Financial Aid Adjustment

When students complete their financial aid applications (FAFSA/TASFA) each year, these reflect income information from two years before the academic year for which a student is applying.  However, sometimes a student’s family income may change from the time they completed their financial aid application to the time they begin the semester.  When students and their families experience extreme changes to their personal lives or financial situation, our Office of Financial Aid may be able to perform a ‘Financial Aid Adjustment’ (also known as a Professional Judgement) to better reflect a student’s family's financial information more accurately.

Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations (loss of a job, etc.) that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the COA or the SAI calculation.

Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator adjusting 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.

For consideration of a ‘Financial Aid Adjustment,’ we typically review circumstances that would alter your life conditions and/or financial situation. A financial aid advisor will be happy to meet with students in person, by telephone, or via Zoom.  It is recommended that all documentation be turned in promptly so that a review can be made as soon as possible. If a financial aid advisor determines that a change to your financial aid application is appropriate, students will begin the ‘Request for Financial Aid Adjustment’ process.

We are here to help!  Students who are currently experiencing any of the special and/or unusual circumstances who feel they can benefit from a ‘Financial Aid Adjustment’ should not hesitate to reach out to us if they have any questions about this process by calling us at (956) 882-4026 or emailing us at ucentral@utrgv.edu.