Special and Unusual Circumstances

A special circumstance refers to the financial situations (loss of a job, etc.) that justify the financial aid office adjusting data elements in the cost of attendance (COA) or the expected family contribution (EFC) calculation. (See Reasons for a Special Circumstance Review for more details)

Below are allowable reasons that may impact students or parents of students under the age of 24: 

• Marital Divorce or Separation 
• Loss of Employment/Reduction in Wages (10% or greater loss)
• Loss of Taxed/Untaxed Income
• Loss of Parent (Orphan)
• Loss of Spouse (Widow)
• Disability-Related Expenses
• Loss or Decease of Retirement Income
• Unusual Medical/Dental Expenses (not covered by health insurance)
• Dependent/Child Care
• Study Abroad Expenses
• Tuition Expenses for Elementary or Secondary School

Following a consultation with the Financial Aid Office, students will then complete the Financial Aid Office Special Circumstance form and provide supporting documentation. The deadline for consideration changes annually and is listed on the Special Circumstance Form.

If you think you might benefit from a special circumstance review, please contact the Financial Aid Office to meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to discuss the process and likelihood of approval. Not all requests will be approved, but we can help you explore other alternatives.

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report when you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

• If you're a dependent student, you will report your and your parents' information.
• If you're an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you're married, your spouse's).

Visit Studentaid.gov for the full list of Dependency Status Questions on the 2023-24 FAFSA Form.

An unusual circumstance refers to the conditions that justify the financial aid office adjusting to a student's dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment, incarceration), more commonly referred to as a dependency override.

Below are allowable reasons that may invoke a dependency override:

• You left home due to an abusive or threatening environment;
• Are abandoned or estranged from your parents, and have not been adopted;
• History of parental alcohol or drug abuse;
• Have refugee or asylee status and are separated from your parents, or your parents are displaced in a foreign country;
• Are a victim of human trafficking;
• Are incarcerated, or your parents are incarcerated, and contact with your parents would pose a risk to you;
• Are otherwise unable to contact or locate your parents, and have not been adopted.

Requests for changes in dependency status should be aware that the following situations will not be approved:

• Student does not live with their parents by choice or is self-supporting.
• Student does not communicate with parents by choice.
• Parents’ refusal to contribute to the student’s education.
• Student will not qualify for aid if parents’ income is used.
• Parents’ refusal to provide income information to complete the FAFSA.
• Parents live out of state.

Following a consultation with the Financial Aid Office, students will then complete the Financial Aid Office Dependency Override form and provide supporting documentation.

If you think you might benefit from an unusual circumstance review, please contact the Financial Aid Office to meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to discuss the process and likelihood of approval. Not all requests will be approved, but we can help you explore other alternatives.

You will need to submit supporting documentation to the Financial Aid office if you answer "Yes" to the following dependency questions

Foster Care Youth - At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?

• If you answer yes, please submit documentation from one of the following sources to the Financial Aid Office upon submitting your FAFSA application:
  • If you are an orphan, provide death certificate(s) for deceased parent(s)
  • If you were placed in foster care, provide Foster Care Residency Verification or a statement from your caseworker
  • If you are a ward of the court, provide court documentation signed, and dated by a Judge, with a court seal

Emancipated Minor - Has it been determined by a court in your state of legal residence that you are an emancipated minor? (You also should answer "Yes" if you are now an adult but were an emancipated minor immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. 

• If you answer yes, please submit documentation from one of the following sources to the Financial Aid Office upon submitting your FAFSA application:
  • Court documentation signed, dated by a Judge, with a court seal.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Legal Guardianship - Has it been determined by a court in your state of legal residence that someone other than your parent or stepparent has legal guardianship of you? (You also should answer "Yes" if you are now an adult but were in a legal guardianship immediately before you reached the age of being an adult in your state. Answer "No" if the court papers say "custody" rather than "guardianship.”)

• If you answer yes, please submit documentation from one of the following sources to the Financial Aid Office upon submitting your FAFSA application:
  • Court documentation signed, dated by a Judge, with a court seal.

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth - At any time on or after July 1, 2022, were you determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, as determined by (a) your high school or district homeless liaison, (b) the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, or (c) the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program?

If you do not have a determination that you are homeless, but you believe you are an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless, answer "No" to the FAFSA questions concerning being homeless. Please contact our financial aid office to explain your situation. "Homeless" means lacking fixed or regular housing. You may be homeless if you are living in shelters, parks, motels, hotels, or cars or temporarily living with someone else because you have nowhere else to go.

• If you answer yes, please submit documentation from one of the following sources who has determined that you are Unaccompanied Homeless Youth documentation to the Financial Aid Office upon submitting your FAFSA application:
  • A local educational agency homeless liaison, as designated by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 USC 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)), or a designee of the liaison;
  • The director of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness or a designee of the director;
  • The director of a Federal TRIO program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate program (GEAR UP) grant, or a designee of the director; or
  • A financial aid administrator at another institution who documented the student's circumstance in the same or a prior award year.

If you cannot obtain documentation from one of the above sources, you can request a meeting with the Financial Aid Director at Waubonsee to discuss your circumstances.