Special Circumstances for Students

Families occasionally experience changes in income and/or resources during the application period (e.g., illness, death of a parent, job loss, loss of assets, etc.). Students have the right to submit an appeal to have their financial aid application adjusted. In cases where the appeal is due to lost income, the expected income must be at least 25% less than the previous year.

To apply for an appeal, the student will need to submit the Special Circumstance form along with a letter of explanation and supporting documents.

Appeals take 30 days to process. However, appeals are not reviewed August 1 – August 31 and December 15 – January 21 due to registration.

You can find the Special Circumstance form on the Financial Aid Forms page

Unusual Circumstances

Students are considered dependent by the U.S. Department of Education based on responses provided in step three of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Occasionally, due to circumstances beyond the student’s control that demonstrate the irreparable breakdown of the family relationship, an exception can be made to allow a student to be considered independent for financial aid purposes. The Office of Financial Aid will exercise professional judgment in determining if extenuating circumstances exist based on information and documentation provided from the student.

Unusual circumstances include the following scenarios but are not limited to:

  • Documented parental abandonment.
  • An abusive family environment that threatens the health and safety of a student
  • The student being unable to locate his biological parents and has not been adopted.
  • Parental incarceration or institutionalization due to mental incapacity

NOTE: The following factors are not considered an unusual circumstance:

  • Parents refuse to contribute to your education.
  • You demonstrate total self-sufficiency.
  • Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA.
  • Parents do not claim you as a dependent for tax purposes.

If you can’t provide parental information, include all student information and skip any questions about your parents.
To complete your FAFSA form and receive an EFC, you must contact the Office of Financial Aid at the college you plan to attend. Note the following:

  • Under federal law, the Office of Financial Aid has the authority to decide whether you must provide parental information on your FAFSA form.
  • After reviewing your circumstances, the Office of Financial Aid will decide if you must provide parental information, or if your circumstances allow you to proceed without providing parental data.

Unusual circumstances verification must be completed in the Campus Logic portal: Campus Logic Student Forms.