Professional Judgment Process

Special Circumstance

If you (and your family) have unusual financial circumstances, submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, and contact our office. In some cases, the Financial Aid Office may take these unusual circumstances into account and adjust your Cost of Attendance, or the information used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI).

The Office of Financial Aid requires you to provide certain documents to support your claim regarding special circumstances. The review process begins with an evaluation of the accuracy of the information you submitted on your FAFSA. The Office of Financial Aid will evaluate the documents you submit, along with your FAFSA information, to determine if you are eligible for any financial aid adjustments. If you meet a special circumstance requirement in the 2024-2025 award year, your eligibility may be recalculated.

Submitting a special circumstance appeal does not guarantee an increase or change in financial aid. Failure to provide supporting documentation may result in a denial of your appeal. The Office of Financial Aid will review all requests on a case-by-case basis and adjust if deemed appropriate. Finally, the financial aid administrator’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

  • Change in household dynamics or multiple siblings in college
  • Loss of income
    • Job loss or hours reduced
    • Divorce or separation (living in separate households)
    • Death of parent or spouse
  • Exorbitant medical expenses that are not reimbursed by insurance
  • Private school tuition expenses of siblings
  • Loss of untaxed income (such as discontinuing child support)
  • one-time lump sum payment

Don’t see your unusual circumstance here? Please contact our office so we can better determine how to assist you. 

  1. Complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and use the Campbell University school code of 002913.
  2. Complete the appropriate special circumstance form and submit all supporting documentation through the secure link provided to you by your counselor.

    Only submit this form if it is complete, including all required documentation and signatures. Incomplete appeals will not be considered.

  3. Please include your Campbell student ID# on all documentation submitted to prevent delay of appeal.
  4. Once your appeal and all supporting documentation have been received and reviewed at Campbell University, you will be notified through your CU email address of the outcome.
  5. Processing times for the appeal review and processing take 2-4 weeks once all required documents have been received. Submission of the appeal in no way guarantees an adjustment to the student’s financial aid and does not waive payment deadline dates. It is recommended that the student complete all current award requirements and accept any financial aid that the student wishes to pay towards his/her bill.

Processing times for the appeal review and processing take 2-4 weeks once all required documents have been received. Submission of the appeal in no way guarantees an adjustment to the student’s financial aid and does not waive payment deadline dates. It is recommended that the student complete all current award requirements and accept any financial aid that the student wishes to pay towards his/her bill.

Unusual Circumstance

There are specific questions on the FAFSA that determine if a student is independent or not. Details can be found here: dependency questions

If you answer “no” to all of the dependency questions on the FAFSA, you are considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes and must provide your parent information on the FAFSA. However, if there are unusual circumstances where you cannot provide your parent information on the FAFSA, the Office of Financial Aid may be able to perform a dependency override to make you an independent student for financial aid purposes. 

The U.S. Department of Education does not consider the following situations to be eligible for a dependency override appeal:

A completed FAFSA must be received by the Office of Financial Aid before this process can be completed. You may complete the FAFSA here: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid if your parent(s) is refusing to provide their information on the FAFSA or if you would like to submit an appeal and have questions.

  • Circumstances that threaten your health or safety
  • Abandonment by parents
  • Custodial parent(s) is/are incarcerated
  • Both parents are deceased (and/or non-custodial parent is estranged)
  • You are in the legal custody of a family member or other adult

Complete the 2024-2025 Dependency Override Form and submit it to our office with: 

  1. Personal Statement: On a separate page, please tell us, in your own words, why you should be considered an independent student. Explain the circumstances leading to your independence from your Provide detailed description of events that forced you to separate yourself from your family. Include dates of events and whether or not a restored relationship with your parents is probable.
  2. Professional Letters: Provide two separate statements, from two separate individuals (not family members), to verify the events leading to your separation from your parent’s household that you described in your personal Professional individuals include clergy members, guidance counselors, teachers, professors, doctors, family counselors, mental health professionals, and law enforcement officers.
  3. Personal Support Statement: On a separate page, specifically tell us how you have supported yourself in the past and how you plan to continue supporting yourself in the Be sure to include what your average monthly expenses are and how they are covered. You need to provide documentation supporting the information contained in this statement. If you are receiving support from friends or relatives, you must describe the nature of this support.

To be considered for a continuation of your previous dependency override, you must complete the  Continuing Dependency Override Form and have a completed FAFSA on file. 

This information will be held in the strictest of confidences. The Office of Financial Aid will notify you of the decision. ALL DECISIONS BASED ON THIS REQUEST ARE FINAL AND CANNOT BE APPEALED FURTHER.

Still have questions? Contact our office at sfs@campbell.edu or 910-893-1244.