Your financial aid award is based on the information provided by you and/or your parents at the time the FAFSA was filed. We are aware that, in certain cases, the information listed on the FAFSA may not accurately represent your family’s current financial circumstances.
Some examples of changes in circumstance that may warrant a Special Circumstance Appeal are:
Other circumstances, although affecting a family’s financial ability to contribute, cannot be used to change eligibility. Some of these are:
To complete a Special Circumstances Appeal, access the form at www.redlands.edu/faforms. Requests are reviewed by a financial aid committee, who may adjust your eligibility for aid.
In certain extenuating circumstances, students who would otherwise be dependent on the FAFSA may petition to be considered an independent student for the purposes of determining financial aid eligibility. This process is called a petition for dependency override. Circumstances that alone do not warrant a dependency override include:
All financial aid appeal decisions will be communicated via e-mail to the student’s University of Redlands email address.
Special Circumstance Appeal FAQs
A: Submit your request, special circumstance appeal form, and supporting documentation to our Online File Submission Form.
A: For the current academic year, you can submit your appeal anytime after you have filed a FAFSA, Dream Application, or other financial aid application. If you are submitting an application for the upcoming school year, please make sure you have filed a FAFSA and received your initial financial aid offer, before submitting your appeal.
A: The Financial Aid Appeals committee will not be able to adjust your EFC if it is currently at zero. However, if your financial circumstances are preventing you from financing your education and you need additional support, we want to hear from you. Please email us at SFS@redlands.edu with an explanation of your situation.
A: Graduate students do not qualify for need based financial aid, so we will not be able to adjust your financial aid through an appeal. However, if your financial circumstances are preventing you from financing your education and you need additional support, we want to hear from you. Please email us at SFS@redlands.edu with an explanation of your situation.
A: We would be happy to talk with you about your individual situation before you submit appeal documents. Please contact us at SFS@redlands.edu or 909-748-8047 to schedule an appointment.