Unusual Circumstances

When/if a family's financial situation changes after the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been received by the Central Processing System (CPS), the student should contact the Financial Aid Office.

Death, separation, divorce, unemployment, loss of employment, military service, nursing home expenses, unusual medical care expenses, significant college costs for dependent student’s parent attending college, tuition expenses for children attending a private elementary or high school, or loss of non-taxable income or benefits are unusual circumstances that may affect financial aid eligibility.

The financial aid administrator must have compelling reasons to use professional judgment to make adjustments because of unusual circumstances. Students/Parent(s) will have to provide adequate documentation to support any adjustments.  

The financial aid administrator can help students/parent(s) determine whether unusual circumstance adjustments should be made to the student’s processed FAFSA by requesting the appropriate documentation.