A Professional Judgment is the school’s authority to adjust a FAFSA on a case-by-case basis to potentially
change a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used to determine
aid eligibility.
Note: a school can only adjust fields on the FAFSA to change an EFC but cannot change
an EFC number directly.
To submit a Request for Professional Judgement, a student must have a FAFSA on file
with MSU and be meeting the eligibility requirements for financial aid.
Loss or Change of Employment and/or Income
Death of a student’s Parent or Spouse
Reduction in Child Support or Alimony
Large Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses
One-Time Lump Sum Income used on Qualifying Expenses (cannot be a recurring income)
Dependency Override for situations of parental abuse or abandonment
There may be other applicable situations. Should your circumstance not fall within
the “Other Applicable Situations” please email our office for any inquiries.
Consumer Debt
Car payments
Mortgage payments
Credit card debt
Loan debt
Bankruptcy
All other discretionary expenses
Current income that is similar to income reported on the FAFSA
