Here at Lawrence we understand that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may not always accurately reflect your current financial situation and/or dependency status. In this instance, we may be able to give additional consideration to the following limited situations:
- Special Circumstances: refers to the financial situation that may merit the recalculation of your financial aid eligibility.
- Unusual Circumstances: refers to the conditions that merit an adjustment to a student's dependency status based on a unique situation.
Special circumstance review
During a special circumstances review, our office works with families to gather materials in order to document the changes in their financial situation. Based on the documented changes, we will re-evaluate your eligibility for federal, state, and/or institutional financial aid. Any change in federal/state aid will be automatically offered to you. However, in order to receive additional Lawrence grant assistance, you must accept the Federal Direct Student Loans offered to you.
Examples of Special Circumstances Considered
- Change in employment status or income
- High medical or dental expenses
- Changes in household (parents divorce or separate)
- Non-recurring payments received during the FAFSA tax year
When you complete your Special Circumstance Request Form, please include key details concerning your special circumstance. We encourage you to include items such as the timeline of the circumstance, names of who was affected, and specific dollar amounts. Additionally, the form will require a handwritten signature from both you and the parent. Although we cannot accept forms signed with pre-made font signatures, you can certainly use a stylus to sign your document. Once we receive your completed form, our office will reach out to you to request additional documentation based on the information you provided. Finally, it is worth noting, that undergoing this review process does not guarantee an adjustment in aid eligibility.
You can find the necessary form here:
Unusual circumstance review
The U.S. Department of Education determines if your parents are required to provide information on the FAFSA based on a series of questions when you completed the FAFSA. In certain situations, students may submit an appeal requesting to remove parent information and income. This is called Unusual Circumstances and a request can only be approved in certain limited and exceptional circumstances where the parents are unable to be contacted or contact poses a risk to the student. These are examples of unusual circumstances where parent information can be removed or excluded from the FAFSA:
Examples of Unusual Circumstances Considered
- Refugee or asylee status
- Parental abandonment or incarceration
- Abusive family environment
Examples of circumstances NOT considered
- Parents do not claim you as a dependent on their tax return
- Parents refusal to contribute to education or student demonstrates self-sufficiency
- Parents refusal to provide information for the FAFSA
If you believe that you have an Unusual Circumstance, please reach out to the Lawrence Financial Aid Office to speak with your assigned counselor. From there, we can inform you on the next steps that need to be taken.