Special Circumstances

A student’s financial aid package is created, in part, based on the results from the student’s FAFSA. However, sometimes changes may occur that cause those FAFSA results to no longer accurately reflect the financial situation of the student or their family.  In some limited cases, called Special Circumstances, we may be able to evaluate those changes and adjust both the student’s FAFSA and their financial aid package.  Examples of changes that may be considered Special Circumstances include: 

Changes for Parents

  • The student’s parent has retired or lost employment.
  • The student’s parent who previously earned money has been unable to so in the usual way because of a disability or natural disaster.
  • The student’s parent previously received a form of untaxed income, but receipt of that income has been reduced or terminated.
  • The student’s parents have become separated or divorced since the filing of the student’s FAFSA.
  • The student’s parent has died since the filing of the student’s FAFSA.

Changes for Students

  • The student or student’s spouse has retired or lost employment.
  • The student or student’s spouse who previously earned money has been unable to so in the usual way because of a disability or natural disaster.
  • The student or student’s spouse previously received a form of untaxed income, but receipt of that income has been reduced or terminated.
  • The student has become separated or divorced from their spouse since the filing of the student’s FAFSA.
  • The student’s spouse has died since the filing of the student’s FAFSA.

To have their Special Circumstances evaluated, a student must first:

  1. Complete their FAFSA and have the results sent to Michigan Tech.
  2. Have their financial aid package created based on those FAFSA results. A student’s financial aid package can only be created if Michigan Tech has received their completed FAFSA.
  3. Send an email to finaid@mtu.edu describing their Special Circumstances and indicating how their situation fits into one of the categories listed above. The subject line of the email should be “Special Circumstances”.

The Special Circumstances Committee will review, on an ongoing basis, the Special Circumstances requests received for the upcoming school year. As part of that process, the Committee may request clarification or additional documentation from the student or their parent.  Once the Committee makes a decision, the student will be notified via their Michigan Tech email address.