When there are unusual situations or circumstances that impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give a financial aid administrator discretion or professional judgment on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation to make adjustments to the data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA庐) form that impact your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to gain a more accurate assessment of your family's ability to contribute to your cost of education
Unusual circumstances are conditions that support a change to a student's dependency status based on a unique situation. Examples of unusual circumstances include but are not limited to: Human trafficking. Refugee/asylee status. Parental abandonment, estrangement, or parental incarceration.
Please note that unusual circumstances do not include:
- Parents refuse to contribute to student鈥檚 education.
- Parents refused to provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
- Parents do not claim the student for income tax purposes, or that the student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.