Special Circumstance Guidelines

To the extend allowed by federal regulations, MSU'S Office of Student Financial Aid may consider life changes that occur after the competition of your Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Special circumstances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with the judgment of the administration serving as the final decision.

Submitting a Special Circumstance application does not guarantee any change of your financial aid award. Because of this, you are responsible for your MSU account balance. If your FAFSA is selected for Verification, you must complete this process before your special circumstance will be considered.

Students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 may not submit a Special Circumstance application, as no aid increases can be made.

Uthe table below to determine your particular circumstance. Action will be taken when the Office of Student Financial Aid receives all requested documentation, supporting summaries, and a complete and signed Special Circumstance Worksheet. To help with processing, please write the students BearPass Number on all submitted documents.

Important dates

November 1, 2019. If you submit your Special Circumstance form after November 1, 2019, your 2019 federal tax return and 2018 W2’s will be required.
March 31, 2020. Special Circumstance forms are accepted from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 for the 2019-2020 school year.

Circumstance	Guidelines
Expenses student or parent paid in 2018 for private or parochial school(s) For members of student/parent’s household reported on FAFSA (NOT including parents if Dependent, see option 9) and not reimbursed by scholarships, grants, employers, etc.	Expenses are only considered for non-public elementary and secondary educations (K-12) Expenses are only considered for the calendar year, defined as January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.
Medical or dental expenses Must exceed 11% of the 2018 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for household members reported on the FAFSA that were not reimbursed by insurance/third party.	AGI is the dollar amount listed on Line 7 the 2018 federal tax return. The formula to determine minimum medical expenses is: AGI (line 7) x .11. For example: If your AGI is $47,000, your medical expenses must exceed $5,170. (47,000 x .11 = $5,170)
Child support payments received have ended or been reduced A member of your household was receiving child support payments, but the amount received in 2019 is lower than what as reported on the FAFSA	Actual child support payments received for the 2019 calendar year will be considered.
Unemployment benefits Benefit have terminated OR Received benefits within the last 90 days and are still unemployed	Consideration will be given if you are no longer receiving unemployment benefit. Consideration can be made to remove total amount of unemployment benefits reflected on a federal tax return if you have received benefits within the last 90 days.
Student or Parent on FAFSA divorced or separated After 2018-2019 FAFSA was completed.	For dependent Students, if biological or adoptive parents are divorced or separated, and still living together, their status is now unmarried and living together and both would report their information on the FAFSA. No adjustment will be considered.
Spouse or Parent on FAFSA deceased	For dependent students, if a biological or adoptive parent on the FAFSA is deceased, only the surviving parent's 2017 income and assets may be considered For independent students, if a spouse reported on the FAFSA is deceased, only the student's 2017 income and assets may be considered
Loss/Change in Employment	Must be continuous for eight (8) or more weeks
Other circumstance Any circumstance not listed that will cause 2018 taxed/untaxed income to be significantly less than 2017 income reported on the FAFSA.	Consideration will NOT be given for: Winning/Gambling received Vacation expense Mortgage expense Legal expense Wedding expense Car payments Student loan payments Miscellaneous consumer item expense
Parent attending college During the 2018 calendar year.	Expenses are only considered for the calendar year, defined as January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 Parent must be degree-seeking and at least half-time