Special or Unusual Circumstances
If your financial situation has changed since the tax year used on your FAFSA, please submit a Special Condition form with supporting documentation. We will review the information to determine if your current situation increases your aid eligibility. Special Conditions are not always approved, and will be denied if your eligibility will not positively be changed or the documentation submitted is not sufficient to document the change.
If you are unable to use parent information on your FAFSA, and you are not otherwise independent based on the questions on the FAFSA, please submit a Dependency Override form with supporting documentation. We are not able to approve Dependency Overrides for the following reasons:
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education.
- Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
Potential reasons to complete a Dependency Override:
- Human trafficking, as described in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.)
- Legally granted refugee or asylum status
- Parental abandonment or estrangement
- Student or parental incarceration
If you indicated you are homeless and self-supporting or at risk of being homeless, please contact our office to inquire about next steps. If you have not received an official homeless determination from your high school or school district liaison, the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program our office will work with you to determine what documentation is needed to verify your independent status. If you do not have any income or have fixed, regular and adequate housing, you cannot claim homelessness to be considered independent.
