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Professional Judgement

Financial aid eligibility for each academic year is calculated based on the information you provided on the FAFSA. The FAFSA Simplification Act distinguishes between different categories of professional judgment.

  • Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the Cost of Attendance (COA) or the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation.
  • Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator adjusting 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 a dependency override.

A student may have both a special circumstance and an unusual circumstance. Financial aid administrators (FAAs) may make appropriate adjustments to each student's situation with appropriate documentation. See GEN-22-15 for additional guidance and discussion of the changes made by the FAFSA Simplification Act and implemented beginning with the 2023-24 Award Year.

 

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES 

The institution does not have the authority to make direct adjustments to the SAI or the formula/tables used to calculate the SAI, just data elements on the FAFSA that may change the SAI.

Situations that may merit appeal include, but are not limited to:

  • Change in employment status, income, or assets;
  • Change in housing status (e.g., homelessness);
  • Change in amount of child support, Social Security, or other benefits;
  • Divorce or separation of parents; 
  • Death of parent(s);
  • Tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school;
  • Medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance;
  • Child or dependent care expenses;
  • Severe disability of the student or other member of the student’s household; and
  • Other changes or adjustments that impact the student’s costs or ability to pay for college.

Situations that do NOT merit appeal include, but are not limited to:

  • Standard living expenses (e.g., utilities, credit card payments, children's allowances, etc.)
  • Mortgage payments
  • Car payments
  • Credit card or other personal debts
  • Vacation expenses
  • All other discretionary expenses
  • Reduction in assets due to market changes

Appeal Process:

 

Special Circumstances Appeal

 

The decision of the Financial Aid Office is final, and the notification will be sent to the student via their Motlow student email only. 

UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

An aid administrator may override only from dependent to independent. Under HEA Sec. 480(d)(9), the FAFSA Simplification Act incorporated additional unusual circumstances to consider when a student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with parents poses a risk to such student.

Situations that may merit appeal include, but are not limited to:

  • Human trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 USC 7101 et seq.);
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status;
  • Parental abandonment, estrangement, or
  • Student or parental incarceration.

These conditions would also not disqualify a student from being a homeless unaccompanied youth or self-supporting and at risk of homelessness.

Situations that do NOT merit appeal include, but are not limited to:

  • 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.
  • The student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Appeal Process:

 

Unusual Circumstances Appeal

 

The institution will provide students with a final determination of their dependency status, and financial aid offers as soon as practicable after reviewing all requested documentation, but no later than 60 days after the student enrolls. The institution may deny an appeal if a student does not provide the requested documentation within the given timeframe. The decision of the Financial Aid Office is final, and the notification will be sent to the student via their Motlow student email only.

The institution will presume that any student who has obtained an adjustment for unusual circumstances and a final determination of independence will be independent for each subsequent award year at the same institution unless (1) The student informs the institution that their circumstances have changed; or (2) The institution has conflicting information about the student's independence.

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