Financial aid eligibility is based on the parental and/or student income for the prior prior tax year.  If during the current year special circumstances occur such as unemployment, divorce, death of a spouse or parent, loss of child support, loss of Social Security benefits, or loss of other income benefits, regulations allow student financial assistance to review the situation. 

Please note: if your FAFSA has already resulted in a Student Aid Index less than or equal to 0, a special circumstance review may not change the aid already available to the student.

Please select the applicable form based on your situation:

2024-2025 Special Circumstance for Dependent Student

2024-2025 Special Circumstance for Independent Student

2024-2025 Verification of Private School Tuition Paid

A student is considered provisionally independent if they can answer “Yes” to the questions in Section 7 (Student Unusual Circumstances) of the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who do not meet one of these standards are therefore dependent by federal regulations and must add their parent(s) to the contributor section of the FAFSA form.

Unusual circumstances are generally cases such as an abusive family environment or abandonment by parents where attainment of parental financial documents or support is impossible. The following conditions are not generally considered unusual circumstances:

  • Parents’ refusal to contribute to the student’s
  • Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for the verification
  • Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax
  • Students who demonstrate total self-sufficiency
  • Students do not reside with their

However, if you believe there are extenuating circumstances that might warrant your being considered independent of your parents, this form provides instructions to petition for independent status.

2024-2025 Unusual Circumstances

If you reported on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that you are an unaccompanied/homeless youth, you must complete this form and turn in any required documentation before we can process your financial aid application.

If you do not have a determination but believe you are/were an unaccompanied youth who is providing your own living expenses and are at risk of being homeless, contact your high school counselor, school district McKinney-Vento homeless liaison, school financial aid office, or the National Center for Homeless Education at 1-800-308-2145 for assistance.

2024-2025 Unaccompanied/Homeless Youth Status

If you did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in the last term, you may have been asked to submit a SAP Appeal.  Please use the SAP Appeal that corresponds to the appeal you were requested to submit and submit the signed appeal through the Secure Document Upload in Joe'SS.

SAP Appeal Form

SAP Academic Plan & Appeal Form

*Please fill out the form completely and ensure you have checked all required boxes indicating you have read and understood each of the sections; regardless if it applies to your specific situation.

 

Please see the Satisfactory academic progress policy (SAP) for additional information.

Scholarship Appeal Form (GPA Renewal) - Scholarships that were awarded automatically at the time of admission have certain GPA requirements in order to renew each academic year. If you do not meet the required GPA for these particular scholarships at the end of the academic year, you may submit this appeal in order to be reconsidered for the next term. (See Scholarship Renewal Criteria.)

Graduating Senior Scholarship Appeal Form - Scholarships generally require full time enrollment (12 credit hours as an undergraduate) in order to disburse in a given term.  If you are a graduating senior but do not need to take full time enrollment, you can submit this appeal to be considered for some of your scholarships (only applies to those received at time of admission).  Please note: you must still be half time (6 hours) and have applied for graduation for the current term in Joe'SS.

Please see the Scholarship reinstatement and appeal policy for additional information.