Financial Aid Appeals

General Appeal (GAP)

Students have the right to appeal any financial aid decision previously reviewed by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). All students have the right to an initial formal appeal as well as a final appeal. All appeals must be in writing and are reviewed by the OSFA Appeal Committee. Note, this form is not for scholarship appeals.

General Appeal Download

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Reasons for Submitting a General Appeal

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Appeals are considered independently according to the circumstances of that request. Common examples of situations giving rise to a request for appeal include, but are not limited to:

**Student’s own medical or physical illness or injury or disability –see process below
Personal Reasons
Family, including death of a family member
Other extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student’s control

Requirements for Funding Appeals

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If the reasons for submitting the funding appeal are other than the student’s own mental or physical illness or injury or disability:
Students appealing based on circumstances other than their own mental or physical illness or injury or disability must:

Attach a personal statement explaining the circumstances of the request, which should be no longer than one page in length;
Attach supporting documentation (e.g., letter from religious leader related to religious missions, letter of acceptance into non-UA-study abroad program, call to active duty, letter from attorney or other individual confirming circumstances beyond the student’s control, etc.).
Complete the General Appeal form in its entirety

If the reasons for submitting the funding appeal relate to the student’s own mental or physical illness or injury or disability:
**Students submitting the funding appeal based on their own mental or physical illness or injury or disability must complete the General Appeal form in its entirety, include a basic personal statement and:

Obtain a letter from a licensed health care provider, on the health care provider's letterhead, which contains the following information:

The approximate date of onset of the mental or physical illness or injury or disability giving rise to the circumstances surrounding the appeal, and the dates through which such condition is reasonably expected to continue;
The general nature of the mental or physical illness or injury or disability that gave rise to the request for the appeal
The date on which the student anticipates being able to resume their studies.

Provide your licensed health care professional's letter to Campus Health Service to the attention of:

Dr. Michael McDermott
P.O. Box 210095
Tucson, AZ 85721
FAX: 520-621-8412

Campus Health Service will review the letter and, if it meets the conditions for appeal based upon the student’s own mental or physical illness or injury or disability, it will issue a Verification of Health-Related Reasons for OSFA form. The Verification form will include the dates of onset of the condition and the dates through which such condition continued, but will not include information related to the nature of the condition.

The student must attach the Verification of Health-Related Reasons for OSFA to the student’s General Appeal form and return it along with a personal signed statement to OSFA.

Important: The University reserves the right to modify this process at any time. Submission of a General Appeal does not guarantee approval. Incomplete or missing documentation will delay the appeal process. Any changes to financial aid awards will be contingent on the types of funds available, eligibility policies, and regulations. After initial review, additional documentation may be required. Appeal review may result in required application corrections. Students waiting for an appeal decision should be fully prepared to assume responsibility for all course enrollment and account balance payment, regardless of the appeal decision.

Family Contribution Appeal (FC)

A student’s Expected Family Contribution (FC) is an index used to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to receive. A student’s EFC is calculated using all the information you reported on your FAFSA, including the household taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment or Social Security), family size and the number of family members who are attending college during the academic year.

Reasons for requesting a Family Contribution Appeal

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If a student’s or household’s financial situation has changed since filing the FAFSA due to special circumstances, a student may request to submit a Family Contribution Appeal. The following financial situations are examples of special circumstances that can be considered:

Loss of employment
Reduction in earnings
Paid medical costs not covered by insurance
Death of a parent

Supporting documentation must be submitted with each appeal in order to verify the change in circumstances.

The following are not considered special circumstances:

Pending reduction in income due to fluctuating commissions or consumer debt
Refusal of a parent to provide financial support to the student

To begin the process of submitting a Family Contribution Appeal, please contact OSFA to request an appeal.

Note: If you already have an EFC of zero (0), you are not eligible to complete this form.

Cost of Attendance Appeal (COA)

The Cost of Attendance (COA) represents the average expenses paid by University of Arizona students in various student circumstances. The COA helps determine your financial aid offer. Go here to learn more about the COA and how it impacts your financial aid offered.

Understanding your COA

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If you are attending classes on at least a half time status (Undergraduates = 6 units, Graduate/Professional = 5 units), your COA is the estimate of

tuition and fees
cost of room and board (or living expenses for students who do not contract with the school for room and board)
cost of books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and miscellaneous expenses (including a reasonable amount for the documented cost of a personal computer)
loan fees (if borrowing)
iCourse fees

You can view the University of Arizona’s estimated COAs by selecting the appropriate link below:

Incoming Freshman and Transfer Students
Current Undergraduate Students
ArizonaOnline
New and Current Graduate and Professional Students

Reasons for requesting a COA Appeal

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OSFA may be able to increase your COA if you have allowable expenses that you are incurring during the academic year that are either not already included in your standard COA or are larger..

The following expenses are examples of special circumstances that can be considered:

Child Care / Dependent Care
Purchase of a computer
Rent or Food expenses that exceed the estimated COA

Supporting documentation must be submitted with each appeal in order to verify the paid expenses.

To begin the process of submitting a COA Appeal, please contact OSFA to request an online form.

Dependency Override Appeal (DO)

The Dependency Override Appeal is available for students who have unusual circumstances that may qualify them for independent status which could have an impact on a student’s financial aid eligibility. OSFA may be able to update your dependency status if you have qualifying special circumstances and documentation to support it. Examples of acceptable and unacceptable scenarios are listed below.

Qualifying Dependency Override Special Circumstances

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The conditions listed below, singly or in combination, do not qualify as unusual circumstances meriting a dependency override:

Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education.
Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification.
Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Qualifying Circumstances

Abandonment by parents
An abusive family environment that threatens the student's health or safety
The student being unable to locate their parents

In such cases a dependency override might be warranted. If you believe that you have other unusual circumstances that do not fall under the qualifying circumstances above, then you will be required to explain your special circumstances and provide the required documentation.

To begin the process of submitting a DO Appeal, please contact the OSFA to request an online form.

Appeal Dates and Deadlines

Appeal Type	2019-2020 Close Date	2020-2021 Open Date	2020-2021 Review Start	2020-2021 Close Date	Accepted Documentation
Family Contribution Appeal	April 1^st, 2020	March 20^th, 2020	April 13^th, 2020	April 1^st, 2021	Tax Return Transcripts, 1040 Tax Forms, Termination Letters, 1099R, Medical Bills, Death Certificate, etc. Documents can be from 12-months prior to the semester you are first enrolled within the 2020/2021 academic year, or within the current academic year.
Dependency Override	Student’s last day of enrollment	Dec 13^th, 2019	Dec 16^th, 2019	Student’s last day of enrollment	Letters or official documents from teachers, counselors, medical authority, government authority, etc.
Cost of Attendance	April 1^st, 2020	July 13^th, 2020	August 3^rd, 2020	April 1^st, 2021	Itemized Receipts, Bills, Lease/Mortgage Statements, etc. beginning May 2020. *Documentation must be in the student’s name.