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Change of Financial Circumstances

Temple University strives to offer our families the best financial aid offers possible within the boundaries of federal, state, and university funding. However, we understand the FAFSA does not always capture the most accurate financial snapshot of your household, and that certain circumstances may present your family with unique financial challenges. If your family has experienced a significant change of financial circumstances, you may be able to request a Family Contribution Appeal to have your federal financial aid eligibility reevaluated. Requesting an appeal does not guarantee an adjustment can be made to the financial aid offer, and the review process will require our office to request additional documentation. 

Appeals for 2023-2024 are now open. Students can access the request from the SFS Dashboard.

Steps for Initiating an Appeal
  • The student logs into temple.studentforms.com.
  • Click on the red "Manage Requests" button in the upper right hand corner.
  • Select the 2023-2024 Special Circumstances – EFC Calculation Appeal option.
  • Provide a brief description of the change. (ex: "Parent is unemployed," or "excessive medical expenses")
  • Complete and sign the embedded webform and submit all requested documentation.
Possible Circumstances for Appeal
  • Death of a principal wage earner reported on the FAFSA
  • Loss of full-time employment or income
  • Permanent reduction in full-time employment or a significant reduction in income 
  • Marital Separation after completing the FAFSA - Please refer to the Who is My Parent? guidelines when determining which parent's information must be reported on the FAFSA. 
  • Significant paid out-of-pocket medical expenses
  • Loss of child support payments
  • Lump sum or one-time payouts 
  • Other circumstances causing significant decrease in family resources since filing the 2021 taxes.
General Circumstances Not Considered for Appeal
  • Debts incurred due to outstanding tax liability, credit cards, mortgage(s), student loans, and/or parent PLUS loans
  • Utilities, household incidentals, and/or home improvement expenses
  • Reduction in income due to lack of commission or seasonal employment
  • Fluctuations in self-employment or business income 
  • Reduction in income due to lifestyle choice(s) 
  • Cost of college tuition and/or private elementary or high school tuition
  • Bankruptcy
  • Unemployment that ended prior to 2022
Possible Aid Outcomes

Family Contribution Appeals are only considered for additional federal Pell Grant, which carries a maximum award of $7,395 for 2023-2024. Students can also be considered for subsidized loan eligibility, which does not increase the overall aid offered to the student but changes the type of federal direct loan funding offered to the student. Federal Pell Grants are only offered to undergraduate students who filed the FAFSA and are working on their first Bachelor's degree. This appeal is only available to undergraduate students who are not already receiving the maximum federal Pell Grant. Please continue to consider all of your options for resolving your bill, as we cannot guarantee this appeal will result in enough aid to cover the student's expenses.

Appeals Must be Submitted to be Reviewed

The webform must be completed in full and signed by both a student and parent, or just the student if Independent, and all documentation must be submitted in order for the appeal to be reviewed. We cannot review appeals that have outstanding tasks. 

Appeals are reviewed in the order they are received, and processing times will vary based on the volume and complexity of appeals submitted. We cannot guarantee that appeals submitted after July 1 will be completed prior to the Fall billing due date.

Deadlines

The deadline to request a 2023-2024 Special Circumstances appeal is February 1, 2024.

Students have 30 days to submit documentation after requesting an appeal, 14 days to submit any requested documentation, and 30 days to submit verification documentation.