Special Cases
Our Financial Aid office can take into consideration your current circumstances when considering your eligibility for Financial Aid. We call this process Special Cases.
Special Cases: Change in Financial Situation
- Request Income Recalculation Form - Allows students to request our financial aid department to use updated household income due to change in employment status, and/or work hours and wages.
- Cost of Attendance (COA) Adjustments Forms - Allow students to request that the COA be increased due to various circumstances set by the Department of Education such as, Disability related expenses, Childcare, purchasing of a laptop, and more.
If approved, students may be eligible for an increase in their annual Student Budget and/or additional financial aid, including loans and work study.
Special Case: Apply as an Independent Student
The Financial Aid Applications ask questions to determine if you would be considered as a dependent student or independent student.
There may be circumstances that may allow a dependent student to apply for aid as an independent student, without including parent information on the FAFSA. Other institutions may refer to this as unusual circumstances or a Dependency Override at other institutions.
- Provisional Independent Status: You may receive a temporary Provisional Independent Status on your financail aid
application based on your you answer certain questions.
- This allows you to receive an initial financial aid estimate. This is not your actual financial aid offer.
- Student action required: You will need to complete the Special Cases form along with providing the supporting
documentation.
- The Financial Aid Department will not be able to move forward with your aid application until the special cases form has been completed and processed.
You may qualify to apply for financial aid in independent status for financial aid for the following situation
- Human Trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
- Legally granted refugee or asylum status
- Parental abandonment or estrangement
- Student or parent incarceration
- An adbusive, neglectful or unsafe home envirorment
You do not qualify for a dependency override for the following situations:
- Parents refuse to contribute to your education
- Parents refuse to provide information for the FAFSA or Verification process
- Parents do not claim you on their taxes
- You are self-sufficient and do not rely on your parents for support
Use this link to access the forms page if believe you may qualify for Special Cases.