There are times that students may be faced with unusual situations that don’t fit with completion of the FAFSA. In these situations, students should complete the FAFSA and contact the Financial Aid Office for further guidance.

Special Circumstances (Special Condition)

A special circumstance refers to the financial situations (examples listed below) that may warrant an adjustment of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI), which consequently could result in an adjustment to financial aid eligibility.

Circumstances may include

• Loss or change of employment
• Loss or change of income or benefits that were reported on the FAFSA
• Death of parent(s), or spouse for independent students
• One-time income or benefit reported on the FAFSA that is not available for educational expenses
• Other circumstances or unusual expenses that affect the student, spouse, or parent(s) financial situation

Before a review can be processed, you must complete the FAFSA for the proper academic year using income from the tax year requested on the FAFSA and submit any required verification documents. Please allow 3-4 weeks processing time for the review of special circumstances, after all documentation has been submitted. Special Condition Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and a committee will evaluate the documented circumstances. During the review, all current Title IV aid will be removed and re-evaluated after the results of the Special Condition. All updates and notifications regarding the outcome of the review will be sent to the student’s SWIC e-mail account.

Therefore, if you believe that your situation warrants review, please contact our office after filing the FAFSA to discuss the matter and request a copy of the Special Condition Request form.

Unusual Circumstances (Dependency Override)

Most students, under the age of 24, are considered dependent when completing their FAFSA. This means they are required to provide parental information on the FAFSA. However, financial aid administrators may override a dependency status on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances. Before a review can be processed, you must complete the FAFSA for the proper academic year and indicate yes to the question asking if you have unusual circumstances.

The following are examples of circumstances that may be considered for a dependency override:

• Documented parental abuse
• Documented parental neglect/abandonment
• Death of custodial parent and no contact with living parent
• Human trafficking, refugee or asylee status

The following circumstances, alone, would not be considered for a dependency override:

• Parents unwilling/unable to contribute to student’s education
• Parents unwilling to provide information for the FAFSA application or verification
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
• Student demonstrates self-sufficiency and/or does not reside with parents
• Student is reluctant to request income information or communicate with parents

If you believe your situation warrants a review, please contact our office after filing the FAFSA to discuss the matter and request a copy of the Dependency Override Application. Please allow 2-3 weeks processing time for review, after all required documentation has been submitted. All updates and notifications regarding the outcome of the review will be sent to the student’s SWIC e-mail account.

Parent Refusal

As mentioned above, most students, under the age of 24, are considered dependent when completing their FAFSA. This means they are required to provide parental information on the FAFSA. If parents are unwilling to provide their information on the FAFSA form and the student does not have unusual circumstances mentioned above, the only federal student aid they may be eligible for is a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Please contact our office to discuss the situation and request the Parent Refusal form.