Professional Judgment

Special circumstances that might reduce the SAI include but not limited to:

• Loss or reduction of income (unemployment, furlough, retirement, etc.).
• Divorce or separation since completing the FAFSA.
• Death of a parent or spouse since completing the FAFSA.
• Excessive medical/dental/vision expenses paid out of pocket and not covered by insurance. Expenses must exceed 11% of the Income Protection Allowance (IPA) that is already considered by the FAFSA.
• Receipt of one-time income that is not available for education expenses (accident or insurance settlements, moving allowance, debt forgiveness reported as income on the tax return, etc.). 

Special circumstances that might increase the COA include but not limited to:

• Costs associated with a student’s disability
• Childcare expenses for a dependent child of student
• One-time purchase of a computer for educational use

Circumstances that will not be considered:

• Flight costs incurred at another school
• Off-Campus living expenses above the standard allowance 
• Car payments (auto loans or leases)
• Credit card debt
• Mortgage payments
• Lawn care and Home Owner Association (HOA) payments
• Children allowances
• Tithing expenses
• Vacation, wedding, or other special occasion expenses
• All other discretionary expenses

If you have special circumstances not listed above, contact the Financial Aid Office to assess your situation and determine if it warrants a Professional Judgment.

How to submit a Special Circumstances Request:

• Students must have a FAFSA on file at Embry-Riddle and complete verification (if selected) prior to submitting a Professional Judgment eForm. Please see your To Do List on ERNIE, under Tools, click Campus Solutions, then Tasks.
• Submit the Professional Judgment eForm and upload a signed statement and supporting documentation. All special circumstances must be supported by documentation.
• Your university email account will be used to communication with you during this process so check it frequently and respond to all requests promptly.
• Find additional information on the Prescott Financial Aid ERNIE Department page.

Unusual circumstances include but are not limited to:

• Abuse or neglect (i.e., family environment threatens the student’s health and safety)
• Parental abandonment or estrangement (i.e., unable locate parents) 
• Parent incarceration (i.e., in jail or prison)
• Parent institutionalization (i.e., confined to a hospital) 
• Student is a victim of human trafficking as determined by HHS
• Student has been granted asylum or refugee status by DHS

Unusual circumstances do not include:

• Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.
• Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
• A student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
• Parents are residing in another country.

If you have unusual circumstances not listed above, contact the Financial Aid Office to assess your situation and determine if it warrants a dependency override.

How to submit an Unusual Circumstances Request:

• Students must have a FAFSA on file at Embry-Riddle and complete verification (if selected) prior to submitting an Unusual Circumstances eForm. Please see your To Do List on ERNIE, under Tools, click Campus Solutions, then Tasks.
• Submit the Unusual Circumstances eForm and upload a signed statement and supporting documentation.
• Documentation is critical. Embry-Riddle must ensure that the supporting documentation adequately collaborates your unusual circumstances. This request will not be approved without supporting documentation. 
• Your university email account will be used to communicate with you during this process so check it frequently and respond to all requests promptly.
• Find additional information on the Prescott Financial Aid ERNIE department page.

Dependent students whose parents refuse to support them are not eligible for a dependency override for unusual circumstances. However, they may be able to receive a dependent-level Direct Unsubsidized Loan only. For a student to be eligible for this provision, the following must be documented: 

• The student’s parents refuse to complete the FAFSA; or 
• The student’s parents do not and will not provide any financial support to the student (include the date support ended). 

If the parents refuse to sign and date a statement to this effect, the student must get documentation from a third-party (the student is not sufficient), such as a teacher, counselor, cleric, or court.

This request will ONLY provide students with the opportunity to borrow a Direct Unsubsidized Loan based on the annual dependent undergraduate student loan limits below.

Approval of this request will not result in consideration for any federal grants, state grants, need-based scholarships, Federal Work-Study (FWS), or Direct Subsidized Loans. Evaluation and processing may take 4 to 6 weeks.

How to request an unsubsidized loan due to parent nondisclosure:

1. Submit the FAFSA and indicate you are applying for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan Only (see FAFSA question 8). Allow a week for the FAFSA to process and be sent to Embry-Riddle.
2. Check your university email and your To Do List on ERNIE for updates. Your university email account will be used to communicate with you during this process so check it frequently and respond to all requests promptly.
3. Complete the Unsub Loan Request due to Parent Nondisclosure eForm and upload a signed and dated letter from your parents stating:
   1. They have stopped providing financial support to you, the date the financial support ended, and they will not provide you with financial support in the future. Or,
   2. They refuse to complete the parent section of your FAFSA.

If you indicated on the FAFSA that you are seeking an FAA determination of being an unaccompanied homeless youth or an unaccompanied youth at risk of homelessness, you will be asked several questions to demonstrate how you meet the McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless. You can also upload documentation from one of the authorized entities. 

McKinney-Vento Act’s definition of homeless

1. Can you go to the same place (fixed) every night (regular) to sleep in a safe and sufficient space (adequate)?  
2. You are an unaccompanied youth; meaning you are not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian. 

Housing Status Definitions

• Fixed - stationary, permanent and not subject to change.
• Regular - used on a predictable, routine or consistent basis.
• Adequate - sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in the home.

Homeless Youth Definitions

• At risk of being homeless - when a student’s housing may cease to be fixed, regular and adequate. For example, a student who is being evicted and has been unable to find fixed, regular and adequate housing.
• Homeless - lacking fixed, regular and adequate housing.
• Self-supporting - when a student pays for their own living expenses, including fixed, regular and adequate housing.
• Unaccompanied - when a student is not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.

Examples of Homelessness Scenarios

A student is considered homeless if they lack fixed, regular and adequate housing. It includes but is not limited to:

• Youth sharing housing with other people temporarily because they had nowhere else to go (i.e., couch surfing).
• Youth living in emergency or transitional shelters. For example, trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after disasters.
• Youth living in motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, substandard housing, or any public or private place not designed for humans to live in.
• Youth living in the school dormitory if they would otherwise be homeless.
• Youth who are migrants and who qualify as experiencing homelessness because they are living in the circumstances described above.

Acceptable Supporting Documentation

Embry Riddle shall consider documentation from the following entities — provided through a documented phone call, written statement, or verifiable electronic data match — to be adequate:

• A local educational agency homeless liaison (or designee), as designated by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)).
• The director (or designee) of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center or other program serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness.
• The director (or designee) of a Federal TRIO program or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate program (GEAR UP) grant.
• A financial aid administrator at another institution documented the student’s circumstance in the same or a prior award year.
• A written statement from, or a documented interview with, the student confirming they are unaccompanied homeless youth.

Financial aid staff will make determinations on a case-by-case basis.

Professional Judgments may take up to 4-6 weeks to evaluate and process. 

To avoid processing delays, carefully review the information that is required and upload adequate supporting documentation. 

Students must also have a current FAFSA on file at Embry-Riddle and complete verification (if selected) prior to submitting any Professional Judgment (PJ) request. Please see your To Do List on ERNIE, under Tools, click Campus Solutions, then Tasks.

Please note: Upon review, you (the student and/or parent) will be contacted via email advising that the request has been received and reviewed. If additional documentation is required, the email will include a comprehensive list of required documentation needed to complete the professional judgment.