Appeals and Special Circumstances
Q. How do I notify the Financial Aid Office of special circumstances that I would like considered with my financial aid application?
If you have special circumstances, you may submit a letter to the Financial Aid Office. Make sure your letter is signed and dated and includes your LMU Student ID and the academic year for which it is being submitted. If your parent submits a special circumstance letter, make sure your LMU Student ID and academic year is on the top of the letter. Upon review of the letter, we may request additional documents to verify your circumstances.
Q. According to the dependency questions on the FAFSA I am a dependent student and must submit parent information. However, due to my special circumstances, I feel I should be considered as an independent student and not be required to provide parent information. What do I do?
If there are special circumstances in your family, you may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Office requesting a dependency override. Your appeal must show that your relationship with your parents is such that it would be impossible or unreasonable for them to assist you in applying for financial aid. NOTE: You are able to complete the 2009-2010 FAFSA with student only information
pending the results of a dependency override appeal.
A dependency override will not be approved simply because your parents are unwilling or unable to assist you with your college expenses.
Examples of cases where a dependency override would be considered are:
• Child abuse
• The location of the parent or parents is unknown
• The student has been removed from the family home by the state
To appeal for a dependency override you must submit the following:
- A signed and dated statement (approximately 1 page) detailing your current relationship with your parents. This letter must include if your parent claimed you on thier prior year's federal tax returns, your last contact with your parents and whether you have requested your parent to assist you in applying for financial aid. Make sure to include your LMU Student ID and the academic year for which you are submitting the appeal.
- Three Dependency Override Letters of Support. These letters should be from an adult familiar with your case. A relative or family friend can provide letters of support but at least one letter should be from a professional familiar with your case such as a social worker, therapist, teacher, professor or pastor.
- Any other documents that support your appeal, e.g. police reports etc…
If your appeal is approved, you may be considered independent for federal sources of financial aid. In some cases, you may also be considered independent for federal and LMU funded sources of financial aid.
Q. Can I appeal my financial aid award?
LMU’s appeal process allows you to request a revision of your financial aid award. However, due to funding limitations, we can only consider appeals for very specific circumstances. You may appeal your financial aid award when there is a change in your family situation, such as a divorce, a death, or a change in employment or income status.
Review the Financial Aid Appeal Form and Instructions for details on the types of appeals that will be considered and the required documentation. For appeals requesting an adjustment to the LMU Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA), review LMU Cost of Attendance Appeal Form. All appeals submitted without the required documentation will not be reviewed.
The time to process appeals varies throughout the academic year but can take up to 30 days. Appeals cannot be submitted retroactively after the last date of enrollment for that term.
There is no guarantee that an appeal will result in additional financial aid.
Q. What if our family circumstances do not fit any of the reasons to submit an appeal, but I am unable to meet the cost to attend LMU with my current financial aid award?
If your family circumstances do not match any of the stated reasons to file an appeal, you may still appeal your financial aid award by submitting an explanation of your family situation, along with supporting documentation. We will consider your request but there is no guarantee that you will receive additional financial aid.