Special Circumstances

Sometimes the information reported on the FAFSA does not fully reflect a student's current financial or family circumstances. Federal student aid rules allow Financial Aid Administrators to review certain situations on a case-by-case basis when appropriate documentation is provided.

Understanding the Difference

Special Circumstances vs. Unusual Circumstances

Federal student aid rules distinguish between special circumstances that may affect a student's financial information or education costs and unusual circumstances that may affect a dependent student's dependency status.

Financial Situation

Special Circumstances

Special circumstances are financial situations that may justify a Financial Aid Administrator reviewing and adjusting certain information used to determine a student's federal student aid eligibility.

Examples may include changes in employment, income or assets, certain unreimbursed expenses, changes in housing circumstances, dependent-care expenses, or other significant changes affecting education costs or the ability to pay for school.

Dependency Status

Unusual Circumstances

Unusual circumstances are situations that may justify a Financial Aid Administrator reviewing and adjusting a dependent student's dependency status. This type of adjustment is commonly referred to as a dependency override.

Examples may include parental abuse or abandonment, human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, incarceration, or other unique circumstances affecting the student's ability to provide parental information.

Your Situation May Involve Both

A student may have both special circumstances affecting financial information and unusual circumstances affecting dependency status. Each situation is reviewed individually.

Reviews Are Completed Case by Case

Financial Aid Administrators review special and unusual circumstances individually. Documentation will be required to support the circumstances being reviewed.

Submitting a request does not guarantee that an adjustment will be approved or that the student's financial aid eligibility or award amount will change.

Not Sure Which Situation Applies to You?

Contact the Financial Aid Office before submitting documentation. A member of the Financial Aid Team can help you determine which type of review may apply and what documentation may be needed for your circumstances.

Schedule a Financial Aid Appointment

Special Circumstances

Special circumstances are financial situations that may not be accurately reflected by the information used to determine your federal student aid eligibility. In certain situations, a Financial Aid Administrator may use professional judgment to review your individual circumstances.

Professional Judgment

What Can Financial Aid Review?

Federal regulations allow a Financial Aid Administrator to use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust certain components of a student's Cost of Attendance or certain FAFSA data used to determine Pell Grant eligibility or calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI).

Any adjustment must relate to the student's documented special circumstances.

Examples of Special Circumstances

Federal guidance provides examples of circumstances that may be considered. This is not an exhaustive list, and eligibility for an adjustment depends on the student's individual situation.

Change in Employment, Income, or Assets

A significant change in the employment status, income, or assets reported for the student or applicable family members may warrant review.

Change in Housing Status

Certain changes in a student's housing circumstances may be considered as part of a special-circumstances review.

Uninsured Medical, Dental, or Nursing Home Expenses

Significant medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance may be considered.

Child or Dependent Care Expenses

Certain child or dependent care costs may warrant review when they affect the student's education costs or ability to pay for school.

Severe Disability

A severe disability affecting the student or another member of the student's household may be considered.

Other Significant Financial Changes

Other changes or adjustments that significantly affect the student's educational costs or ability to pay for school may also warrant review.

A Special-Circumstances Review Does Not Guarantee Additional Aid

Financial Aid Administrators review each request individually and may approve or deny a requested adjustment based on the circumstances and supporting documentation.

An approved adjustment does not necessarily result in additional federal student aid.

Documentation Will Be Required

The Financial Aid Office must document the circumstances supporting a professional judgment decision. The documentation needed will depend on the individual situation being reviewed.

Because documentation requirements vary, contact the Financial Aid Office before submitting documents so the team can explain what is needed for your particular circumstances.

Has Your Financial Situation Changed?

Schedule an appointment with the Financial Aid Office to discuss your circumstances. The Financial Aid Team can determine whether a special-circumstances review may be appropriate and explain what documentation may be required.

Schedule a Financial Aid Appointment

Unusual Circumstances

Unusual circumstances are situations that may prevent a dependent student from contacting a parent or may make contact with a parent unsafe. In certain situations, a Financial Aid Administrator may review the student's circumstances and determine whether an adjustment to dependency status is appropriate.

Dependency Status

What Is a Dependency Override?

A dependency override is a professional judgment determination that allows a Financial Aid Administrator to change a student's FAFSA dependency status from dependent to independent when documented unusual circumstances support the adjustment.

Dependency overrides are reviewed individually and may only be approved when the student's circumstances and supporting documentation justify the adjustment.

Examples of Unusual Circumstances

Federal guidance identifies several situations that may support an unusual-circumstances review. This is not an exhaustive list, and each request must be evaluated based on the student's individual circumstances.

Human Trafficking

Legally Granted Refugee or Asylum Status

Parental Abandonment or Estrangement

Student or Parental Incarceration

What Does Not, By Itself, Qualify for a Dependency Override?

Federal guidance states that the following situations, alone or in combination, do not qualify as unusual circumstances that justify a dependency override:

  • 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 federal income tax purposes.
  • The student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

What If My Parents Refuse to Complete the FAFSA?

Parental refusal to provide FAFSA information or financial support does not, by itself, qualify a student for a dependency override.

Federal student aid rules provide a separate process that may allow certain dependent students without parental support to be considered for dependent-level Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility. Contact the Financial Aid Office if this situation applies to you.

Did You Indicate Unusual Circumstances on Your FAFSA?

Students can indicate on the FAFSA that unusual circumstances prevent them from providing parental information. This can result in the student receiving a provisional independent status and provisional Student Aid Index while the Financial Aid Office reviews the student's circumstances.

The Financial Aid Office must review the student's situation and make the applicable dependency-status determination before the unusual-circumstances process is completed.

Documentation

Documentation Depends on Your Circumstances

Supporting documentation is required for an unusual-circumstances determination, but the appropriate documentation depends on the student's individual situation.

Depending on the circumstances, documentation may include a documented interview with the Financial Aid Office, official records, information from an appropriate agency or professional, or other documentation that substantiates the student's circumstances.

Contact the Financial Aid Office before submitting documentation so the team can explain what information is appropriate for your individual review.

Previously Approved for an Unusual-Circumstances Adjustment?

Federal rules generally require the school to presume that a student who received an unusual-circumstances adjustment and final determination of independence remains independent in later award years at the same institution.

A new review may be needed if the student reports that the circumstances have changed or if Summit Salon Academy has conflicting information regarding the student's independence.

You May Have Both Special & Unusual Circumstances

A student may have unusual circumstances affecting dependency status and separate special circumstances affecting financial information or education costs. The Financial Aid Office can review both when appropriate.

Think You May Have Unusual Circumstances?

Schedule an appointment with the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Team can review your situation, explain the unusual-circumstances process, and identify the documentation appropriate for your individual circumstances.

Schedule a Financial Aid Appointment