Financial Aid Appeals
If you or your family have circumstances that weren’t accounted for on your financial aid forms, we encourage you to reach out to your Financial Aid Counselor to see if a revision to your financial aid eligibility is possible.
Special Circumstances – Financial Considerations
The 2024/2025 FAFSA® results are based on your current assets and 2022 family income. However, sometimes family circumstances can change significantly and the U.S. Department of Education allows institutions to make adjustments to elements of a student’s FAFSA on a case-by-case basis. Circumstances may include a loss of income, a change in the number of people in the household, unusually high medical expenses not covered by insurance, or other significant changes. The Change in Family Financial Circumstances Appeal forms can be found on the Financial Aid Forms page.
Unusual Circumstance – Dependency Status Considerations
Answers to questions on FAFSA determine whether a student is considered dependent or independent for financial aid purposes. The federal student aid programs are based on the concept that it is primarily the student and their family’s responsibility to pay for the student’s education. A dependent student is assumed to have the support of parents, so the parents’ information must be assessed, along with the student’s, in order to get a full picture of the family’s financial strength.
There may be extraordinary circumstances that warrant students who do not meet the definition of independent to appeal their dependency status. Examples of extraordinary circumstances that could warrant dependency override may include: Parent(s) being incarcerated, abandonment by parent(s), an abusive or dangerous family environment or other clear manifestations of complete distancing of a student from their parent(s). Circumstances that do not warrant dependency override may include: Self-sufficiency (living on your own, paying your own bills), parent(s) who are unwilling to provide information or sign the FAFSA, parent(s) who are unwilling or unable to provide financial assistance for college, or parent(s) who no longer claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes The Dependency Override Appeal form can be found on the Financial Aid Forms page.
Provisional Independent Status
New for the 2024/2025 academic year, dependent students who do not provide parental information on the FAFSA will still be able to complete the application. The application will be provisionally processed as independent and the student will receive an estimated/provisional Student Aid Index (SAI) and show estimated eligibility for federal grants and loans. This does not guarantee that the student will be granted independent status for federal financial aid purposes. CCV will contact students for which we receive a provisional independent status via email within 30 days. Students will be asked to complete the Dependency Override Appeal to explain their circumstances. If the Dependency Override Appeal is approved, CCV will carry that decision forward to future award years without collecting documentation unless the student contacts CCV and indicates their circumstances have changed. The Dependency Override Appeal form can be found on the Financial Aid Forms page.