Special Cases

Federal regulations allow a financial aid counselor to use their Professional Judgment (PJ) on a case-by-case basis to alter a students' financial aid eligibility. These Professional Judgment decisions are categorized as Special Circumstances and Unusual Circumstances.

Professional judgement for Special Circumstances allow financial aid counselors to adjust certain data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) used to calculate the Student Aid Index (SAI, formerly the Expected Family Contribution or EFC), or to adjust the student’s Cost of Attendance.

Unusual circumstances refer to the conditions that justify a financial aid counselor making an adjustment to a student's dependency status on the FAFSA based on a unique situation (from dependent to independent). Note: financial aid administrators may not change a student's dependency status from independent to dependent.

Adjustments must be determined to be appropriate and reasonable as deemed by the aid administrator. The student must provide documentation to demonstrate the reason for the adjustment and it must relate to the circumstances that differentiate the student from others. Inconsistent or conflicting information must be resolved before making any adjustments.

Before a financial aid counselor can proceed with your PJ request, we must have an error-free FAFSA on file. If you have been selected for Federal Verification, a Professional Judgment cannot be processed until verification is complete.

The submission of a Professional Judgement request does not guarantee a change to your financial aid award.