Sometimes circumstances can impact a student’s financial aid situation, including certain living arrangements or family situations that may change during your time at Syracuse University.
If your family has experienced special or unusual circumstances, you may be eligible for a professional judgment (appeal). Financial aid appeals require supporting documentation and our staff will make decisions on a case-by-case basis. To discuss the appeal process and timeline, please contact our office.
The FAFSA Simplification Act distinguishes between different categories of professional judgment by amending section 479A of the HEA.
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Special Circumstances may refer to significant changes to your financial situation (such as loss of employment or pay cuts), or other special circumstances (such as tuition expenses or high unreimbursed medical or dental expenses).
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Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment, incarceration), more commonly referred to as a dependency override.
Appealing Your Financial Aid Decision
You have the right to appeal your financial aid decision if you feel there are extenuating circumstances. Students wishing to appeal their financial aid decision must contact their Financial Aid Counselor to discuss the extenuating circumstances.
Change in Family Circumstances
Circumstances could include an unexpected loss in parental income or could involve a parent divorce, separation, or related matter. Students must provide documentation of income loss or job loss, or other supporting documentation related to their family circumstances.
Dependency Status
During the process of completing the FAFSA, a student will answer questions regarding their Dependency Status. In some cases, a student may have unusual circumstances that may require additional information and an adjustment to their dependency status.
Students who indicate unusual family circumstances on the FAFSA will be granted a Provisional Independent status. Our office will contact any student with a Provisional Independent status regarding their next steps.
Main campus undergraduate students will also complete the CSS Profile in their first year, which may ask additional questions about parent income and assets.
Educational Expenses Beyond the Standard Budget
If you have exceptional expenses not already included in Syracuse University’s cost of attendance, we may be able to provide additional funding. Please review your cost of attendance in MySlice by selecting the Financial Aid button, the Aid Year, and the Cost of Attendance tab.
Main campus undergraduate students generally live on-campus for the first two years. The student's cost of attendance is based on the median housing and meals amount. We do not adjust a student's cost of attendance if the room charges are higher than the median amount.
Main campus undergraduate students generally off-campus for their third and fourth years. Graduate students and Law students also live off-campus. The cost of attendance is adjusted for those different housing arrangements.
Any student who is living off-campus will not have their Bursar statement reflect housing expenses. Any student living off-campus will pay housing expenses directly to their landlord, lease agent, or mortgage company.
Any student who selects a University Meal Plan will have those charges reflected in their Bursar statement, regardless of their housing status. Students living in on-campus residence halls are required to have a meal plan.
Appeals for off-campus living expenses will be considered on a case-by-case basis and by the standards set by the Department of Education and our Syracuse University policies. Please contact your financial aid counselor to discuss the needed documentation and options for funding.