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.