<p>I have applied to more than 10 schools and filled out the FAFSA, submitted it, then updated it with the second set of 10 schools. </p>
<p>I also have a special circumstance (parent unexpectedly disabled and 2009 income reduced permanently by 1/3). One of the schools administrator or whichever type person processes special circumstances, filed an electronic correction to the FAFSA to reflect the reduction in income. ( I called FAFSA just to make sure this was correct). </p>
<p>My EFC went down dramatically. The FAFSA person seemed to indicate that this transaction was specific for this school, however the other 9 schools on the list on this transaction would have access to the correction. However, the original 10 would not. </p>
<p>Apparently, I can not go in and change the school names since it is a school generated correction. </p>
<p>All schools were given the same information however only this one has so far chosen to make the corrections to the FAFSA.</p>
<p>What is the correct way to let the other schools not listed on this FAFSA know that this school changed the FAFSA?</p>
<p>I also thought I read somewhere that once one school changes the FAFSA the others have to accept the changes as well . Is that true??</p>
<p>Any advice from someone more knowledgable in this area would be greatly appreciated!!</p>
<p>I would contact the schools individually as they may require their own special circumstance form. Each school addresses this individually regardless of what one school changes the efc to. They will do their own math with your special circumstance numbers. I would think it is to your benefit for them to see one school lowered the efc by a lot. You will probably find each school comes up with a different number. They do not have to accept the change at all. It is professional judgement if they take the circumstances into consideration at all. I found with our schools, they all did but they were very different numbers. Good Luck.</p>
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[quote]
I also thought I read somewhere that once one school changes the FAFSA the others have to accept the changes as well . Is that true??
[/quote]
No it is not true. Completely the opposite. Decisions about special circumstances adjustments are at the discretion of the financial aid officer at each school. They do not have to change it if another school changes it.</p>
<p>The best thing to do would be to contact each school and ask if they are going to consider the special circumstances.</p>
Decisions made by one school (e.g., a dependency override) are not binding on financial aid administrators at another school.</p>
<h1>Professional judgment decisions must be revisited each year, to verify that the special circumstances that lead to the decision are still in effect.</h1>
<h1>Professional judgment is optional and not mandatory. There is no requirement that the financial aid administrator make any professional judgment adjustments. Schools are permitted to make adjustments when there are special circumstances, but not required to do so.
<p>My EFC was recently changed also. I contacted the school and I was told that they do not compute the family contribution the same way as FASA. I do not understand. This school is an IVY and states that they meet 100% of the difference B/t EFC and tuition. My son is in his first year. Any advice? Thanks.</p>
<p>The Ivies compute FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC is a FAFSA term) using the FAFSA and then either the Profile or a school financial aid form (Princeton, I believe uses their own form) to compute the awarding of their need based aid. The Ivies do NOT use the FAFSA EFC to award financial aid. They look much more in depth at your finances. </p>
<p>The FAFSA formula IS used primarily for awarding federally funded aid only (Pell grants, etc). </p>
<p>Schools like the Ivies have their own formulas for determining the awarding of their institutional need based funds. These schools will compute a family contribution and very often it’s not the same as the FAFSA EFC.</p>
<p>*I contacted the school and I was told that they do not compute the family contribution the same way as FAFSA. I do not understand. This school is an IVY and states that they meet 100% of the difference B/t EFC and tuition. *</p>
<p>Does this school use CSS Profile? If so, when they say that they meet 100% of need, then mean by using CSS profile…they don’t use FAFSA for that.</p>