Financial Aid Appeals

Undergraduate Financial Aid

Sometimes after you receive your financial aid offer, you and/or your family may experience or have experienced an unexpected change to your financial situation. In these circumstances, you may appeal for a re-evaluation of your financial aid. All special circumstances requests must be approved by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, and appeals are processed only when an final aid offer is issued (not an estimate) and all additional documents are received.

If you choose to apply for an appeal, be sure to have any necessary available documentation of your change in circumstance. Please send an email to finaid@du.edu with any questions.

Special Circumstances

Examples that constitute a Special Circumstance:

  • Loss or reduction of employment, wages or unemployment compensation
  • Additional costs incurred as a result of a student's disability
  • Excessive medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance which exceed 7.5 percent of the family's or student's adjusted gross income
  • Bankruptcy or foreclosure
  • Divorce or separation of parents (this may result in the need for a Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile)
  • Request for forgiveness (whole or partial) of a one-time lump sum payment in the case that the money was used to offset the above-mentioned circumstances
  • Loss of child support

Examples that do not constitute a Special Circumstance:

  • Reduction in 401K values
  • Reduction in investment values
  • High debt-to-income ratios
  • Parent's refusal to contribute to the student's education
  • Parent's inability or unwillingness to borrow Parent PLUS loans
  • Lack of credit-worthy co-signers
  • Secondary tuition payments

Appeal Process

As part of the review process, the Financial Aid Appeals Committee looks at your current financial aid offer, which means you must apply for aid and receive a final financial aid offer (not just an estimate) before you can submit an appeal. It is expected that all financial aid options are explored and exhausted before submitting a Special Circumstances Form to the committee.

If you're uncertain whether your change in financial situation constitutes a reason to appeal, don't hesitate to get in touch with our office to help make that determination.

We know that, given the sudden nature of many emergencies, you might not be to able include extensive documentation for your situation. Please complete the special circumstances form as best you can with the information and documentation you have available, and our advisors will work with you to understand and address your situation.
 

> 2024-25 Special Circumstances Form - Important Note: This form is submitted via DocuSign, and the student must start completing it first (not the parent). Want to see a preview of what you'll be asked on the form? View the PDF version.

> 2023-24 Special Circumstances Form


Once your form is submitted, our Financial Aid Appeals Committee will determine the results of your appeal and inform you of their decision. All communication regarding special circumstance requests is sent via email. The committee may request additional documentation, so be sure to check your email regularly if you've submitted an appeal.

Contact

 

Financial Aid