If you feel that you have special conditions that are not accounted for on your FAFSA or special expenses that are not reflected in your Cost of Attendance, please review our Special Conditions Tutorial to learn about the appeal process.
What can be appealed?
There are two types of Special Conditions appeals for the 2012-2013 academic year.
- Income related appeals that may impact the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) calculation; and
- Expenses related appeals that may impact the Cost of Attendance (COA) calculation.
Income Related Appeals for Parents
If your financial situation has changed since you filed the FAFSA you may be eligible to submit a Special Conditions Form (SCF) to account for this. This may allow us to adjust your income information which may result in a lowering of the EFC.
The following categories are addressed on the SCF for parents:
- Unemployment for at least ten consecutive weeks in 2012
- Employer required reduction in income for at least ten consecutive weeks in 2012 resulting in a pay decrease of at least 20%
- A loss of untaxed income that was reported on the FAFSA
- A married parent who became divorced, separated or widowed in 2012 since filing the FAFSA
- Parent’s enrollment in a full-time degree program during Fall 2012 and/or Spring 2013 semesters
Income Related Appeals for Students
If your financial situation has changed since you filed the FAFSA you may be eligible to submit a Special Conditions Form (SCF) to account for this. This may allow us to adjust your income information which may result in a lowering of the EFC.
The following categories are addressed on the SCF for all students:
- A significant decrease in income from 2011 to 2012
- A loss of untaxed income that was reported on the FAFSA
This additional category is addressed on the SCF for independent students:
- A married student who became divorced, separated or widowed in 2012 since filing the FAFSA
Expenses Related Appeals for Students
Students who can document expenses in excess of the estimated Cost of Attendance assigned to them may be eligible to submit a Special Conditions Form (SCF) to have the additional expenses reflected in their Cost of Attendance (budget). In some cases, increasing the COA will allow students to borrow additional loans if they have not already exhausted their yearly maximum. Please note that there are no expenses related appeals for parents because the student’s Cost of Attendance is based solely upon estimated student expenses.
The following categories are addressed on the SCF for all students:
- Additional direct educational expenses, for example;
- Musical instruments
- Art supplies
- Tuition beyond the standard amount in the Cost of Attendance*
- Other educational expenses
- The purchase of a personal computer
- Excessive housing costs
These additional categories are addressed on the SCF for independent students:
- Uninsured medical costs
- Costs for dependent care
- Excessive transportation costs (graduate students only)
*For undergraduates, tuition and fees are budgeted within the cost attendance based upon the flat fee assessed for 12-17 credit hours of enrollment; for graduate students, tuition and fees are budgeted within the cost of attendance based upon 8 credit hours of enrollment.
