Please note that appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The decision to either approve or deny a request is final, and not all appeals will result in additional aid.
Circumstances that may qualify:
- Death of a parent or spouse
- Divorce or separation not reflected on the FAFSA
- High medical expenses
- Significant income change/loss of income
- One-time income received
- Parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or incarceration
Circumstances that cannot be considered:
- Circumstances already accounted for in the FAFSA
- Consumer debt such as credit cards
- Mortgage or home repairs
- Purchase of a vehicle, etc.
- Non-educational expenses such as pet care or vacations
- Expenses already included in the Cost of Attendance
25-26 Special Circumstance Appeal Form
Use this form if your family's current financial situation is not accurately reflected on your FAFSA due to circumstances such as a job loss, divorce, or other significant change(s) in income. You may request a re-evaluation of your financial aid eligibility based on your updated information. Please note that this process does not guarantee additional aid but allows for a ressessment to better reflect your current financial situation.
What to Expect from the Appeal Process
Processing time for appeals may be up to four weeks, and we are not able to guarantee that the appeal will result in additional financial aid.
In cases where our office determines that an income estimate for the year cannot be used, processing may be delayed until the needed income documentation becomes available or taxes for that aid year have been filed.
All appeals are considered and reviewed by a committee within the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.
The final appeal outcome will be sent to the students UWYO email address.
Outcomes may be one, or a combination, of the following scenarios:
- An adjusted Student Aid Index (SAI) amount that allows for a partial or full Pell Grant only for students who will earn their first bachelor's degree.
- The addition of a Federal Work-Study offer.
- Reallocation of a portion of a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan offer to a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan offer based on calculated federal need and the student's grade level.
- An updated Student Aid Index (SAI) but no change to the federal aid offer(s). When this situation occurs, we will provide you with the option to pursue the appeal knowing that it will more than likely not change what has currently been offered as financial aid.
If we find that an appeal is not feasible, or an appeal would result in no change to your federal aid package, we suggest that you explore the option of accepting the Federal Direct Loan offer(s), have your parents consider a Federal Parent PLUS loan, explore private educational loan options, or set up a payment plan with Student Financial Services.
Questions?
If you have questions, or you require additional information or support, please contact our office by email (finaidappeal@uwyo.edu), phone (307-766-2116), or in person (Knight Hall, Rm 174).
Prior Year Forms
