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.