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Special and Unusual Circumstances

Have you experienced loss in income since you've submitted your FAFSA? If so, you may be eligible for more financial aid.

Federal regulations require financial aid administrators to make professional judgments in regard to students who have special circumstances that could affect their ability to pay for their education.

If you or your family have experienced loss in income since filing the FAFSA, then you should submit a Special Circumstances Form to have your financial aid file reviewed.

Special circumstances are for those who have experienced a reduction in income and/or benefits since submitting their FAFSA. A Special Circumstances Request form will allow you to request that PBSC use current or future income/benefits to make changes to your FAFSA and recalculate your eligibility to receive aid.

Examples of Special Circumstances include:

  • Loss of employment
  • Loss of income (i.e.: Alimony, Child Support, Retirement/pension, Social Security (taxed), worker’s compensation)
  • Separation or Divorce
  • Death of Spouse
  • Medical/Dental Expense
  • Other (EX: Natural Disaster, Secondary tuition, or other unusual cost)


If you believe you have experienced a special circumstance, please speak with a Financial Aid Advisor at your campus. 

Please note that if you already have a calculated Student Aid Index (SAI) between zero (0) and negative 1,500, you do not need to request a Special Circumstance as this will not change your financial aid award amount.

 

Special Circumstance and Dependency Override Timeline and Deadlines

Special Circumstance and Dependency Override requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and a final decision will be based on the eligible reason and supporting documentation provided.  Be sure to include sufficient supporting documentation for the review. Requests for missing or additional documentation that are not responded to in a timely manner can lead to a denial.

Requests are reviewed in the order received. The process can take 2 weeks to review, and up to 3 weeks during peak registration, and/or due to the uniqueness of the student’s circumstance or request for additional information/documentation.

All documents must be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to the end of academic year or period of enrollment to be considered for review.

Note that students must be prepared to pay tuition and fee costs to prevent classes from being dropped, while waiting for a final decision. Payment Plan is also another option for those may need it. Please check for any notification in your Workday inbox for payment due.

Approvals are not guaranteed.

Students are strongly advised to stay in communication with their campus Financial Aid Advisor.

 

Unusual Circumstances

Beginning with the 2023-24 Award Year, institutions of higher education will have additional flexibility to assist students with unusual circumstances by adjusting their federal student aid eligibility to reflect their unique situation more accurately. These adjustments may include updating the student’s dependency status (commonly known as a dependency override) and the information the student must provide on their FAFSA form.

Students with unusual circumstances are defined as

  • a student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a documented determination of independence by reason of unusual circumstances and in which the student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with parents poses a risk to such student, which includes circumstances of — 
    • 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; or
    • student or parental incarceration.


Other students will continue to qualify as independent on their FAFSA form and not required to provide parental information if they

  • were an orphan at the age of 13 or older;
  • were a ward of the court;
  • are or were in foster care;
  • were an emancipated minor or in a legal guardianship as determined by a court in
  • the student’s state of legal residence; or
  • are an unaccompanied homeless youth or unaccompanied, at risk of
  • homelessness, and self-supporting.

 

Provisional Independent

Starting with the 2024-25 Award Year, both first-time and renewal applicants who indicate on their FAFSA form that they have an unusual circumstance will be granted provisional independent status. They will be able to complete the form without providing parental information. They will also receive an estimate of their federal student aid eligibility, which will be subject to a final determination by the Office of Financial Aid. If the Office of Financial Aid approves a student's unusual circumstances, their independent status will carry over when they renew their FAFSA form in future award years and they will be considered independent for as long as they remain at PBSC and their circumstances remain unchanged. For more information on provisional independent, please contact the Office of Financial Aid and request to speak with a financial aid advisor on your campus.


Direct Unsubsidized Loans Option
If a student pursues an adjustment for unusual circumstances and is not determined to be an independent student according to the Office of Financial Aid, the student will only be eligible for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Students who wish to be considered for other types of aid rather than Unsubsidized Loans only will be required to complete the FAFSA form as a dependent student by providing parental information.


What happens after the student submits their application?
Once they've submitted the FAFSA form, students will receive a notification in their inbox signaling that they did not report information about their parents because they indicated that they have an unusual circumstance. Students must reach out to the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible to determine their eligibility for federal student aid.

Students will need to provide supporting documentation of their circumstances directly to the Financial Aid Office. All requests will be reviewed, and a final decision will be made once all supporting documentation is attached. We recommend that students maintain communication with their financial aid advisor throughout the review of this process. During peak registration, the estimated time to review and process may be longer, however, a decision can take between 3 to 4 weeks. 

Examples of supporting documentation may include:

  • a documented interview between the student and the financial aid administrator;
  • submission of a court order or official Federal or State documentation that the student’s parents or legal guardian are incarcerated;
  • a documented phone call or written statement, which confirms the unusual
  • circumstances with
    • a state, county, or Tribal welfare agency;
    • an independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood; or
    • a public or private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence;
  • utility bills, health insurance, or other documents that demonstrate a separation from parents or legal guardians