The Financial Aid Office can use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust the data used to calculate the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or a student's cost of attendance.
Each appeal has specific requirements and deadlines. Professional Judgment Appeal decisions granted to students at other colleges and universities will not automatically transfer to FLC.
This type of appeal means a student is asking the FLC Financial Aid Office to increase their overall cost of attendance (COA) used to create a financial aid package. The COA is the foundation for establishing a student’s financial need, as it sets a limit on the total aid that a student may receive for purposes of federal, state, and campus-based programs.
Listed below are the types of appeals in which a student’s COA can be increased through the appeals process.
COA increase appeals must be submitted in writing and signed by the student. Electronic submissions are acceptable only if sent through the student's FLC email address. You will need to submit the following:
The request and the supporting documentation must be received by the Financial Aid Office by midterm of the Spring semester, for either Fall or Spring term consideration, or the 1st day of summer term if beginning attendance in the summer term.
An increase in a student's cost of attendance does not guarantee an increase in financial aid awards.
Completed COA appeals process within 2-3 weeks after submission. The student will receive an email to their FLC email account with the outcome of their request.
*Students must have a FERPA release on file for the Financial Aid Office to share information with anyone else about their account, appeal application, and/or results of their appeal.
This type of appeal means a student is asking the FLC Financial Aid Office to review their dependency status to determine if they qualify as an independent student based on their family situation.
For the Financial Aid Office to consider an appeal, the student must document an extreme, unique, and/or unusual family circumstance that prevents them from obtaining parental information.
If a student believes they qualify to appeal for a dependency override, they must contact a financial aid counselor at Skyhawk Station for the Dependency Override Appeal Form.
Students appealing for a dependency override must:
The request and the supporting documentation must be received by the Financial Aid Office by the midterm date of the Spring semester or 1st day of summer term if beginning attendance in the summer for the current academic year.
Approving a dependency override appeal does not guarantee an increase in financial aid awards.
Completed Dependency Override appeals process within 2-3 weeks after submission. The student will receive an email to their FLC email account with the outcome of their request.
Students with a significant change in their household's financial circumstances from their FAFSA form can submit a Reconsideration of Need appeal for reconsideration of their financial aid eligibility based on the new information. *In most cases, approved appeals will only change Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Subsidized loan funds.
Listed below are situations the Financial Aid Office will consider a Reconsideration of Need appeal for possible changes in financial aid eligibility:
Students can find the Reconsideration of Need Form and complete instructions on how to submit an appeal application on the Forms page.
Reconsideration of Need appeals must be received by the Financial Aid Office by the first Monday in August for students starting in a Fall semester and the first Monday in December for students beginning in a Spring semester.
Students who have not received a final decision regarding their appeal should expect to start the school year with the original official financial aid award they received for that academic year.
If a student does not believe they can afford to attend without additional aid, they should withdraw before school begins to avoid any financial obligation to the College.
Adjustments to a financial aid award due to an approved Reconsideration of Need appeal are neither guaranteed nor immediate and depend upon funding availability.
Completed Reconsideration of Need appeals process within 2-3 weeks after submission. The student will receive an email to their FLC email account with the outcome of their request.