Financial Aid Help

Special or Unusual Circumstance

Sometimes after you receive your financial aid offer, you and/or your family may experience an unexpected change to your financial situation. In these circumstances, you may appeal for a re-evaluation of your financial aid. All special circumstances requests must be approved by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, and appeals are processed only when an initial aid offer is issued and all additional documents are received.

• Special Circumstances refer to the financial situations (loss of a job, etc.) that justify an aid administrator adjusting data elements in the COA or in the EFC calculation.

• Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment, incarceration), more commonly referred to as a dependency override.

If you choose to apply for an appeal, be sure to have any necessary available documentation of your change in circumstance. Please send an email to financialaid@mccd.edu with any questions or to request a Professional Judgement Appeal.