Special Circumstances
The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office may exercise professional judgment to account for unique and extenuating circumstances when considering a student for financial aid. If after reviewing the information on this webpage you have questions, please contact us.
Change in Financial Circumstances
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) requests federal tax data from two years prior. If you or your family have experienced a financial hardship not reflected on the FAFSA, a Reconsideration of Income Appeal may be applicable to you. Students with approved appeals are considered for additional aid, however aid is awarded based on funding availability and is not guaranteed.
Reasons To Submit an Appeal
- A recent loss or reduction of employment income
- Loss or reduction to alimony, child support, retirement or pension, social security, or worker’s compensation
- You or your parents have had a recent separation or divorce
- Death of a parent or spouse
- Medical bills not covered by insurance
Reasons Not To Submit an Appeal
- You have a Student Aid Index (SAI) on the FAFSA of -1500, which is the highest level of need, and therefore will not benefit from the appeal.
- You have already earned your first bachelor’s degree, so are not eligible for grant aid.
- You are a graduate student, and therefore have limited availability in need-based aid. Learn about opportunities in the additional expenses while enrolled section of this webpage.
Reasons Appeals Aren’t Approved
- Reduced 401K values
- Reduced investment values
- Credit card debt or car payments
- Parent’s inability or unwillingness to borrow a Parent PLUS Loan
- Different universities offering more aid
Appeal Types
- Purchase of a computer, monitor, printer, or other computer related equipment
- Childcare costs incurred while enrolled in courses
- High medical/dental costs not covered by insurance
- Costs for equipment or supplies required for a specific class
- Disability related expenses not covered by other programs such as vocational rehabilitation
- Non-educational related costs
- Costs for car maintenance
- Credit Card balances or loan payments
- Home or office renovation costs
- Travel expenses
- Medical costs for elective procedures
- Loss of job or reduction of income
- Loss of other income
- alimony
- child support
- pension
- social security
- worker’s compensation
- Separation or Divorce
- Death of spouse OR parent
- Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is -1500
- An abusive family environment or abandonment
- Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents
- Parents lacking the physical or mental capacity to raise a child
- Parents refuse to contribute to your education
- Parents do not claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency
- Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification purposes
- Colorado Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Programs and Services
- The Colorado FosterEd Program provides additional funding to Colorado resident students who have been in foster care in Colorado at any time on or after reaching the age of 13. Contact us at FinancialAid@ucdenver.edu if you may be eligible for this program.
- You may also consider funding through the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program, which provides Colorado residents who are currently or have previously been in foster care and are between the ages of 17 to 25 with financial support for postsecondary education.
- For more information, review the US Department of Education foster care transition toolkit
Aid is awarded to assist with traditional costs included in a student’s Cost of Attendance (COA). Examples of expenses included in a COA include tuition, fees, books, room and board, insurance, personal expenses and transportation expenses.
If you have expenses you would like considered in your COA, complete an appeal form. Approved appeals do not guarantee additional aid. If we are able to offer aid, it will most likely be in the form of federal loans. Before you submit an appeal, ensure you haven’t reached your annual and lifetime loan limits.
| Reasons to Submit an Appeal | Reasons Not to Submit an Appeal |
|---|---|
Changes to your, your spouse’s, OR your parent’s income reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no longer accurately reflects your family’s income, you may be eligible to complete an appeal. The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office will determine if there is an increase to your eligibility for need- based federal, state and institutional funding based on the information you provide.
| Reasons to Submit an Appeal | Reasons Not to Submit an Appeal |
|---|---|
When Parental Information May Not Be Required on the FAFSA
If you are considered a dependent student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but feel you have extenuating and unusual circumstances that prevent you from providing parental information on the FAFSA, a Dependency Override Request may be applicable to you. Find the Dependency Override Request form for different financial aid options. Visit StudentAid.gov to learn more about dependency.
| Reasons to Submit an Appeal | Reasons Not to Submit an Appeal |
|---|---|
Parents Who Are Unwilling To Provide Information for the FAFSA
If your parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA, contact Lynx Central to speak with one of our advisors. Students whose parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification purposes are not permitted to be considered independent for this reason alone. To learn more about becoming an independent student, visit StudentAid.gov.
Contact us to request the form to proceed without providing parental information on the FAFSA.
Housing Insecurity (Homeless Unaccompanied Youth)
A student is considered homeless if the student lacks fixed, regular, and adequate housing. This includes students who are living in shelters, motels, cars, or parks, or who are temporarily living with other people because they have nowhere else to go. Additionally, students are considered homeless if fleeing an abusive parent who would otherwise provide the student with financial support and a place to live. Homeless youth determinations are made on a case-by-case basis.
If you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless, or an unaccompanied youth providing your own living expenses who is at risk of being homeless, parental data may not be required on the FAFSA. Learn more about homeless youth financial aid circumstances.
Please note that there also a number of state-funded programs, such as EmpowerEd, that support eligible individuals who experienced homelessness while enrolled in a Colorado high school by covering the remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after any private, state or federal financial aid. Learn more about state-funded programs that can assist students that have experienced housing insecurity.
Foster Care
If any time since you turned age 13 you were in foster care, you may be considered an independent student on the FAFSA and may not be required to provide parental information. Visit StudentAid.gov to learn more about financial aid as someone who’s lived in foster care.
If you are not sure if you were in foster care, check with your state child welfare agency. Find the contact information for your state child welfare agency on the national foster care directory.
If you indicate on the FAFSA that you were in foster care, please submit copies of legal documents that support this status. If you were in foster care in the State of Colorado, you may visit any Colorado County Clerk’s Office and request a “Confirmation of Foster Care Dependency” form. The County Clerk will review the court records and complete the form, which you may submit your forms through the secure document upload.