SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Your financial aid award is based on the information provided by you and/or your parents at the time the FAFSA was filed. We are aware that, in certain cases, the information listed on the FAFSA may not accurately represent your family’s current financial circumstances. 

Some examples of changes in circumstance that may warrant a Special Circumstance Appeal are: 

• loss or change of job resulting in a decrease in income 
• reduction in work hours or wage
• disability or illness 
• legal separation or divorce 
• death of a family member 

Other circumstances, although affecting a family’s financial ability to contribute, cannot be used to change eligibility. Some of these are: 

• Excessive consumer/credit card debt 
• Costs of private elementary/high school tuition 
• Prenuptial agreements stating that a stepparent is not responsible for a stepchild’s education. Federal regulations do not recognize prenuptial agreements, and, if remarried, information for both the parent and stepparent must be reported. 

To complete a Special Circumstances Appeal, access the form at www.redlands.edu/faforms. Requests are reviewed by a financial aid committee, who may adjust your eligibility for aid. 

In certain extenuating circumstances, students who would otherwise be dependent on the FAFSA may petition to be considered an independent student for the purposes of determining financial aid eligibility. This process is called a petition for dependency override. Circumstances that alone do not warrant a dependency override include:

• Parent refusal to contribute to educational costs
• Parent unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification
• Parent(s) do not claim the student as a dependent for federal income tax purposes
• Student demonstration of total self-sufficiency

All financial aid appeal decisions will be communicated via e-mail to the student’s University of Redlands email address.