Change in Circumstances

Federal guidelines allows the Office of Financial Aid to adjust your record based on changes in circumstances such as Special or Unusual Circumstances.

Special Circumstances Review

If you or your family have experienced a recent hardship that is not reflected on your FAFSA, you can request a special circumstance review. This review will help us determine if your financial aid offer needs to be reevaluated.

If you've experienced a change in resources, income, or have special circumstances not reflected in your original FAFSA, we encourage you to submit a Professional Judgment Appeal.

Examples of special circumstances that may qualify include:

  • Loss of income (student, spouse, or parent), such as job loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Major medical expenses not covered by insurance and paid out-of-pocket
  • Business or farm debt
  • Educational loan repayment
  • Tuition payments for elementary or secondary school for younger siblings
  • Reduced or ended child support
  • Parent attending college at least half-time in a degree-seeking program
  • Lump sum distribution or non-recurring income inflating adjusted gross income
  • Chapter 13 bankruptcy

Steps to submit a Professional Judgment Appeal:

  1. Download and complete the Professional Judgment Appeal form.
  2. Carefully read and follow the instructions specific to your situation.
  3. Submit all required documents via the Secure Document Upload.
Important: Be thorough and include all requested information to expedite your appeal. Note that we will need to verify your FAFSA details before processing the Professional Judgment Appeal.

Federal guidelines allow students to request an increase to their cost of attendance to the Office of Financial Aid for allowable expenses that occur during the academic year that are not already included within the standard cost of attendance. This may include expenses such as purchasing a new computer, significant transportation expenses, or childcare expenses. 

It's important to note that a Cost of Attendance adjustment typically increases only loan eligibility. It usually does not increase eligibility for grants or scholarships.

If you believe your expenses are higher than average, please contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss potential Cost of Attendance adjustments based on your situation.

Steps to submit an adjustment:

  1. Download and complete the Childcare Expenses Worksheet.
  2. Carefully read the form and follow the specific instructions for your situation.
  3. Submit all required documentation through Secure Document Upload
Important: Providing all requested documentation upfront will help expedite the processing of your adjustment.

Special circumstance reviews are handled on a case-by-case basis and serve as the final decision of the Office of Financial Aid. We will not negotiate financial aid offers or match another school’s offer.

Please allow four to six weeks for the entire process to be completed. Delays may occur during high-volume periods for our office.

The impact of a special circumstance review differs greatly from student to student. The following are examples of special circumstances which illustrate the likelihood of a reevaluation of financial aid eligibility. Please note that each situation is unique, and we take many factors into account during a review.

ExampleScenarioOutcome
Family income: $30,000Parent job loss, new income is $15,000 ($15,000 loss)A student in this scenario is already receiving the maximum amount of financial aid available and a special circumstance review would not result in additional financial aid.
Family income: $300,000Parent job loss, new income is $200,000 ($100,000 loss)Revised financial aid would be limited to loans, possibly switched from unsubsidized to subsidized loans (deferred interest). The updated income is still too high to qualify for grants.
Family income: $125,000Out-of-pocket medical expenses of $30,000Student would be encouraged to submit supporting documentation as their revised income would likely result in additional grant eligibility.
Note that these income scenarios do not factor in assets or investments, which could greatly change aid eligibility.

Unusual Circumstances Review

Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abuse or abandonment, incarceration), more commonly referred to as an Independent Appeal.

The U.S. Department of Education maintains the following situations DO NOT justify a request for independent status: these include but are not limited to

  1. A parent refusing to provide data;
  2. a student who does not want to ask parents for information;
  3. a student has been “on their own” for several years;
  4. a student who doesn’t communicate with parents or
  5. parents’ refusal to help pay for college. 

Such students would be “dependent” for financial aid consideration.

If one of the unusual circumstances below apply, please fill out the Independent Appeal. If the unusual circumstances below don't apply but you would like to discuss your dependency status, you are welcome to meet with your Financial Aid Advisor for possible consideration. Schedule an appointment with your Financial Aid Advisor.

Unusual Circumstances that may be considered

  • Human trafficking
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status
  • Parental abandonment or estrangement
  • Student or parental incarceration.

Unusual Circumstances that are NOT considered

  • Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.
  • Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
  • Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
  • Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Steps to submit an Independent Appeal

  1. Download and complete the Appeal for Independent Status.
  2. Read the form carefully and follow the instructions for your situation.
  3. Submit all required documentation through Secure Document Upload.

Please allow four to six weeks for the entire process to be completed. Delays may occur during high-volume periods for our office.

Special and Unusual Circumstances FAQs

We recommend reviewing some of the circumstances we consider on this page to see if any reflect your current situation. If you think you may be eligible to be reevaluated, you can contact our office for a review request.

Once you have submitted all requested documentation, it can take our team an additional 7-10 business days to finish the review process. If an adjustment to your FAFSA was made and you receive additional aid eligibility, you will receive a revised aid offer notification once your account has been adjusted.

Review our Loans and Scholarships pages for additional information. These pages include information for parent loans, private loans, and scholarships. Additionally, the Office of Financial Aid is willing to assist you as we are able in offering other helpful resources or advice.

The review process does not carry over to the next academic year. After you submit your next academic year FAFSA, if believe your financial situation is not accurately reflected, you may request a new special circumstance review.

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