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The information below outlines the appeal process if you have unusual circumstances, special circumstances, homeless determination, or parent refusal. SAP or TAP waivers follow different processes.
Note: Submission of an appeal does not guarantee approval.
Yes. The contents of your appeal are completely confidential and protected under federal and state laws. Only authorized staff can view or process your appeal.
The financial aid adviser will discuss your circumstances to determine the most appropriate appeal type for your situation. The adviser will review your circumstances and any supporting documentation you have available at the time of the appointment to make a preliminary determination. We recommend you have any supporting documentation available for the adviser to review during the initial appointment. While this is not required for the initial consultation, it will be necessary when you submit an appeal.
Generally, no. The law allows financial aid administrators to roll over your independent status based on your initially approved appeal unless there is conflicting information that suggests that the circumstances have changed.
You may need to submit documents to Brooklyn College if you are unable to obtain documented confirmation from the prior college. However, the process to obtain a documented confirmation is that you will complete an electronic form accessible to you through your CUNYfirst Student Center under the “Tasks and Holds” tile “To Do List” item related to the appeal process. When you complete the form, you must indicate the information of the adviser so that the form can be sent to that person. The adviser will need to sign off on the form indicating that he or she completed an unusual circumstance appeal. Once the Brooklyn College financial adviser has the documented confirmation, he or she can adjust your dependency status accordingly.
For unusual or special circumstances appeals, and for homeless youth determinations, the financial aid adviser will initiate a process that will allow you to submit documents electronically in the Student Forms platform. You will receive an e-mail with a link, and you will need to log in to complete the appeal form and upload supporting documents as needed for the adviser to make a final determination. You will also have a “To Do List” item posted to your CUNYfirst Tasks and Holds tile in your CUNYfirst student center.
For parental refusal appeals, you will receive a link to an additional dynamic form where you will be able to complete the appeal form and provide documentation as needed for the adviser to make a final determination. Note: The parent refusal appeal allows a dependent student to borrow an unsubsidized loan only.
A student appealing for unusual, special, or extenuating circumstances, or for homeless youth determination or parent refusal, can make the process smoother by:
Your appeal is estimated to take up to six weeks to be processed from when you submit all your required documentation. If you appeal for unusual circumstances or a homeless youth determination, we are required to make a final determination as soon as practicable and within 60 days of your enrollment. Therefore, if you start the appeal process but do not submit the documents within 60 days of your enrollment or by the deadline for the term or academic year (whichever comes first), your appeal risks being denied due to insufficient documentation.
If the documentation you provide is outdated, unclear, unsigned where applicable, does not meet the criteria indicated on the appeal form, has conflicting information, or does not fully support the reason for the appeal, the adviser may request that you clarify this information or provide more recently dated or corrected or additional documentation to complete the appeal process. In these situations, you will be notified by e-mail that additional documentation is needed or that something is incomplete. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to ensure that all documents you submit are clear, signed where appropriate, and complete.
The federal government has established guidelines for colleges when it comes to the time when an appeal can be processed. Appeals must be completed while you are enrolled and before the end of the semester or academic year. For example, if you are enrolled in the fall, you cannot appeal in the spring unless you have enrolled in the spring as well. To meet processing timeframes, typically the last day to submit an appeal is about six weeks before the end of a semester.
To comply with federal guidelines, appeals cannot be received after the deadline. If you started the process but did not finish submitting all documents necessary for the appeal, the appeal risks denial on the basis of insufficient documentation. If your appeal is denied for this reason and you enroll again within the academic year, you can submit a new appeal request. If the academic year is over or you are no longer enrolled, then the appeal option would not be available.
You will receive an e-mail that the appeal process has been completed and the outcome of the appeal. You must monitor your personal and Brooklyn College e-mail for any correspondences related to your appeal. If additional documentation is needed and you do not provide it, your appeal cannot be processed and is at risk of denial. If the deadline for the appeal passes and your submission is incomplete, your appeal will be denied due to insufficient documentation.
If your appeal is approved, the Office of Financial Aid will make the necessary FAFSA corrections or cost of attendance adjustment to reflect the changes to the FAFSA or CUNYfirst record. If the adjustment results in a change to your financial aid package, the package will be adjusted accordingly.
You will be notified by e-mail if your appeal was denied. You can meet with a financial aid adviser to discuss why the appeal was denied as well as other financial aid options.
