Professional Judgment
There are unique situations where a Financial Aid administrator may choose to exercise professional judgment (PJ) to adjust a component of a student’s cost of attendance or the data elements that determine a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) to account for a student’s special circumstance.
Financial Aid administrators may also choose to exercise PJ to account for a student’s unusual circumstances that warrant making a dependent student and independent student on their FAFSA form.
If you believe you fit into one of the following categories, please submit the corresponding Professional Judgment request form that applies to your circumstance and a Financial Aid administrator will review your request for consideration within 10 business days.
Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify a Financial Aid administrator adjusting the data elements in the Cost of Attendance or directly in the FAFSA to influence the SAI. Complete the Special Circumstances Review Request form here.
Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify a Financial Aid administrator adjusting a student’s dependent status to an independent status based on a unique and documentable situation. This is more commonly referred to as a dependency override. Complete the Unusual Circumstances Review Request form here.
