Special Circumstances
Financial Aid Administrators have the authority to take unique family circumstances not reflected on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) into account and make necessary adjustments. The purpose of the recalculation is to update your FAFSA with more accurate financial information that may change your financial aid eligibility for grants and loans. Financial Aid administrators may adjust cost of attendance or individual FAFSA data elements using professional judgment.
Examples of possible unique circumstances are listed below:
- Reduction or loss in Income due to layoffs, furlough, or job displacement for at least 90 days.
- One-time taxable income events such as early withdrawal from a retirement account or insurance payout, severance pay
- Divorce or Separation following completion of the FAFSA
- Death of a parent or spouse
Next Steps:
If you believe you have unique circumstances after reviewing the information above, you can apply for a change in circumstances review directly with the financial aid department taking the following steps:
- Set up an appointment with the financial aid department to discuss your request by calling 214.818.1393 or emailing finaaid@criswell.edu.
- At the conclusion of this appointment, the financial aid department representative will you provide you with a list of necessary documentation to be included with your official request along with a special circumstances form.
- Once all documentation is completed by the student and reviewed, Criswell College will review the documents and make a determination regarding possible or necessary changes.
- In cases where the recalculation will not change eligibility the FAFSA will not be updated. In cases where eligibility is changed, the financial aid award is updated and a notification is emailed to the student to review the award adjustments in the financial aid portal.
This process generally takes 2-4 weeks to be processed from the time all necessary documentation has been turned in.
Unusual Circumstances
Sometimes conditions exist that justify a financial aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation.
Most traditional college students are considered financially dependent on their parents. This means your parents must provide information on the FAFSA. In unusual circumstances, a student who would normally be considered dependent can be considered independent. There is also no guarantee an approved appeal will result in more or different types of aid awarded to the student. Dependency Overrides are not automatically renewed each year. The student must complete a request form for each new year.
All students under the age of 24 as of December 31, 2021, who cannot answer yes to one of the FAFSA dependency questions list below are dependent for federal financial aid purposes. If you believe that unusual circumstances have caused you to become independent, you may request a dependency override.
- Were you born before January 1, 2001?
- As of today, are you married? If yes, are you separated but not divorced?
- At the beginning of the school year 2024-2025, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
- Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
- Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
- Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2025?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?
- Are you or were you an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
- Are you or were you in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2023, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
Examples of qualifying unusual circumstances
- documented abandonment
- parental drug abuse
- parental mental incapacity
- physical or emotional abuse
- parental incarceration
- severe estrangement
Examples of non-qualifying circumstances
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education or complete the FAFSA application
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
- Parents live in another state or have no contact with student
- Student demonstrates complete self-sufficiency
Exception for Parent refusal
In limited situations, a student who cannot provide parental information and does not meet the criteria for a Dependency Override may receive Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan funds at dependent undergraduate levels. Email or call the financial aid department to make this request.
Next Steps:
If you believe that you have a compelling reason(s) to be considered independent, please complete the following steps:
- Set up an appointment with the financial aid department to discuss your request by calling 214.818.1393 or emailing finaaid@criswell.edu.
- At the conclusion of this appointment, the financial aid department representative will you provide you with a list of necessary documentation to be included with your official request along with a dependency override form.
- Once all documentation is completed by the student and reviewed, Criswell College will review the documents and make a determination regarding possible or necessary changes.
- If circumstances are approved, the financial aid adjustments are made and the student’s award is updated along with a notification for student to review the awards in the financial aid portal.
This process generally takes 2-4 weeks to be processed from the time all necessary documentation has been turned in.
