Special Circumstances and Appeals

Overview

Special circumstances refer to any changes in your finances, enrollment plans, or living situation that may affect your cost of attendance or expected contribution. Students may submit information about these circumstances and/or submit an appeal to have their financial aid eligibility adjusted.

How to Appeal

Submit your request, along with copies of appropriate supporting documentation as indicated in the charts below, through the Required Info and Forms page of your Financial Aid Summary and Tasks (FAST) account. Make sure your USC ID number appears on each supporting document. You will be contacted if additional documentation is needed. Track your status on Financial Aid Summary and Tasks (FAST) and respond promptly to any requests for additional documents.


Appeal Funding

Re-evaluation of your financial aid eligibility is subject to federal, state and university
regulations, and is based on:

  • Availability of funds;
  • Timeliness of your original application for financial aid; and
  • Timeliness of your appeal and the nature of the change in circumstances.

Notification: We will notify you of our decision or if we require additional information.

Change in Income or Resources

Families occasionally experience changes in income such and/or resources (due to job loss, illness, etc.) during the application period and/or academic year. If this happens to you, notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.

Submit a request with the required documentation indicated below. Examples of changes we can consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

Type of Change Documentation Decrease in parent’s earnings: Parent has had a significant decrease in total family income (at least 20 percent) due to 10 weeks or more of involuntary unemployment, forced retirement, or other non-elective loss of earned income.

  • Letter of termination /reduction.
  • Parent Expected Income Declaration Form.
  • Copy of last pay stub (include both parents, if married.
  • Documentation of severance pay, vacation pay, retirement benefits, unemployment and/or disability benefits.
  • A complete copy of the parent’s most recent federal income tax return, if not previously submitted.

Decrease in student’s earnings: Student’s income will decrease due to a reduction in employment to accommodate
full-time enrollment.

  • Income and Expense Form for Student.
  • Copy of last pay stub.
  • A copy of the student’s most recent federal income tax return, if not previously submitted.

Reduction of other sources: Parents have experienced a reduction in other income sources such as untaxed income, rental income, one-time capital gains, or a one-time
IRA/pension distribution, etc.

  • Income & Expense Form for Parent.
  • Documentation of income reduction.
  • Schedule D or Form 8949 for stock sales.
  • Documentation of use of one-time income.
  • A complete copy of the parent’s most recent federal income tax return, if not previously submitted.

Extraordinary expenses: Examples of expenses we will consider in determining your parents’ expected contribution are: elder care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, private elementary or secondary tuition for younger siblings and child support payments. Expenses we will NOT consider are (your or your parents’) consumer debt and car payments.

  • Income & Expense Form for Parent.
  • For medical expenses, a copy of Schedule A from the parent’s most recent federal income tax return, or an itemization and documentation of expenses paid out of pocket in the previous year.
  • For other expenses, an itemization and documentation of out-of-pocket expenses.

Dependency Status

Strict guidelines set by both the federal government and the university govern dependency status. Almost all undergraduates are considered dependent for the purposes of receiving financial aid.

Undergraduates who meet certain conditions may be considered independent for the purposes of receiving federal and state aid (such as the Cal Grant, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans). For complete details, please review the application instructions for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).


To be considered independent, you must meet one of the following conditions:

  • You are at least 26 years of age by December 31 of the academic year you are
    admitted to USC.
  • At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you are
    married.
  • At the time you complete your FAFSA, and at the time of entry to USC, you have
    children who will receive more than half of their support from you during the
    award year and the summer preceding the award year.
  • You are an orphan or ward/dependent of the court.
  • You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces with at least one year of full-time,
    active-duty service for purposes other than training.
  • You are an unaccompanied minor or youth who is homeless, or who is self-
    supporting and at risk of being homeless.

If you are required to submit parent information when you are admitted to USC, you will be required to submit parent information throughout your enrollment, regardless of your age, marital status, or other changes in circumstances (excluding the death of both parents). You may submit an appeal, however, if you feel that your situation would justify independent status. Appeals should explain your circumstances in detail and include supporting documentation.