost of Attendance does not result in additional need-based grant or scholarship eligibility (eligibility for these is determined by the EFC).

Examples of reasons to request a Cost of Attendance adjustment:

• Housing costs in excess to the amount allotted in the standard COA
• Utilities in excess of the amount allotted in the standard COA
• One-time purchase of a computer for educational expense
• Meal costs in excess of the amount allotted in the standard COA (such as for special dietary needs - medical documentation required)
• Transportation, such as car insurance (car payments/lease NOT allowed)
• Excessive out-of-pocket medical and/or dental expenses in excess of 11% of the household’s Adjusted Gross Income

Email your Financial Aid Counselor to determine if a PJ may help you. In the subject include “Cost of Attendance adjustment request” and provide a detailed explanation of your actual expenses related to the Costs of Attendance. Your assigned counselor will reply and request the necessary documents for review. An aid administrator’s decision regarding adjustments is final and cannot be appealed to other individuals of the institution or the U.S. Department of Education.

Possible Documentation Required:

• Signed copy of lease
• Utility bills with breakdown of charges
• Medical documentation
• Receipts (grocery, computer, medical bills etc.)
• Additional Documentation may be requested

Students who are over the age of 24, have dependents of their own, are an orphan or ward of the court or are veterans or active-duty military service members are considered independent for the purpose of determining their financial aid eligibility. All other students are considered dependent and must include parental information on their FAFSA application. The goal of a dependency override is to make the student independent for financial aid purposes, and remove parental information from the EFC calculation on the FAFSA.

Dependency overrides are rare, and documentation is essential. Among other information, a student will need to provide documentation from an independent third party such as teachers, counselors, doctors, social workers, clergy, police, etc. 

Dependency override status change to student marital status is usually not permitted.

Examples of reasons to request a dependency override:

• Cases of parental abuse, neglect, abandonment or incarceration (with appropriate written third-party documentation) 
• Parents cannot be located
• Death of the custodial parent and no other biological or adoptive parent can be reached by ordinary means
• Student is a political refugee
• Student has been a ward of the court at any time after the age of 13

Parent refusal to provide information on the FAFSA is not a valid reason for a dependency override. However, students whose parents refuse to provide information on the FAFSA may be eligible to receive dependent-level unsubsidized loans. If this applies to you, contact your Financial Aid Counselor.

Possible documentation required:

• Signed and dated statement from parents that they refuse to complete the FASFA AND state they will not provide financial support (include the date the support stopped).
• Third-party documentation (such as from teacher, counselor or court) of the family situation
• Parents do not claim the student on tax return
• Student lives apart from parent
• Student works and is financially self-sufficient

Email your Financial Aid Counselor to determine if a PJ may help you qualify for additional aid. In the subject include “Dependency Override request” and provide a detailed explanation of your circumstances related to the dependency override. Your assigned counselor will reply and request the necessary documents for review. An aid administrator’s decision regarding adjustments is final and cannot be appealed to other individuals of the institution or the U.S. Department of Education.