Professional Judgment
Professional Judgement Adjustments – Special Circumstances or Unusual Circumstances
Professional Judgement adjustments are reviewed and completed by a financial aid administrator to the student’s FAFSA or Cost of Attendance (COA) budgets to accommodate for unusual situations or financial changes that may have occurred since the tax year used to answer the FAFSA questions. All Professional Judgement requests will be reviewed and considered. The decision of the financial aid administrator is final and the student will be notified in writing of the administrator’s decision within three weeks of submitting all requested documentation.
Special Circumstances refers to a significant change in the student and/or parent’s financial situation (loss of employment, death, child care expenses, disability related expenses, etc.) that justify adjustment to the students FAFSA or Cost of Attendance (COA). To request a review of the special circumstance please complete and submit the Special Circumstance Form.
Unusual Circumstances refers to conditions that justify an adjustment to a student’s dependency status (required to submit parent information on the FAFSA) based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment, incarceration). This is commonly referred to as a dependency override. If you have unusual circumstances that prevent you from being able to provide parent information on your FAFSA, please contact the Director of Financial Aid, Kerrie Mitchell, kmitchell@vbj4.com or 575-492-2560 to discuss your situation.
Cost of Attendance adjustment requests may be submitted by contacting the Director of Financial Aid, Kerrie Mitchell, kmitchell@vbj4.com or 575-492-2560. Cost of attendance adjustments can include Dependent Care expenses, Disability related expenses, Professional Licensure, Certification, etc. Cost of Attendance adjustments are not professional judgement and will be made if documentation warrants the need for adjustment.
