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Special and Unusual Conditions/Professional Judgment

If you experience circumstances that are not reflected on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that affect your ability to pay for your education, you may be eligible for reconsideration of aid offered. In these situations, federal regulations allow financial aid administrators to use professional judgment on a case by case basis. When such circumstances are sufficiently documented, adjustments to the data elements on your FAFSA that may impact your Student Aid Index (SAI) can be made. These adjustments can help to more accurately assess your financial need and may increase your eligibility for federal need-based financial aid. Need-based federal financial aid includes Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, and Federal Work Study.

NOTE: Since a professional judgment review’s purpose is to determine whether you may qualify for additional need-based federal aid, students who already have a $0 (or lower) Student Aid Index (SAI) on their FAFSA do not need to submit a Professional Judgment request as a review will not impact your financial aid eligibility. To view your Student Aid Index (SAI), log in to the FAFSA website and click “View or Print your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)” from the “My FAFSA” page. If your SAI is already $0 or lower, please reach out to your financial aid counselor so that we may determine any other options that may apply to your specific situation.

Sometimes circumstances can impact your financial aid situation, including a change in family circumstances, traumatic events, or lost income. Federal regulations provide financial aid administrators with the authority to use their discretion on a case-by-case basis and with proper documentation to adjust a student’s Cost of Attendance (COA), the data elements used on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and/or a student’s dependency status.

There are two categories that are considered when reviewing a student’s circumstance:

  1. Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations (loss of a job, death of the custodial parent, etc.) that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the COA or in the data used to complete the FAFSA.
  2. Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment, incarceration), more commonly referred to as a dependency override.

In some cases, a student may have both a special circumstance and an unusual circumstance.

The U.S. Department of Education does not have the authority to override a school's decision. It is important to note that a review of a student’s special and/or unusual circumstance does not guarantee additional funding.

Special Circumstances

A financial aid administrator may use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust a student’s COA or the data used to complete the FAFSA.

Some examples of special circumstances that may be considered:

  • Change in employment status, income, or assets
  • Change in housing status (e.g., homelessness)
  • Medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance
  • Child or dependent care expenses
  • Death of custodial parent

Acceptable documentation for a special circumstance review includes, but is not limited to supplementary information, as necessary, about the financial status or personal circumstances of eligible applicants as it relates to the special circumstances.

Alternatively, there are special/unusual circumstances that do not warrant a review. These circumstances include but are not limited to:

  • Parents refusing to contribute to student's education;
  • Parents unwilling to provide information on the application for verification or on the FAFSA;
  • Credit card debt;
  • Vacation expenses; 
  • Wedding expenses for sibling; or
  • Car payments or mortgage payments.

Undergraduate students who already have a $0 Student Aid Index (SAI) or lower do not qualify for a special circumstance review since they have already received the maximum amount of aid for which they are eligible.

Unusual Circumstances

A financial aid administrator may conduct dependency overrides on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances.

Some examples of unusual circumstances include:

  • Human trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.)
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status
  • Parental abandonment or estrangement
  • Student or parental incarceration

Acceptable documentation for an unusual circumstance includes, but is not limited to:

  • Personal statement explaining your situation with specific details
  • A written statement on official letterhead from a third-party acting in their official capacity (e.g. attorney, clergy, police, doctor, etc.) that confirms the circumstances and the person’s relationship to the student
  • A written statement from a Homeless Shelter Director or homeless liaison agency
  • Court documents
  • Child Protective Service or Police Reports

Examples that do not qualify as unusual circumstances:

  • Parents refusing to contribute to student’s education
  • Parents unwilling to provide information on the application for verification or on the FAFSA
  • Parents not claiming student as dependent for income tax purposes
  • Students who demonstrate total self-sufficiency

How to Request a Review of your Special and/or Unusual Circumstance

Special Circumstances: Please complete the Special Circumstances Form 2024-2025 located on the Forms & Documents page and submit with all required supporting documentation.

Unusual Circumstances: Please complete the Unusual Circumstances Form 2024-2025 located on the Forms & Documents page and submit with all required supporting documentation.

Students who submit complete materials can expect a response within 15 business days.

Dependency Status

For the sole purpose of Financial Aid eligibility, dependency status is strictly determined by the Department of Education. You can find information about what qualifies a dependent vs. independent student on the FAFSA help page.

The Department of Education has given financial aid administrators the authority to “override” a student’s dependency status from dependent to independent in cases involving extreme extenuating circumstances.

The following conditions do not qualify as unusual circumstances, either individually or in combination:

  • Parents who refuse to contribute, are unwilling to provide information or do not claim the student as an income tax dependent
  • A student who demonstrates total self-sufficiency
  • A student whose parent(s) live(s) in another country

Situations that might warrant a dependency override include:

  • The student’s voluntary or involuntary removal from the parents’ home due to an abusive situation that threatened the student’s safety and/or health
  • The student’s abandonment by parents
  • A student’s inability to locate the parents

Please note that a student applying for a dependency override will be asked to provide a personal statement along with documentation from two professional third parties confirming the circumstances.

Students who believe they may qualify for an override should contact their assigned financial aid counselor directly for more information.