Special circumstances review for financial aid

What is the best way, and timing, to go about requesting a special circumstances review for financial aid? I plan to do this for each school my child is applying to. Is it also referred to as a “professional judgement”? I want to be sure to use the right terminology. Should I do this after he applies but before he is accepted? And should I communicate by email or request a phone or zoom meeting? I’m worried about getting lost in what I think might be a deluge of such requests this year. And is there a certain type of professional with expertise in this subject that I can consult for help navigating this process? Any advice/insight from this community is appreciated!

Typically every school has a form for this that is available on their website. It is usually called something like ‘special circumstances’ or ‘change in income’, something like that.

-Start by completing that form and make sure to include all of the information that the school asks for

-After submitting the form, follow up with a financial aid director to make sure they have received it, have all the info, and find out what are the next steps.

@kelsmom and @BelknapPoint have experience working with these situations…

I have handled many professional judgment requests over the years. Every school has its own form, process, requirements, timeline. Most will not entertain a request for an adjustment due to change in income until a student has been accepted, and even then, many won’t take them until at least spring. But others will review earlier, and some may review prior to formal acceptance. And some will not review any requests due to change in income, preferring to stick with the base year income. In other words, there is no “one way.”

Read the information on the financial aid website for EACH school, and be sure to follow instructions for each school carefully (pay attention to timelines & required forms). If the information is not on the website, call or email the school to ask about it’s process. If they say, “Check back later,” be sure to do so. A spreadsheet may be helpful for multiple schools.

Generally speaking, you’ll want to prepare proof of change of income: pay stubs, letter from employer proving job loss (being downgraded or laid off), unemployment income documentation, etc. Schools that will do a review for loss of income will want that.

What schools is your child applying to? Are they meets-need schools? And, what are your special circumstances?

I have experience appealing financial awards for six consecutive years at two very different schools and have been very successful.