Special Circumstances and Appeals

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.

Submit the “Special Circumstances” form, 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) portal. 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.

Families occasionally experience changes in income 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 12 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 who have special circumstances and 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:

Elder care, out-of-pocket medical expenses, private elementary- or secondary-school tuition for younger siblings, and child support payments.

We will NOT consider (your or your parents’) consumer debt and car payments.

• “Income & Expense” form for parent.
• For medical expenses, an itemization and documentation of expenses paid out of pocket.
• For other expenses, an itemization and documentation of out-of-pocket expenses.

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, and 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.