This page will explain the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships’ policies and procedures for unique situations such as special circumstances, unusual circumstances, and homeless youth determinations.
“Special circumstances” refers to financial situations that may lead to a financial aid adjustment. This type of adjustment is called a Request for Professional Judgment.
Special circumstances could include one or more of the following:
What will not be considered for special circumstances:
The Financial Aid Office may use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust a student’s cost of attendance or the data used to calculate the students’ Student Aid Index. The reason for the adjustment must be adequately documented and must be related to special circumstances that differentiate the student. If you meet one of the criteria listed in the approved list above, please contact your financial aid officer directly to discuss.
“Unusual circumstances” refers to conditions that may lead to an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation. This type of adjustment is called a Dependency Override. Please note, usual circumstances only applies to undergraduate students since graduate students are automatically considered independent by the federal government.
Unusual circumstances could include one or more of the following:
Circumstances that will not be considered:
The Financial Aid Office will review a student’s supporting documentation. Supporting documentation must be adequate to substantiate a student’s circumstances. Documentation may include, but is not limited to: submission of a court order or official Federal or State documentation that the student or student’s parents or legal guardians are incarcerated; a documented phone call or written statement, which confirms the unusual circumstances with: a state, county or Tribal welfare agency; an independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood; a public or private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence; or a documented phone call or written statement from an attorney, guardian ad litem, a court-appointed special advocate (or similar), or a representative of a TRIO or GEAR UP program which confirms the circumstances and the person’s relationship to the student; a documented determination of independence made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year.
Starting with the 2024-25 Award Year, both initial and renewal applicants who indicate they have an unusual circumstance on their FAFSA form will submit their application under a provisional independent status. This will allow such applicants to receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) with an estimate of their Federal student aid eligibility, subject to a final determination by their school. Students will be notified and will be reviewed as soon as practicable once all documentation is received.
An “unaccompanied homeless youth determination” is a category of independent students. It is the determination that a student lacks fixed, regular, and adequate housing. This is broader than just living “on the street.” It includes but is not limited to:
The Financial Aid Office will review an eligible authority’s documented determination or make its own determination that the student was an unaccompanied homeless youth, or at risk of being homeless, at any time on or after July 1st of the FAFSA base year (e.g., July 1, 2022, for the 2023-2024 FAFSA form). A student who is not yet 24 may qualify for a homeless youth determination. Homeless youth determinations are made on a case-by-case basis and without regard to the reasons that the student is unaccompanied and/or homeless. If you are an unaccompanied homeless youth and would like to request a determination, contact
Office of Student Financial Aid
and Scholarships
PMB 407810
2309 West End Ave.
Nashville, TN 37240-7810
Monday - Friday:
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
On-campus: 2-3591
(615) 322-3591
1-800-288-0204
FAX: (615) 343-8512
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On-campus: 2-3591 · (615) 322-3591 · 1-800-288-0204
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