Financial Aid Professional Judgement

The following information will help you determine if a Financial Aid Professional Judgement request will benefit you:

If you filed your FAFSA and received a Student Aid Index (SAI) of Zero (0) to -1500 > You are already receiving the maximum in Federal grants. However, requesting a Professional Judgement: Review for Special Circumstance - COA (Cost of Attendance) may result in the ability to borrow more in Federal student loans if you have a specific educational expense due to special circumstances that are not accurately reflected in your Estimated Cost of Attendance.

If you filed your FAFSA and received a Student Aid Index (SAI) above 0 > By requesting a Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - EFC/SAI due to a substantial change in income over the past year, you may become eligible for the Federal Pell Grant.

If you filed your FAFSA and your Student Aid Index (SAI) is higher than your Cost of Attendance (COA) > By requesting a Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - EFC/SAI due to a change in income over the past year OR a Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - COA for unusually high qualifying expenses may result in a portion of your federal direct loans being changed to subsidized.

If you are a NY State Excelsior Scholarship recipient considering a Professional Judgement  Appeal > If the appeal results in a new Federal grant award or increase, your NYS Excelsior Scholarship will be reduced by the amount of the new grant award or increase if you are receiving a monetary Excelsior Scholarship award.

If you need to appeal the status of your New York State aid (TAP, Excelsior, or other NYS scholarship) > An approved appeal may result in reinstatement of your NYS award. The only option below that applies to the NYS TAP Grant is the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal. If you need the appeal the status of your Excelsior Scholarship due to a break in attendance or failure to complete the requisite number of credits due to dropped or withdrawn coursework, please complete the Excelsior Scholarship Eligibility Determination Form. If you need to appeal the status of your Excelsior Scholarship because your Federal Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) was adversely affected due to a disability, divorce or separation, or the death of a parent or spouse, please visit HESC website and review the information for an Income Eligibility Review. Please contact HESC directly if you need to appeal a NYS award other than TAP or Excelsior.

If you do not meet any of the Unusual or Other Circumstances on the FAFSA but have an adverse family situation > An approved Professional Judgement: Unusual Circumstance Appeal may result in the ability for you to be considered an independent student for federal student aid purposes.

A student who does not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is considered ineligible for financial aid. However, they may submit an appeal if they have documented extenuating circumstances that:

• Were beyond their control;
• Occurred during a period in which the student was enrolled; AND
• Impacted their ability to be academically successful.

Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• Serious illness or injury to you the student or immediate family member
• Death of an immediate family member
• Significant trauma in your life

Students must be able to provide acceptable documentation (pdf) addressing their extenuating circumstances to support the appeal as follows:

• Statement from the student explaining how the extenuating circumstances affected their academic performance and how they plan to succeed academically in the future, and raise their grade point average (GPA). 
• Signed documentation from an official third-party such as a physician, therapist, counselor, clergy member, law enforcement, or court official which is on official letterhead. 

How to Appeal

Keep in Mind

• Students can only appeal once during a semester.
• Completed appeals submitted with all necessary documentation are usually reviewed within 5 to 7 business days.
• Incomplete appeals will not be reviewed.

Steps

1. You will be notified via your Alfred State email that you can appeal your financial aid ineligibility. Please note, students will not receive notification until after their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is received for the aid year.
2. Gather third-party documentation (pdf) that supports your extenuating circumstances.
3. Complete the appeal form. To access the form, go to alfredstate.studentforms.com, log in with your Alfred State email credentials, and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. You will be notified of the outcome of your appeal via your Alfred State email. Please note, you are responsible for making payment when your bill is due regardless of the status of the appeal. To avoid late payment fees, please be prepared to have alternative payment in place to cover your balance such as a monthly payment plan or a credit-based private loan from a lender that does not require Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Appeal Deadlines

• Fall semester appeals – Aug. 1; Priority deadline of July 1
• Spring semester appeals – Jan. 15

After the Appeal

If the appeal is approved:

• You will be notified via your Alfred State email.
• Your aid will be reinstated on a probationary status for only one semester. You must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the probationary semester, or you will be ineligible for financial aid for the upcoming semester. Please see SAP criteria/requirements for eligibility information.

If the appeal is denied:

• You will be notified via your Alfred State email.
• You will need to consider other forms of funding such as paying out-of-pocket; utilizing our monthly payment plan; or pursuing loans from private lenders that do not require satisfactory academic progress.

Please follow the instructions at the bottom of the webpage to request a Financial Aid Professional Judgement Review.

Sometimes the information you provide on the FAFSA no longer accurately reflects your financial situation. There are certain circumstances where financial aid professionals at Alfred State can review and update your FAFSA data.

Please note that if your Student Aid Index (SAI) on the FAFSA is 0 to -1500 you are already receiving the maximum in Federal grants. However, requesting a Professional Judgement for Special Circumstance - COA may result in the ability to borrow more in Federal student loans if you have specific educational expenses that are not accurately reflected in your Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA).

