Special circumstances can affect your financial aid. You may need to file one of the appeals below.

When there are unusual situations or circumstances that impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give a financial aid administrator discretion or professional judgment on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation to make adjustments to the data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form that impact your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to gain a more accurate assessment of your family's ability to contribute to your cost of education. All appeals are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal

Use the form at this link - SAP appeal - to file an appeal due to failing Satisfactory Academic Progress.

You must file an appeal if you are failing the minimum GPA and/or Pace progress standards or you have exceeded the maximum timeframe allowed by your current major/program. Please visit Maintaining Financial Aid for complete explanations.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@bishop.edu (include your student A number) or call at 251-405-7015.

Professional Judgment

Professional Judgment refers to an institution’s authority to make certain adjustments, on a case-by-case basis, to information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There are limited circumstances in which the use of Professional Judgment is warranted, and all circumstances must be thoroughly documented. Two of the most common forms are detailed below.

The Professional Judgment process is extensive and requires a thorough review by the Financial Aid Office to determine what, if any, changes may be appropriate. In many cases, an adjustment does not increase a student’s eligibility for aid. The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to deny any appeals that would not increase a student’s eligibility for aid. The results of a Professional Judgment review are final and cannot be appealed. Request for Professional Judgment does not guarantee approval.

Unusual Circumstances (Dependency Status Review/Dependency Override)

Students who do not meet the federal criteria to be considered Independent based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may have unusual circumstances that warrant a dependency status review. If you believe that you qualify for a dependency status review, please follow the steps below.

The following circumstances are not considered unusual and will not warrant a dependency status review:

  • Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency (living alone, supporting oneself financially, etc.)
  • Parents refuse to financially contribute to the student’s education
  • Parents refuse to fill out information necessary to complete the FAFSA or the verification process
  • Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes

The following circumstances are considered unusual and may warrant a dependency status review:

  • Parental abuse or abandonment
  • Parental incarceration or death
  • Legally granted refugee or asylum status
  • Parental contact poses a danger to student

To request a dependency status review, contact the Financial Aid Office. You will be granted access to a form for electronic completion and signature. You must provide a statement of circumstances, as well as third-party documentation. Once all required documentation is received, a review will be completed, and you will be notified of the results via your Bishop State student email account within 14 days.

Special Circumstances (Loss of Income)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) uses prior-prior year income information. Any students (or parents – if student is dependent) who experienced a significant and involuntary loss of income between the income year reported on the FAFSA and the current year may request a special circumstances review. Examples include involuntary loss/change of employment, involuntary reduction of wages/hours, one-time taxable income payment that artificially inflated income, death of parent/spouse, divorce from spouse, etc. This review is an extensive process which includes the following steps:

  1. Student requests a special circumstances review from the Financial Aid Office.
  2. If the student is selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, verification must be completed prior to the request for review.
  3. Student will be granted access to a form for electronic completion and signature. The form will require both a self-certifying statement and other documentation.
  4. Once all required documentation is received, a review will be completed, and you will be notified of the results via your Bishop State student email account within 14 days.

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

Section 480(d)(8) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), provides that an applicant for Title IV federal student aid is an independent student—that is, an applicant who does not need to provide parental information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form—if the applicant is an unaccompanied homeless youth or unaccompanied and self-supporting youth at risk of homelessness.

To be considered an unaccompanied homeless youth on the FAFSA® form, an individual must be a youth who is (1) unaccompanied and homeless or (2) unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of being homeless. Outlined below are some initial terms that support a homeless youth determination:

  • Unaccompanied - when a student is not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian
  • Homeless - lacking fixed, regular, and adequate housing
  • At risk of being homeless - when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular, and adequate, for example, a student who is being evicted or has been asked to leave their current residence and has been unable to find fixed, regular, and adequate housing
  • Self-supporting - when a student pays for his or her own living expenses, which includes paying for fixed, regular, and adequate housing


Unaccompanied homeless youth status can be verified by one of the following eligible authorities:

  • A local educational agency homeless liaison, as designated by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))), or a designee of the liaison;
  • The director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness;
  • The director or designee of a program funded under subtitle B of title IV of McKinney-Vento (relating to emergency shelter grants) (42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.);
  • The director or designee of a Federal TRIO program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate program (GEAR UP) grant; or
  • A financial aid administrator (FAA) at another institution who documented the student’s circumstance in the same or a prior award year.


A student who believes they are an unaccompanied homeless youth—or unaccompanied and self-supporting youth at-risk of homelessness—but are unable to answer or are uncertain of their answer to the homeless question on the FAFSA® form, should contact the Financial Aid Office.