Special Conditions
The Financial Aid Office understands that students and/or families sometimes experience unforeseen circumstances or expenses during an academic year and their FAFSA may not reflect these changes. This page is designed to help address your need for special consideration of federal financial aid eligibility. Please review the steps below to see if a 'Special Conditions’ review is right for you.
Notes:
- For the 2023-24 academic year, we may consider financial circumstances that occurred in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Other non-financial circumstances that occur in 2024, as part of the 2023-2024 academic year, may also be considered.
- We encourage students who may be eligible for a Special Conditions review to submit documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The deadline to submit documentation is typically 2 weeks-1 month prior to the start of the semester and/or academic year while the student anticipates attending.
Step 1: Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Complete and submit the FAFSA for the applicable academic year that you are requesting a review.
- Apply online at the Federal Student Aid website .
- Be sure to report the income information for the year that FAFSA specifically requests (i.e, the 2023-2024 FAFSA requires 2021 tax/income information).
Step 2: Review your Account for Outstanding Requirements
After submitting the FAFSA, some applications are selected for review by the Department of Education in a process called 'Verification,' or may have 'flags' that need attention prior to the Special Conditions review.
- If your FAFSA has unresolved flags, such as unconfirmed citizenship status for example, this must be resolved.
- To view outstanding financial aid requirements, log in to your MyMV and click on Financial Aid > Notifications.
Step 3: : Complete a Special Conditions Form & Gather Documentation
Before a final determination can be made, students must submit the Special Condition along with required supporting documentation that corresponds with the condition selected. Conditions are outlined on the Special Condition form.
Step 4: Document Submission
Students may submit the signed Special Condition form and all supporting documentation to the Financial Aid Office at one or more of the following:
Mail: 1101 Sherman Dr., Utica, NY 13501
Email: finaid@mvcc.edu
Fax: 315-731-5852
- After submission, check your email and be on the lookout for emails from the Financial
Aid Office requesting additional documentation.
Supporting documentation may include signed copies of tax returns, W2 forms, proof of unemployment, death certificates, rollovers and/or other information.
Most Common Special and Unusual Circumstance Questions
Unfortunately, no. Each submission is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and the outcome will be dependent on the information provided and federal regulations. The result of the review may include additional financial options, including grants and/or loans, or no changes at all to the student's current eligibility.
The types of aid will vary by student and their eligibility. The review could result in a change to a student's calculated FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC)/Student Aid Index (SAI), which may provide additional Federal Pell Grant assistance or increase a student's Federal Subsidized Loan eligibility.
Certain cases may also impact NYS financial aid eligibility that is administered by the Higher Education Service Corporation (HESC). Certain cases that may be considered and are reviewed by HESC include changes to a family's financial situation (total and permanent disability, divorce or legal separation or death) that occurred during or after the required tax year reported on the student's application. Students should upload supporting documentation and monitor the progress of their review within their HESC account .
It depends on the timing of the situation and what academic year you are attending/planning to attend. Financial changes that occur in the first half of the current year are more likely to impact a student's aid eligibility as compared to a change that occurred late in the year.
No. Your FAFSA should be submitted with the information that was originally requested by FAFSA. A financial aid administrator has the authority to resubmit your FAFSA based on federal guidelines that follow the Special Conditions review.
If your family has experienced a change in income due to unusual, special circumstances, MVCC's Financial Aid Office can re-evaluate your situation for the following reasons:
- Loss of job or permanent/indefinite reduction of work hours
- Separation or divorce
- Personal bankruptcy
- Death of a member of your immediate family
- Reduction/loss of child support
- High non-reimbursed medical expense payments
- Your parents took money out of their pension/retirement plan as a one-time payment to help cover expenses
- Other documented special circumstances outside of the student’s control
Students who already have a zero or negative EFC/SAI (as calculated based on the information on their FAFSA) are not eligible for additional Pell grant funding due to already having eligibility for the maximum Pell award. The Special Condition form is not necessary.
If, at the end of the Special Conditions review, it is determined that the student will receive a new Pell grant award, an increase to their current Pell award and/or other financial aid grant funding, the NYS Excelsior Scholarship will decrease or reduce to $0, based on the amount of the change in the student's aid. This is based on the regulations from the NYS Higher Education Service Corporation that require schools to adjust the NYS Excelsior Scholarship based on other tuition grants and/or scholarships.