While our office is required to adhere to federal guidelines dictating the process by which we award aid (e.g., our utilization of cost of attendance, Expected Family Contribution, need, and eligibility requirements), sometimes we may apply professional judgment and alter a student’s budget or the data used in the calculation of a student’s Expected Family Contribution. As a result, a student may qualify for additional aid. The request for consideration of a special circumstance is a type of appeal, and our office's decision is final. The main categories of special circumstances possibly leading to such adjustments are as follows:
Special Circumstances: Additional Expenses
A student can document expenses they incur in excess of the expenses already estimated in their cost of attendance by completing a Special Conditions Form (SCF). We provide separate SCFs for dependent undergraduate students, independent undergraduate students, and graduate students. The special expenses categories on the SCFs are as follows:
For dependent undergraduates
- Additional direct educational expenses (e.g., musical instruments, art supplies, tuition beyond the undergraduate flat fee).*
- The purchase of a personal computer.
- Excessive housing costs.
For independent undergraduates or graduate students
- Additional direct educational expenses (e.g., musical instruments, art supplies, mandatory conferences, dissertation research, tuition beyond the undergraduate flat fee or beyond 8 credit hours for graduate students).*
- Uninsured medical costs.
- Costs for dependent care.
- The purchase of a personal computer.
- Excessive housing costs.
- Excessive transportation costs (graduate students only).
A fourth type of SCF, for parents, also exists. However, there are no special expenses categories on the parent SCF, since a student’s budget is built solely upon estimated student expenses. The parent SCF is utilized to document changes in a parent’s financial situation.
The Special Conditions Form is an appeal, subject to review and approval. SCFs are available at our office and on our website (under Forms > Appeals). Further details about the appeal process can be found directly on the SCF.
*For undergraduates, tuition and fees are budgeted within the cost attendance based upon the flat fee assessed for 12-17 credit hours of enrollment; for graduate students, tuition and fees are budgeted within the cost of attendance based upon
8 credit hours of enrollment.
Special Circumstances: Change in Financial Situation
If a student and/or parent has experienced a situation that has altered their financial profile from that which is reflected on the current academic year’s FAFSA, they may complete a Special Conditions Form (SCF) to document the change. We provide separate SCFs for dependent undergraduate students, independent undergraduate students, graduate students, and parents. The SCF categories connected with a change in finances are as follows:
For dependent undergraduates
- A significant decrease in income from 2008 (the year upon which the 2009-2010 FAFSA is based) to 2009.
- A loss of Social Security benefits or other untaxed income.
For independent undergraduates or graduate students
- A significant decrease in income from 2008 (the year upon which the 2009-2010 FAFSA is based) to 2009, on the part of the student and/or the student’s spouse, if applicable.
- A loss of Social Security benefits or other untaxed income, on the part of the student and/or the student’s spouse, if applicable.
- A married student’s becoming separated, divorced, or widowed in 2009 since filing the FAFSA.
For parents (of dependent students)
- Unemployment for at least ten consecutive weeks in 2009.
- A loss of Social Security benefits or other untaxed income.
- A married parent’s becoming separated, divorced, or widowed in 2009 since filing the FAFSA.
- Enrollment in a full-time degree program during Fall 2009 and/or Spring 2010.
Changes in both student and parent finances are considered since, in the case of dependent students, both student and parent information figures into the calculation of the Expected Family Contribution (correspondingly, the parent SCF can only be used by parent[s] who appear on the FAFSA).
The Special Conditions Form is an appeal, subject to review and approval. SCFs are available at our office and on our website (under Forms > Appeals). Further details about the appeal process can be found directly on the SCF.
Special Circumstances: Dependency Appeals
If a student cannot answer “yes” to any one of questions #48-60 on the FAFSA, they are automatically deemed dependent by FAFSA standards. Such a student may be reclassified as independent (and thus not required to include parental information on the FAFSA) if our office approves a dependency appeal for that student. A parent’s inability or unwillingness to pay IU costs is not considered sufficient grounds alone to constitute a viable appeal. The student must demonstrate that an irretrievable breakdown in the student-parent relationship, or another extenuating circumstance, has occurred by providing the following documentation detailing their situation:
- A letter from the student.
- A letter/letters from a professional or third party.
- A letter from a relative.
The student must also submit a Dependency Appeal form, available both in our office and on our website. This form provides specific instructions concerning the content of the letters listed above and further details on the appeal process.
If a student’s dependency appeal is approved and the student is reclassified as independent, the parental information will be removed from consideration in the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculation, and the EFC will be recalculated.
Each year, students who have been reclassified as independent will need to confirm that they still meet the conditions for being an independent student. These students will be sent an email (in December) containing the link to the Previous Dependency Appeal Confirmation form. The form can also be obtained at the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Students should submit a FAFSA online by March 1st, excluding parent information. Students should then make an appointment with the Office of Student Financial Assistance; they should bring the completed Previous Dependency Appeal Confirmation form to their appointment. At the appointment, the student's situation will be re-evaluated to determine if the student is still independent. If it is determined that the student is still independent the FAFSA will be properly coded to indicate the dependency override. This process can take 10-14 business days to complete after the student’s appointment and re-coding of the FAFSA.
