1. Office of Student Financial Aid
  2. Resources & Policies
  3. Special Circumstances Appeal Process

Special Circumstances Appeal Process

Some students and their families experience special circumstances that affect their ability to pay for the cost of a college education. If the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you submitted is no longer an accurate representation of your family’s current financial situation, the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) will work with you to find the best options for your circumstances.

However, we cannot guarantee the appeal process will result in additional financial aid. Therefore, students must submit all bill payments by the stated due date. Submission of an appeal does not result in an exemption from bill payments.

 

The University of Maryland recognizes the following as qualifying special circumstances for financial aid appeal:

  • Parent or student divorce
  • Death of a parent or student's spouse
  • Significant loss or reduction of income
  • Loss of benefits such as child support, unemployment, alimony, Social Security/disability or worker's compensation
  • Unreimbursed medical and dental care expenses that exceed 10% of the household adjusted gross income
  • Student or family incurred, and paid for, additional expenses beyond the standard cost of attendance allowances for housing, food, books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses
  • Multiple siblings out of pocket tuition payments that are not included and considered in the FAFSA Student Aid Index calculation

Use the Office of Student Financial Aid Secure File Upload service to submit your Special Circumstances or Unusual Circumstances documents. Before uploading documents please confirm:

  • Forms are completed and signed (if required)
  • Please submit all of the required documents for the appeal type you are submitting. The required documents are listed on the appeal form. 
  • Include the student’s University ID number in all documents
  • Before uploading your documents, rename and save your forms and documents by including the student’s University ID number, appeal year, and appeal type. For example, 123456789-2024-2025 Income Loss Appeal
  • You can select multiple documents to upload
  • Pictures of documents are not accepted. Please submit PDF or Word documents only. 

Allow 7-10 days for your uploaded documents to be reviewed. After the initial review, additional documents may be requested. Once all of the required documents are received, allow 3-4 weeks for your appeal to be reviewed. Incomplete forms/documents will delay processing. 

 

If your financial aid appeal results in changes to your FAFSA, our office will update the FAFSA information and submit the necessary changes to the U.S. Department of Education.

If your financial aid appeal results in changes to your financial aid offer (such as eligibility for an increased or additional need-based grant, Federal Work-Study funds or Direct Subsidized Loan), we will update your financial aid offer and send you an email to view your revised financial aid offer within your UMD FinAid Portal. Should your financial aid appeal result in an increased need-based grant but not cover your total educational cost, you or your parent(s) may need loans to cover the remaining costs. Loans are subject to eligibility.

If your financial aid appeal does not result in any changes, our office will notify you of this decision via email. Should you need further clarification, you may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid by calling (301) 314-8377 or you may visit our office during our hours of operation.to review your financial aid appeal and discuss the types of aid available to you.

When there are unusual situations or circumstances that impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give our office discretion, on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation, to make adjustments to some of the data on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that impact your Student Aid Index (SAI). This allows us to gain a more accurate assessment of your family's ability to contribute to your cost of education.

Undergraduate students may submit an appeal if, after submitting the FAFSA, they had a significant reduction (10% or more) in their income or have experienced a qualifying special circumstance (as listed above) that has caused the FAFSA information to inaccurately reflect your family's current financial situation.

  • Significant reduction of income/loss of wages.
  • Loss of benefits such as child support, unemployment, alimony, social security/disability, or worker's compensation.
  • Divorce or separation.
  • Death of a parent or spouse.
  • Unreimbursed medical and dental care expenses that exceed 10% of the household adjusted gross income.
  • Multiple siblings' out of pocket tuition payments that are not included and considered in the FAFSA Student Aid Index calculation

You can use the SAI calculator to estimate your updated SAI based on your most recent information. Since this is only an estimate, your actual updated SAI may be different from the estimate provided using the calculator.

If you have qualifying circumstances, please use the Office of Student Financial Aid Secure File Upload service to submit your Special Circumstances (see Downloadable Special Circumstances Forms tab) or Unusual Circumstances documents. Please only upload the requested appeal documents. 

After you provide all of the required documents, our Special Circumstances Appeal Review Committee will review the documents and your FAFSA information. Based on this information, the committee will determine whether we can update your FAFSA and SAI. If we update your FAFSA based on the documents provided, we will send the updated FAFSA information and SAI to the U.S. Department of Education for approval.

Once all of the required documents are provided, please allow 3-4 weeks for the review process and for a final determination to be provided.

Not all special circumstances appeals will result in new or additional grants. Only appeals that resulted in a significant change to the FAFSA may result in additional/new grants. Based on your updated SAI and residency status classification, you will be considered for the Federal Pell Grant, the University of Maryland Grant (in-state students only), the Terrapin Commitment award, state grant (in-state students only), Direct Subsidized Loan and Federal Work-Study funds.

If your SAI number changes, resulting in Direct Subsidized Loan eligibility, we will update your aid offer and offer you the Direct Subsidized Loan. Federal Direct Loan annual limits are set by the U.S. Department of Education and cannot be increased beyond the allowable amount.

 

Yes, you must pay your student bill by the due date while waiting for the outcome of your special circumstances appeal.

Already reported asset information can not be updated after the FAFSA filing date.

Yes, students must submit a special circumstance appeal for each applicable academic year. Appeals approved from the previous academic year will not be considered for the future academic year(s).

You must use the Office of Student Financial Aid Secure File Upload service to submit your Special Circumstances (see Downloadable Special Circumstances Forms tab) or Unusual Circumstances documents. 

Upon receiving your documents, we will review your change in circumstance in addition to your completed FAFSA, your current financial aid offer and other financial aid and/or academic information as needed. You may be asked to provide additional supporting documentation.

Once we receive all of the required documentation, your financial aid appeal will be presented to the committee, which may request more supporting documentation.