Financial Aid Review and Appeal Process

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Financial aid awards may be appealed based on special circumstances. If a student wants his/her financial aid to be reviewed, the student (and if applicable, his/her parent(s)) should complete an OCC's Projected Income Worksheet. Additional information and documentation may be required by the Financial Aid Office.

The most common special circumstances are:

Reduced Parent/Student Income: Parents or students can appeal if current year income will be substantially less than previous year income. Common reasons for the decrease is loss job, reduction in hours, disability, divorce/separation. Appeals based on reduced income are generally not considered before September 1, except in unusual circumstances such as a parent's/student's permanent lack of employment (retirement, etc.). An explanation of the reason for reduced income must be submitted, including dates associated with the reduction. Also, previous year W-2s and federal 1040s must be submitted with an appeal based on reduced income.

Unusual Medical/Dental Expenses: A student may wish to appeal if the family had excessive un-reimbursed medical/dental expenses in the previous year. For documentation, the Financial Aid Office requires either a Schedule A, as filed with a federal 1040, or an itemized list of medical/dental expenses paid out of pocket in the previous year, including insurance premiums. Expenses paid by medical savings through payroll deduction (cafeteria plan) should not be reported as they have already been excluded from income.

Adjustment to the Cost of Attendance: A student's budget is based on an assumption of full-time enrollment, and adjusted after the term's census date for actual enrollment at full-time, three-quarter time, half-time, or less than half-time. The living expenses are based on the student's response to the FAFSA housing question. The student may have responded that s/he would be living with parents or living off-campus. If the student did not complete the housing code, an assumption is made that the student is living with parents. If a student provides proper documentation, i.e., rent contract, the living allowance may be changed

Appeals are handled in the order that they are received. Changes in income and assets are reported to the federal and state processor to determine eligibility for need-based grants. Loan funds totaling maximum eligibility are usually packaged.