Professional Judgment
The law governing Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs is based on the premise that the family is the first source of the student’s support. Section 479A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, [20 USC 1087TT/tt], provides the authority for financial aid administrators to exercise Professional Judgment discretion in a number of areas when a student has special or unusual circumstances that may impact their financial need.
When there are Special or Unusual Circumstances that impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give a financial aid administrator discretion to make professional judgments on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation, to make adjustments to specific data elements on the submitted Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, in order to gain a more accurate assessment of your family's ability to contribute to your cost of education.
NOTE: *Professional Judgments do not guarantee adjustments or additional aid.
Special Circumstances - Contribution Review
Financial Aid Administrators have to authority to use their Professional Judgement to determine if there are any Special Circumstances:
If you or your family have encountered personal or financial hardships that were not accurately reflected at the time you filled out your FAFSA, Financial Aid specialists can review your file for consideration of special circumstances or a Contribution Review.
The Contribution Review allows students to document special circumstances not reflected on the FAFSA. Approval of the circumstances may lower the Student Aid Index (SAI), which may allow for additional need-based aid. If verification has not yet been completed, verification of your 2022 tax information with tax documentation and W-2’s must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
Additional information regarding Unusual Circumstances and Dependency Overrides can be found by clicking the button below.
Unusual Circumstances – Dependency Overrides
Financial Aid Administrators have to authority to use their Professional Judgement to determine if there are any Unusual Circumstances:
· If you had a dependency override by another institution, please be prepared to submit supporting documentation to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services at NMSU.
· If you could not answer 'Yes' to any of the dependency status questions on the FAFSA but indicated that you have Unusual Circumstances that prevent you from providing parental information you will be notified by The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services to complete the Petition for Dependency Override form. Please be prepared to submit a statement indicating what your circumstances are, along with any supporting documentation. We are aware of the sensitive nature of your circumstances and keep records confidential.
The Petition for Dependency Override allows students to document Unusual Circumstances not explained or reflected on the FAFSA.
Additional information regarding Unusual Circumstances and Dependency Overrides can be found by clicking the button below.