The following conditions may be considered for a Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - EFC/SAI: *

• Loss or reduction of income, including but not limited to, loss of employment, reduction of pay, death of a parent or spouse, and reduction/loss of child support
• Divorce or separation
• Non-recurring income
• Impacted by a natural disaster
• Medical or dental expenses paid that exceed 11% of the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)

The following conditions generally may not be considered for Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - EFC/SAI: *

• Bankruptcy, foreclosures or collection costs associated with outstanding debts
• Consumer debt (credit cards, car payments, loans, etc.)
• Payments on back taxes owed to the IRS
• Lottery or gambling winnings or losses

*There are limitations to the circumstances the U.S. Department of Higher Education will allow financial aid professionals to consider. To remain equitable, our office will review all applications on a case-by-case basis.

Please follow the instructions at the bottom of the webpage to request a Financial Aid Professional Judgement Review. 

The following conditions may be considered for Professional Judgement Review for an Unusual Circumstance: *

• Student is no longer in parent home due to abuse/neglect
• Student is considered an unaccompanied youth or at risk of being homeless
• Incarcerated parent(s)
• Parent(s) whereabouts unknown
• Parental drug and/or alcohol addiction

The following conditions are generally not considered for Professional Judgement Review for an Unusual Circumstance: *

• Student is not living in the parents' home
• Student is self-supporting
• Student is not claimed as a tax exemption by parents
• Parents cannot afford or refuse to help with college or living expenses
• Parents are unwilling to provide their financial information to complete the FAFSA

If a dependent student's parent(s) refuse to provide parental data on the FAFSA OR has ended all financial support for the student and refuses to provide future support, the student will be eligible for unsubsidized Federal Direct loans only if they can provide one of the following:

• Signed and dated statement from one of their parents stating that the parents have stopped providing financial support (with the date when support ended) and they will not provide support in the future; or they will not complete the parental section of the FAFSA.
• If a student is unable to obtain a parent statement, a signed statement from a responsible third party (e.g., teacher, counselor, clergy, court) with knowledge of the situation describing the student's relationship with their parents may be acceptable. 

*There are limitations to the circumstances the U.S. Department of Higher Education will allow financial aid professionals to consider. To remain equitable, our office will review all applications on a case-by-case basis.

Please follow the instructions at the bottom of the webpage to request a Financial Aid Professional Judgement Review. 

Students who believe their Estimated Cost of Attendance does not reflect their actual educational expenses for the academic year may submit a Professional Judgement Request for Special Circumstance - COA. If approved, it will be used to identify and request additional loan funding.

The standard Cost of Attendance includes an average cost for housing and food, tuition and fees, books, course materials, supplies and equipment, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses. Your cost of attendance may be viewed on your Financial Aid Plan.

Students with childcare or dependent care expenses may request a Professional Judegement Review for Cost of Attendance to have these expenses added.

Additional expenses for a study abroad experience will be added to the cost of attendance through the Study Abroad Course Approval Form.

The following conditions are generally not considered for a Professional Judgement Review for Special Circumstance - COA (Cost of Attendance):

• Consumer bills (cell phone, car payment, insurance, utilities, etc.)
• Credit card or other consumer debt payments
• Travel, hobby, and entertainment costs
• Veterinary costs, unless for a service animal

*There are limitations to the circumstances the U.S Department of Higher Education will allow financial aid professionals to consider. To remain equitable, our office will review all applications on a case-by-case basis.

Please follow the instructions at the bottom of the webpage to request a Financial Aid Professional Judgement Review. 

1. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the aid year in which you are requesting a Professional Judgement. A valid FAFSA is required prior to reviewing your request.
2. Visit my.AlfredState.edu/finances and select "FAFSA Verification" to get started. 
   • Please wait at least a week after submitting your FAFSA
   • If this is your first time submitting a request, you may need to set up your account. See the Verification Instructions (pdf) for assistance. 
3. After setting up your account, click on the "Manage Request" button near the top of the page.
4. Select the type of Professional Judgement you are requesting (Satisfactory Academic Progress, Special Circumstance - EFC/SAI, Unusual Circumstance or Special Circumstance - COA). Click the green plus + sign to add the request for the appropriate aid year.
5. The system will ask you to briefly explain your reason for this request. This does not need to be in-depth. You will provide more information later in the process.
6. You should now see a tab in the middle of the screen showing your request. Click on the tab to complete the required tasks which include providing a detailed statement on the web form and submitting third-party documentation to support your request. 
7. Once you have entered your statement on to the web form and uploaded your supporting third-party documentation, click the "Submit" button to submit your application for review.
8. Once all requested documentation is submitted, you will receive an email notification of the outcome within five to seven business days. Please note this time may be extended during peak processing times.