Professional Judgment

Professional Judgment Information

At Southeastern Louisiana University, we understand that there are various circumstances that may impact a student their family’s financial situation which is not reflected in their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As a result of these circumstances, the Higher Education Act Section 479A (a) extends the latitude of institutions to exercise professional judgment to evaluate special circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Please see the information below regarding these special circumstances and contact your Financial Aid Counselor with any questions.

Main Categories of Special Circumstances

Situation Involving Loss of Employment/Business or Decrease in Salary/Wages (Including Natural Disaster/Pandemic Related Changes)
Separation/Divorce, Alimony, Child support
Disability/Social Security benefits
One-time payment received
High/unusual out-of-pocket (unreimbursed) medical and/or dental expenses that exceed 11% of the Family’s Adjusted Gross Income
Death of Parent or Spouse
- To be filed only if initial FAFSA data included deceased parent (or student’s spouse)
  in income or household

Computer Purchase
Child Care Expense
Housing Expense Exceeding the Standard Allotted in Student’s Cost of Attendance
Tuition Adjustments
Include Housing & Meals in COA for Less-than-half-time students

Students interested in a COA budget adjustment can contact their Financial Aid Counselor.

Abandonment by parents
An abusive family environment that threatens the student’s health or safety
The student’s inability to locate his/her parent

Submission and Processing Timeline

Submitting your Professional Judgment Request & Processing Timeline

Students can make their request for a Professional Judgment in Workday by doing the following:

In the search bar at the top of Workday, type “Create Request” and select the Create Request task
Choose the applicable request type: Either “Financial Aid Professional Judgment Request” (for changes in income) or “Financial Aid Request Provisional Independent Information Request (Dependency Override)”
Complete and attach all required documentation. Letters must have actual signatures (not typed)

Processing Timeline:

The estimated timeframe for review and processing of a special circumstance request is typically 2 to 3 weeks excluding peak periods
To avoid processing delays, please carefully review the information provided on the request and ensure that adequate and appropriate documentation and signatures are provided for each application type
Upon review, the student and/or parent will be contacted via Southeastern webmail advising that their application has been reviewed. If additional documentation is required, the email will include a comprehensive list of required documentation.

**Please also note that approved special circumstances do not guarantee that any additional aid will be awarded. **

Please note: Because of the nature of federal, state, and institutional guidelines affecting financial aid programs, the information contained in this website is subject to change.

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