Federal Aid Petitions

On occasion, circumstances beyond a student’s control may have an adverse effect on Federal Aid eligibility.  When these mitigating or extenuating circumstances occur, the situation may be reviewed to see if Professional Judgment can be used to change data elements of the FAFSA.

In most cases these circumstances have to be of a rather extreme nature in order to be approved.  This is because the federal methodology already includes income protection and other considerations for moderate and insignificant situations that occur.

Extreme situations that might occur can be related to loss of income, extreme medical expenses, physical and/or sexual abuse in the home (dependency over-ride), poor academic performance due to illness, and other situations.

If a student feels that his circumstances warrant further review and possible adjustment because of extreme circumstances, he can appeal to the Financial Aid Committee by submitting the appropriate petition form (linked below) with supporting documentation.

Federal Aid Petition Forms - These forms are for students who have experienced "extreme" circumstances.

2008-09

• Petition for Independent Status (19k PDF)
• Petition for Special Circumstances (26k PDF)
• Petition for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (19k PDF)

Last Updated: July 17, 2008