Special and Unusual Circumstances

Special Circumstances

Did you or someone in your household recently experience unemployment or loss of income?

Sometimes a family’s current financial situation is not accurately represented on the FAFSA. Some examples include loss or change in employment, death, divorce or separation of parents, and unusual medical expenses. Your situation may or may not be related to COVID-19 to be considered. In some cases, the Financial Aid Specialist may be able to consider your special circumstances and re-evaluate your application. This review could result in additional aid.

• Based on the information you provide, the Financial Aid Specialist will re-evaluate your application to see if any changes can be made to revise your award.
• All requests will be considered, but not all requests will be approved or result in additional grant aid.
• The Financial Aid Specialist will use professional judgment to assist you as best as possible. The decision of the Financial Aid Specialist is final and cannot be appealed.

Special Circumstances Process

Step 1: Submit a Special Circumstance Form: Carefully read and review the form.

• 2023-24 Petition for Special Circumstance Form

Examples of what cannot be considered as Special Circumstances: Parent’s refusal to contribute to education; Credit card or other unusually high debt. Carefully read and review the form to see what information is being asked of you to avoid delays.

Step 2: Await review of your form: The Financial Aid Office will contact you within approximately 2 weeks of receiving your form and advise if any other information is needed.

Step 3: Submit any other required documentation: Common forms include: Signed Federal Tax Forms, W2 forms, pay stubs, or unemployment documentation.

Unusual Circumstances

Do you have a unique situation that prevents you from providing parent information on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?

A Financial Aid Specialist may be able to make an adjustment to a student’s dependency status/dependency override based on unique situations such as human trafficking, refugee or asylum status, parental abandonment, and incarceration.

If you feel you have an unusual circumstance and would like to appeal your dependency status you may file an appeal:

• 2023-24 Appeal for Unusual Circumstance Form

Certain documents must be submitted to support your appeal. These documents should be from an external (third party) source that documents, verifies, and supports your situation (e.g.such as social workers, attorneys, clergy members, teachers, or incarceration documentation). If possible, any documentation should be on company letterhead or from a professional email address.

Parent Refusal to Complete the FAFSA

You canʻt be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA. When a student’s parents do not support them and refuse to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you can still file the FAFSA. However, you wonʻt be able to get any aid other than a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan which is not need-based, and accrue interest from the date of disbursement. To be considered for the unsubsidized Direct Loan, the student’s parents must first complete the 2023-24 Parent Refusal to Complete the FAFSA form to certify they do not provide financial support and refuse to complete the FAFSA. Completing this form does not make the student independent for financial aid purposes.

If you have any questions regarding any Special or Unusual Circumstances please contact the financial aid office directly at kapfao@hawaii.edu or 808-734-9537.