Professional Judgment / Special Circumstances

Professional Judgment refers to the school's authority to adjust, on a case-by-case basis, to information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so that the Department of Education can recalculate the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is the number that the school uses to determine if a student is eligible for need based financial aid.

Please Note: The school does not have the authority to make direct adjustments to the SAI or to the formula used to calculate the SAI, just data elements on the FAFSA which may change the SAI.

The professional judgment process is an extensive process that requires a thorough review by the Financial Aid Office to determine what, if any changes, may be appropriate based on your FAFSA application. It is a time sensitive process that includes the following steps:

• If a Professional Judgment request is submitted, the student will be institutionally selected for Verification (if not previously selected). Be aware that during the Verification process, corrections to your FAFSA may be required which can result in a change to a student's aid eligibility.
• The file will then be reviewed to determine if all required documentation has been submitted. If additional documentation is required, the student will be notified by email.
• The Financial Aid Office will determine if a student's Professional Judgment request meets the criteria to make data element changes to their FAFSA.
• If approved, appropriate changes will be made to the student's FAFSA and submitted to the Department of Education. The Department of Education will then recalculate the Student Aid Index (SAI) and the student's eligibility for need based aid. The student will be notified by email.
• If denied, the student will be notified by email.

In many cases, an adjustment does not increase the student's eligibility for grants or the total amount of aid awarded. The Financial Aid office reserves the right to deny any appeals that would not increase a student's eligibility for aid.

Income Adjustment

New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) recognizes that special circumstances may occur after the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was completed, which may affect a student's eligibility for Federal financial aid. If you, your spouse or parent(s) have experienced a significant decrease in income since the income used on the FAFSA due to one of the conditions described on this form, you may be eligible for an Income Adjustment.

Reasons for Request

• Loss or Reduction of Income
• Disability
• Loss of Untaxed Income (SSI, Child Support, Etc.)
• Divorce/ Separation
• Death
• Excessive Medical/ Dental Expenses
• Excessive Property Loss/ Damaged due to a declared natural disaster
• Roth IRA Conversion
• Other

Unusual Circumstance

Students who do not meet the federal criteria to be considered independent based on the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may submit this form with supporting documentation for review to determine if unusual circumstances exist for granting a dependency status override. Unusual circumstances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis for students with extenuating circumstances and are evaluated each award year.

The following are circumstances that will NOT be considered:

• Parent(s) refusal to contribute to the student's education;
• Parent(s) did not claim student on their tax returns;
• Parent(s) unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA;
• Student demonstrates total financial self-sufficiency.

Unusual Circumstance appeal determinations must be completed within 60 days of your enrollment or your submission.

Each student will experience a different hardship so we encourage you to reach out to financial aid and speak to a counselor so we can determine whether or not you qualify to file an appeal. You may send an email to Finaidspecialcircumstances@citytech.cuny.edu to explain your extenuating circumstance in detail or feel free to stop by office or ZOOM to speak to a counselor. Our ZOOM office hours are located on our website: http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/financial-aid/

The college must make a determination regarding your unusual circumstance appeal no later than 60 days after the date of your enrollment during the award year.

If your request is submitted after the 60th day of enrollment, all decisions regarding these requests are at the discretion of the college."