Special Circumstances
Special Circumstances
If your family experienced a change in income due to circumstances such as a loss of job, permanent reduction of hours, separation or divorce, death in the immediate family, reduction/loss of child support, high non-reimbursed medical expenses, or your parents took money out of their pension/retirement plan as a one-time payment to help cover expenses, your federal financial aid eligibility may be able to be re-evaluated.
The Office of Financial Aid can review your account to determine if adjustments to items on your FAFSA application can be made. Adjustments to your FAFSA could impact your Student Aid Index (SAI), which determines the type of aid you qualify for.
Special Circumstance requests are reviewed for confirmed students on a case-by-case basis and this request does not guarantee additional financial aid. All forms and required documentation must be received before a review can take place and a new Student Aid Index (SAI) will be calculated based on the federal SAI formula. Please be aware:
- If any additional financial aid is awarded, it is understood that it may not be enough to drastically change the balance due to the school.
- There are some instances where a reduction of income (even if significant for your family) will not result in any changes to the students offered financial aid.
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TERMS OF THE SPECIAL Circumstances PROCESS
- The Special Circumstance process will only affect federal financial aid eligibility. Therefore, a completed FAFSA must be on file with Millersville University.
- The student must be admitted to Millersville University and have paid their confirmation fee (deposit) to the Admissions Office. A Special Circumstance request cannot be completed for prospective students who have not confirmed their acceptance.
- You agree to accept all other financial aid that is offered to you prior to the Special Circumstance process being completed: including, but not limited to, Federal Direct Loans.
- To ensure that your scheduled classes aren’t dropped for non-payment, you must have a plan in place to cover any outstanding balance due to the university prior to this form being reviewed.
- Information regarding additional aid resources such as Parent Plus Loans, Private/Alternative Loans, or an Installment Plan can be found on our website.
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STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS
STEP 1: fafsa
Because the Special Condition's process only impacts federal financial aid, you must first submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If this has already been completed, please skip to Step 2.
STEP 2: contact THE office of FINANCIAL AID
If one of the circumstances listed above applies to you, please contact the Office of Financial to request a Special Circumstance. A Financial Aid Representative will be able to look at your account and help determine if completing this process might be a benefit for you.
Please note, the Special Circumstance process does not automatically award a student additional financial aid. It simply recalculates the information on the FAFSA and your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI determines the type of aid you may be eligible for. Even if there is a significant reduction in your SAI, this does not guarantee additional aid.
STEP 3: COMPLETE the SPECIAL Circumstance FORM
If you would like to proceed with the Special Circumstance process, a Financial Aid Representative can add the requirement to the student's account and you will have access to download and complete the form.
- The form will detail the required documentation you must submit based on your specific circumstances.
- If you are unable to provide supporting documentation, unfortunately, we will not be able to process your request.
- FAILURE TO INCLUDE ALL DOCUMENTS OR LEAVING ITEMS INCOMPLETE WILL RESULT IN A DELAY IN THE PROCESSING OF YOUR INFORMATION OR HAVING IT RETURNED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Please mail ALL items to:
Millersville University
Office of Financial Aid
PO Box 1002
Millersville PA 17551Or you can email your documents to fa.mail@milllersville.edu
STEP 4: PROCESSING TIMELINE
Please be aware this review will take some time to complete due to the large number of requests that are expected.
- The estimated completion time is 4-6 weeks from the date all documentation has been received.
- Once your Special Circumstance Request has been reviewed, you will receive an email to your Millersville University email detailing the outcome and will be notified if any additional aid will be awarded to your account.
- If you do qualify for additional aid, it may not be significant enough to drastically change your balance due. Please visit our website for information regarding additional aid resources such as Parent Plus Loans, Private/Alternative Loans, or an Installment Plan.
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RE-EVALUATION FOR STATE AID
The Office of Financial Aid cannot make any adjustments to the PA State Grant. Students and families would need to complete separate documentation for PHEAA. Below are different forms that can be completed for re-evaluation for eligibility for a PA State Grant:
The information reported on these forms will be used by PHEAA to reconsider your eligibility for the PA State Grant. DO NOT LEAVE ANY LINE BLANK.
Please note: If you mail this form to our office, we cannot forward it to PHEAA - you must send it directly to PHEAA!
Return the completed and signed form to:
PHEAA
PO Box 8167
Harrisburg PA 17105-8167