​​​​​​​​​​​​Financial Aid Appeal 

Special Circumstances

At a very basic level, special circumstances are anything that makes the information provided on the FAFSA not reflective of the family's ability to pay. This can include anticipated differences between the two prior tax years and the upcoming year, such as impending job loss, and unusual capital gains. It can also include anything that differentiates the family's situation from other families such as medical expenses not covered by insurance. 

The Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Services is committed to a thorough and personal review of each family's individual circumstances as the basis for determining a student's financial aid eligibility. However, we recognize that family circumstances can change unexpectedly, affecting a family's ability to contribute toward educational expenses.

Your financial aid is based upon the income from two years prior to the start of the academic year as reported on the financial aid application. If your family's circumstances change after receiving your financial aid offer, you may request a review of your financial aid by completing the financial aid appeal form.

The following may be considered a change in circumstances if not initially reported on your financial aid application:

• Significant loss of income due to termination or change in employment (please wait one month before submitting Financial Aid Appeal)
  
• Reduction of child support received
  
• One-time/non-recurring income
  
• High unreimbursed medical/dental expenses not covered by insurance
  
• Death, divorce, or separation
  
• Elementary or secondary school tuition expenses
  
• Parent unreimbursed tuition expenses
  

 The following is not considered a change of circumstances and cannot be considered:

If you have experienced a special circumstance(s) as described, you may complete the financial aid appeal form below. Supporting documentation is required. Additional financial assistance is determined on a case-by-case basis and may be in the form of a loan, employment, or grant. Submission of this form does not guarantee an adjustment or increase to your financial assistance. We will notify the student directly if eligibility for assistance can be improved.

Please note: Students are encouraged to pay their university bill on time and should not wait for the financial aid appeal to be processed. The student is responsible for any fees or finance charges accrued due to not paying their bill by the due date. It is our expectation that families will use all resources available to them to finance their education, including current salary, savings, investments, payment plans, and student/parent loans if necessary. Our decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.

When submitting electronically, your student identification information and email address will be considered as a signature certifying that the information reported is as true, accurate, and complete as possible. If you are a dependent student submitting parental information you must receive permission from your parent(s) before doing so. The submission represents that you have approval from your parents to submit data on their behalf. You will be asked to provide a parental telephone number which we may use to corroborate data submitted on behalf of your parents. Please be aware that the U.S. Inspector General requires us to report all cases of fraud (and submitting parental data without permission would be fraud) as well as purposely providing inaccurate information to receive more aid.

Unusual Circumstances and Dependency Override

Most students entering a postsecondary school straight from high school are considered financially dependent on their parents. This means their parents must provide their financial information on the FAFSA. In some unusual circumstances, the financial aid office can change a student's FAFSA status from dependent to independent in situations where providing parental information is very​ difficult for the student. View our dependency override webpage for more information and how to apply.

Budget Adjustment

You may qualify for an adjustment to your Cost of Attendance (COA) for Financial Aid Purposes. This is called a Budget Adjustment and is available for the documented rental or purchase of a personal computer, the costs expected to be incurred for dependent care, and when documented expenses are significantly different than those used in our estimates.

• A Budget Adjustment may or may not increase the amount of financial aid offered. If you have already received aid up to your annual limits, consider borrowing additional aid through a Parent Plus or Private Educational Loan.
• Example: Joe is a resident undergraduate student living on campus.
  
• Joe's COA is $21,778. Joe has been offered $10,000 in financial aid based on his generated financial aid offer.
• If Joe needs extra financial aid, Joe could borrow a maximum of $11,778 in a private educational loan without having to complete a request for a budget increase.
• To find out what your cost of attendance is, you may view the 2024-2025 Academic Year Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA) budgets.
• If you believe you qualify for a budget adjustment, complete a Budget Adjustment Request with this form​.