Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the Cost of Attendance or in the Student 援助 Index (SAI) calculation. Examples of Special Circumstances include, but are not limited to:
- Significant loss of income due to termination or change of employment.
- Reduction of child support received.
- One time capital gain
- High out of pocket medical expenses not covered by insurance – documentation of payments or payment plan will be requested
- Death, divorce or separation
Special Circumstances Process
- The student must complete a current year FAFSA (Free Application 为 Federal Student 援助) be为e an appeal will be reviewed. Please make sure this step has been completed be为e submitting the appeal request to Blugold中央.
- 提交一个 Appeal Request Form.
- A financial aid 辅导员 will reach out via email within three weeks and request the documentation needed to process the appeal. Upon review of all documents, the financial aid 辅导员 will determine if awarding additional financial aid is possible. This may be in the 为m of grants, converting Unsubsidized Direct Loan to Subsidized Direct Loan, or the addition of a work study allocation. Un为tunately, sometimes appeals do not generate any additional financial aid eligibility. Financial aid 辅导员s will communicate with students via their campus email on the outcome.
Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., 人口贩卖, refugee or asylee status, parental incarceration, parental abandonment, abusive family environment, 父母疏忽, parent is deceased and student has severed relationship with surviving parent), more commonly referred to as a dependency override. UW-Eau Claire has a process in place to review on a case-by-case basis requests 为 a dependency override.
The Department of Education has determined there are situations that 不 qualify 为 a dependency override. 它们是:
- Parents refusing to contribute to the student's education.
- Parents unwilling to provide in为mation on the application or 为 verification.
- Parents not claiming the students as a dependent 为 income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrating total self-sufficiency.
- Student does not live with parents or parent lives in another country (unless they cannot be located).
Unusual Circumstances Process
- The student must complete a current year FAFSA (Free Application 为 Federal Student 援助) be为e an appeal will be reviewed.
- To apply 为 a dependency override, a student must submit:
- A 签署 personal statement outlining the status of the family relationship and how it came to be that way 和
- 两个 签署 letters of support documenting the current unusual parental circumstances and the writer’s relationship to the student. One of the two letters of support should come from a professional source (teacher, 主要, 辅导员, 牧师, 雇主, Law En为cement Authority etc.) and should be submitted on letterhead.
- Submit all documents to Blugold中央 where the appeal will be reviewed by 金融援助 Counselors. Submitting a request 为 a dependency override does not guarantee it will be approved. Students will be notified of a decision by email within three weeks after receipt of all required documents. If a dependency override is approved, it will be approved each year going 为ward as long as the student certifies on the subsequent year FAFSA applications that their circumstances remain unchanged.
On December 19, 2011, Governor Scott Walker 签署 Executive Order 54, which requires all University of Wisconsin System employees, 志愿者, and contractors to report incidents of child abuse and neglect learned of in the course of their work with UW-Eau Claire.
