Financial Aid Appeals

The Office of Student Financial Aid Services (SFAS) recognizes that students and/or families may experience unique circumstances that may warrant further review. Students may submit the appeals to our office which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The appeals must be submitted with all the requested supporting documents (SFAS reserves the right to request any documents deemed necessary for the appeal). The appeals without complete documentation will not be processed. The appeal decision of the Office of Student Financial Aid Services will be final.

Special Circumstance听Appeal

The FAFSA uses your family鈥檚 annual income from two years ago to project how much your family can afford to contribute to your educational expenses while you attend college. Federal law allows us to make certain adjustments to student/parent income data to accurately reflect your current situation on a case-by-case basis. If your family has experienced one or more of the following situations, you may submit a Special Circumstance appeal.
听

Loss of income due to unemployment, disability, or retirement
Loss of full-time employment
Death of a parent or spouse that occurred after the FAFSA was filed
Divorce or separation that occurred after the FAFSA was filed
Exceptional medical and/or dental expenses incurred and not paid by insurance
Termination of benefits or income such as child support, alimony, SS benefits
One-time occurrence of income such as a debt cancellation, an inheritance, or hardship IRA withdrawals

How to Apply

The special circumstance appeal review process may take 4-6 weeks to complete if all documents are received. See听instructions听on how to apply.

Submit an unusual circumstance appeal on the听
- 听Click on 鈥淢anage Requests鈥�
- Select Special Circumstance Appeal for the appropriate aid year
- Provide all requested documents to the financial aid office听

Unusual Circumstances听

Unusual circumstances are unique situations that may warrant changing a dependent student's status to independent, also known as a dependency override.听These circumstances may be due to a severe family situation that prevents a student from including parent information on the FAFSA. Some examples of special circumstances are:

Parental abuse听or an abusive family environment
Parental abandonment听or severe estrangement
Parental incarceration
Human trafficking
Refugee or asylee status听where parents are displaced
Unaccompanied and homeless youth
Inability to contact parents

Situations that听do not听qualify

Financial aid offices are prohibited from granting appeals for the following reasons alone:听

Parents' unwillingness to pay for college
Parents' refusal to provide information on the FAFSA
The student's self-sufficiency or not being claimed as a dependent on taxes

How to Apply

The unusual circumstance appeal review process may take 4-6 weeks to complete if all documents are received.听

File the
Submit an unusual circumstance appeal on the
- Click on 鈥淢anage Requests鈥�
- Select Unusual Circumstance Appeal for the appropriate aid year
- Provide all requested documents to the financial aid office

Cost of Attendance Appeal

As per federal regulations, a student鈥檚 total financial aid, including loans and federal work-study, may not exceed a student's Cost of Attendance.听However, if your education-related expenses听exceed the current Cost of Attendance and you need additional loan funds, you can submit a Cost of Attendance Appeal.听SFAS reviews these appeals on a case-by-case basis and may adjust the Cost of Attendance. This appeal does not result in non-loan funding. Examples of these expenses are increased childcare expenses, disability expenses, unexpected housing costs, etc.听All the requested documents must be provided. Some of the supporting documents include but are not limited to proof of expense, payment receipts, and canceled checks. For more information, contact us at听finaid@njit.edu.听

51重口猎奇