When to petition financial aid office for income adjustment - before or after Common App submission?

I work in college admissions and can clarify the process. The chronology should be: 1. Submit your Common App applications without stressing about the financial details - be honest but don't elaborate on financial changes in the application itself 2. Submit your FAFSA/CSS Profile using 2023 tax information as required (after Dec 1st) 3. IMMEDIATELY after submitting your FAFSA/CSS, contact each school's financial aid office directly about your Special Circumstances or Professional Judgment Request 4. Each school will have their own forms for income adjustment - they're typically called "Change in Circumstances" or "Income Adjustment" forms Regarding Need-Blind vs. Need-Aware: If a school doesn't explicitly state they're need-blind, assume they're need-aware. However, this shouldn't change your application strategy. Just focus on presenting your strongest application.

I just went through this EXACT situation last year with my daughter. Our income dropped by 60% between 2023-2024. Here's what worked for us: - DON'T mention financial need in Common App if applying to need-aware schools (they do consider this in admissions despite what they claim) - DO submit FAFSA/CSS with 2023 tax info as required - IMMEDIATELY after FAFSA submission, email financial aid offices with a brief explanation of changed circumstances - Follow their specific protocols for special circumstances forms Every school handled it differently. Some were amazing and adjusted right away, others required extensive documentation including monthly bank statements, termination letters, unemployment benefit statements, etc. The most helpful thing was establishing direct communication with a specific financial aid officer at each school.

Actually, plenty of financial aid offices tell you NOT to wait until after submitting FAFSA!!! I learned this the hard way. You should actually reach out to financial aid offices BEFORE you even submit applications if you know your circumstances have changed drastically. They can advise you on their specific preferences. Each school has TOTALLY different policies about this!!! Some want to know early, others prefer you wait. Some allow you to note it in Common App additional info, others absolutely don't want that. You should check each school's financial aid website or just CALL THEM DIRECTLY to ask about their process for special circumstances/professional judgment review. Trust me, do this research now or you'll regret it later!!!

just fyi, the need blind vs need aware thing is kinda BS imo. schools can figure out your financial situation even without you explicitly stating it. your zip code, parents occupation, high school, etc all give it away. so dont stress too much about that part of the application. most schools that say theyre need blind r only truly need blind for really exceptional applicants anyway lol

I'm having the same problem right now trying to call financial aid offices at different colleges. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get someone on the phone - always busy signals or being put on hold forever. I tried for THREE DAYS to reach someone at my top choice school and kept getting disconnected. So frustrating when you're trying to get important info about deadlines for special circumstances forms!!!

One important thing I forgot to mention - make sure you understand the difference between the special circumstances process for FAFSA (through Federal Student Aid) versus individual colleges. You'll need to: 1. Submit initial FAFSA with 2023 tax data 2. Contact each individual college for THEIR special circumstances process 3. ALSO potentially request a professional judgment review from Federal Student Aid for your SAI score These are separate processes. Your SAI from FAFSA could remain the same even if individual colleges adjust their own internal calculations of your need.

i heard that the css profile is way more detailed than fafsa and asks for like every single thing about ur familys money situation. do all schools require it? seems like it would show the income drop anyway so why do we need all these special forms

Thanks everyone for the advice! I think I'll take a combined approach: 1. Contact financial aid offices at my top 3-4 schools to ask about their specific procedures 2. Be honest but brief about parent employment in Common App 3. Submit FAFSA/CSS with 2023 data when it opens 4. Follow up with each school's financial aid office immediately with formal special circumstances requests 5. Make sure to ask about both college-specific adjustments AND the federal SAI adjustment process I really appreciate all the different perspectives!

As a financial aid counselor, I want to emphasize something that hasn't been mentioned yet - timing matters A LOT for documentation. Start gathering your paperwork NOW, not later. You'll need: - Official termination/layoff letter from your dad's employer - Unemployment benefit award letter (if applicable) - Bank statements showing reduced income deposits - Any severance documentation - Updated tax projections for 2024 (even if estimated) Many families wait until they're asked for documentation and then scramble to get everything together. Having this ready before you even contact schools will speed up the entire process significantly. Also, some schools have earlier deadlines for special circumstances reviews than their regular financial aid deadlines, so don't assume you have until spring to handle this. One more tip: if your dad is actively job searching, keep records of that too (applications submitted, interviews, etc.) as some schools factor job search efforts into their professional judgment decisions.