A special circumstances letter asks your college's financial aid administrator to adjust your FAFSA information or your cost of attendance because something has changed. This guide shows what to write, what to attach and where the request looks different for each kind of student.
What the letter asks the aid office to do
The FAFSA uses income from two years before the award year, so it can describe a household that no longer exists. A financial aid administrator can use professional judgment to change specific figures when you document why they are out of date. The decision belongs to the administrator, and each school sets its own process for asking.
Some schools want a form, others want a letter, and many want both. Ask the aid office which it uses before you start writing, and ask whether it has a deadline for the current year.
Changes worth putting in writing
Common reasons include a lost job, a cut in hours, a divorce or separation, a death in the family, and large medical bills. A working student whose income fell after leaving a job to study can describe that change too. The letter should say what happened, when it happened and how it changes the money coming in or going out.
Your situation can add other requests. A student parent can ask that child care costs be added to the cost of attendance, and a student with a disability can ask the same for disability-related costs not covered elsewhere. A commuter living at home who pays rent to family can explain that, since the housing allowance for students at home is usually lower.
Stay with facts that someone outside your family can check.
When the letter is about independence
A student cut off from family may need a dependency override instead of an income change. Overrides cover unusual circumstances such as abandonment or an abusive home; a parent declining to help pay is a different situation, and the aid office can explain what aid can follow if your parents will not give their information. A student who is homeless or at risk can ask for a homelessness determination from the aid administrator, a shelter director or a high school McKinney-Vento liaison.
Veterans, married students and students supporting a child more than half are independent through the FAFSA's own questions, so their letters usually deal with income or costs. Military families who moved or lost a spouse's pay can describe the change the same way any household would.
How to write it
Keep the letter to one page. Open with your full name, student ID and the award year, then state the change in plain sentences with dates. Close by naming the adjustment you are requesting, such as using this year's income or adding child care to your budget.
Stay with facts that someone outside your family can check. Leave out guesses about what aid you hope to receive, and avoid long background that does not bear on the change. If writing about a hard event is painful, a counselor, TRIO advisor or campus liaison can read a draft with you.
What to attach and what happens next
Attach proof for each fact: a layoff notice, final pay stubs, a court order, child care receipts or a letter from a doctor or third party who knows your situation. Keep copies of everything you hand in, and write down the date and the name of the person who received it.
The office may ask for more papers or select you for verification first. Follow up in writing if you have heard nothing in two or three weeks. A changed decision applies to the year you asked about, so a lasting change may need a new letter next year.
Steps to take
- Ask the aid office whether it uses a form or a letter
- Write down each change with its date
- Gather one piece of proof for every fact
- Ask a counselor or advisor to read your draft
Who decides
Your school's financial aid administrator
A clear, dated, documented letter gives the aid administrator what they need to use professional judgment in your favor.