Unusual Circumstance Appeal

If you indicated “yes” to the question in the Student Unusual Circumstance portion of FAFSA, you are considered “provisionally independent”. This designation means that you are not required to provide parental information on your FAFSA; however, the institution is required to review your circumstance to make a formal determination on your dependency status through an Unusual Circumstance Appeal. In this situation, the financial aid office will contact you to complete the appeal.

Additionally, if your circumstances change and meet one of the criteria below, you may contact a financial aid counselor at 254-968-9070 or [email protected] to discuss if you are eligible for this appeal.

Unusual circumstances include (but are not limited to):

  • Human trafficking
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status
  • Parental abandonment or estrangement
  • Student or parental incarceration

However, unusual circumstances do not include the following:

  • Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education
  • Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification
  • Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
  • Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency

If a financial aid counselor deems that you are eligible for this appeal, they will open the “Professional Judgment: Unusual Circumstance Appeal” for you on the StudentForms website.

You must complete a FAFSA or TASFA prior to requesting this appeal.

If your appeal is approved, you will be assumed as an independent student for subsequent years.

Supporting Documentation may include:

  • a documented interview between the student and the financial aid administrator
  • submission of a court order or official federal or state documentation that the student or student’s parents or legal guardians are incarcerated
  • a documented phone call or written statement, which confirms the unusual circumstances with
  • a state, county or tribal welfare agency
  • an independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood
  • a public or private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence
  • a documented phone call or written statement from an attorney, guardian ad litem, a court-appointed special advocate (or similar), or a representative of a TRIO or GEAR UP program which confirms the circumstances and the person’s relationship to the student
  • a documented determination of independence made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year
  • utility bills, health insurance, or other documents that demonstrate a separation from parents or legal guardians