Professional Judgment

My financial situation has changed since I completed the FAFSA. How can I request a Professional Judgment?

While the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is intended to determine the amount a family can reasonably be expected to pay toward a student's college costs, circumstances occasionally arise that make the FAFSA data an inaccurate picture of family resources. A Professional Judgment (PJ) allows us to evaluate your current financial circumstances with the possibility of increasing your aid.

Some special conditions that may be reviewed:

• Retirement of dependent student's parent
• Death of dependent student's parent
• Parent's loss of employment
• Reduction of untaxed income (child support or Social Security income)
• High unreimbursed medical expenses in the base year (the tax year reported on your FAFSA)
• Circumstances that may complicate your dependency status
• Additional education expenses not already included in the standard budget, such as child care for a child or dependent, computer costs, travel for educational conferences, or additional coursework.

How to request a Professional Judgment

Consideration for the upcoming aid year opens in early April, at which point you should contact an advisor at the Spartan One-Stop to discuss whether you might benefit from completing a Professional Judgment form. This process will require supporting documentation of the situation.

When uploading a Professional Judgment application, please ensure that all documentation uploaded is complete and accurate at the time of submission, as Professional Judgment decisions are final. Please note that submission of a Professional Judgment application does not guarantee an increase in your financial aid package.