Special Circumstance Appeal

FAFSA and TASFA uses prior-prior-year tax data to determine the Student Aid Index (SAI); however, we recognize that a family’s financial situation can change within a two-year period. The Higher Education Act gives financial aid administrators the ability to update FAFSA to reflect the student and family’s current situation, which can alter the SAI.

The SAI is calculated by the information provided by FAFSA or TASFA. The SAI is emailed directly to students that complete FAFSA. Additionally, the SAI can be viewed on the FAFSA Submission Summary. You may also contact the financial aid office to discuss your SAI.

Important Information

If selected, Federal Verification must be completed before the appeal can be processed.

If your SAI is -1500 to 0, you have already been offered the maximum amount of aid you are eligible to receive and should not file a Special Circumstance Appeal. However, we encourage you to contact our office to speak with a Financial Aid Advisor about your situation. You may contact our office at [email protected] or 254-968-9070.

If your SAI is greater than 0, please review the following circumstances that do/do not qualify for this appeal and submission instructions.

The appeal process is a way for us to ensure you are receiving the maximum amount of aid possible based on the changes in your financial situation.

The following circumstances are acceptable:

  • Loss or reduction of income (e.g., job termination, pay reduction, parental/spousal death, and child support reduction/loss)
  • Divorce or separation
  • Non-recurring income
  • High medical and/or dental expenses paid out of pocket
  • Impacted by a natural disaster

The following circumstances are not considered acceptable:

  • Loss of overtime or bonus
  • Bankruptcy, foreclosures or collection costs associated with outstanding debts
  • Consumer debt (credit cards, car payments, loans, etc.)
  • Payments on back taxes owed to the IRS
  • Lottery or gambling winnings or losses
  • One-time income used for non-life essential items (e.g., family vacation)

Steps for the Special Circumstance Appeal:

  1. Submit a FAFSA or TASFA
  2. Log on to https://tarleton.studentforms.com using your NTNET credentials. If you have not set up your account, you will have to confirm your student information to create your profile. This information must match your FAFSA exactly.
  3. After you have logged into https://tarleton.studentforms.com, click on the “Manage Requests” button in the top right corner of the page
  4. Find “Professional Judgement: Special Circumstance Appeal-EFC/SAI Appeal” listed. Click the plus + sign to add the request for the appropriate aid year. Example: 2023-2024 is Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024. 2024-2025 is Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025.
  5. The system will ask you to briefly explain your reason for this request. This does not need to be in-depth. You will provide more information as part of the appeal later in the process.
  6. Once you have added the appeal, a tab should be listed on your account with a Special Circumstance Appeal for the aid year. Click on the tab to see your appeal tasks.
  7. Click on the appeal link that says either “Dependent”* or “Independent Professional Judgement: Special Circumstance Appeal-EFC/SAI Appeal” to show the tasks associated with the appeal. This should include filling out the web form and submitting third-party documentation to support and strengthen your appeal.
  8. Once you have filled out the web form and uploaded your supporting third-party documentation, click the Submit button to submit your appeal
  9. Once all requested documentation is submitted, you will receive a notification via your go.tarleton email of the outcome of the review within seven to ten business days. Please note this time may be extended during peak processing times.

*Dependent students will need a parent signature. StudentForms also gives parents the ability to e-sign the document.