Section 479A of the Higher Education Act (HEA) gives an institution’s Financial Aid administrators (FAA) the authority to use professional judgment to adjust, on a case-by-case basis, the cost of attendance or the values of the items used in calculating the Student Aid Index (SAI) to reflect a student’s special circumstances. In making case-by-case determinations, the FAA must obtain and retain in the affected student’s file documents supporting and substantiating the reasons for any adjustment. The HEA does not provide a framework for the FAA to calculate the expected student or parent contribution or for the adjusted aid amounts.
The Financial Aid Office will accept, and review all submitted Professional Judgment (PJ) requests from students and/or families.
The outline below indicates circumstances where a PJ may be warranted:
- Special Circumstances: extenuating circumstances (i.e., job loss) leading to changes in your family’s financial situation that are not reflected accurately or occurred after the submission of your current year FAFSA.
- Unusual Circumstances: a student’s dependency status is based on a unique situation (e.g., parental abandonment, abuse, or incarceration) where there is no parental involvement. This is more commonly referred to as a dependency override. Self-supporting students without a documented extenuating family circumstance do not qualify for a dependency override.
Please contact the Financial Aid Office directly for more information if you feel either of the above circumstances is reflective of your current situation.
Submission of a PJ does not guarantee its approval.