Special Circumstances & Professional Judgment

• Dependency Override: Cases of parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or incarceration.
• Income Loss/Changes: Loss of employment; changes to household income (either taxed, untaxed, reoccurring or one-time/lump sum income); divorce, separation, death of household income-earner, etc.
• Excessive Medical Expenses: Excessive out of pocket medical expenses that exceed 11% of the tax-filer’s adjusted gross income.
• Increases in Student’s Cost of Attendance: Extraordinary educational expenses incurred by student while attending Lenoir-Rhyne.

• Circumstances when the information on the FAFSA has already resulted in an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of zero.
• Loss of overtime or bonus income.
• Fluctuations in self-employment or business income.
• Costs and fees associated with bankruptcies, foreclosures or debt collections.
• Consumer debt such as credit cards, car payments, mortgages and other loans.
• Payments on back taxes owed to the IRS or state department of revenue.
• Lottery or gambling winnings or losses.

• Dependency Override Initial Request (first time submitted to the Office of Financial Aid): Cases of parental abuse, neglect, abandonment or incarceration.
• Dependency Override Circumstances that may be considered: Cases of parental abuse, neglect, abandonment or incarceration.
• Dependency Override Circumstances that may not be considered: Parent refusal to provide information on the FAFSA (students under the age of 24 are typically considered dependents and require parent information on the FAFSA); parent refusal to provide financial support; student being financially self-sufficient.
• Supporting Documentation Requests may include: Official court documents; three supporting letters of documentation from objective individuals with first-hand/direct knowledge of the situation (i.e., individuals who are not relatives or friends), etc.
• Dependency Override Renewal (approved by the Office of Financial Aid in previous academic years): Those students previously approved for a Dependency Override at Lenoir-Rhyne should reach out to the Office of Financial Aid for details around renewal process. The FAFSA for the upcoming academic year must be completed prior to submission of the renewal request.

Income Loss/Changes

• Income Loss/Changes Special Circumstances that may be considered: Loss of employment; changes to household income (either taxed, untaxed, reoccurring or one-time/lump sum income); divorce, separation, death of household income-earner, etc.
• Income Loss/Changes Special Circumstances that may not be considered: Credit card debt; car payments; mortgage payments; existing student (or parent) loan debt; other forms of consumer debt
• Supporting Documentation Requests may include: Federal Tax-Transcript/Returns; W-2s; final paystubs; official termination/separation letters; official divorce/separation agreement or death certificate.

Excessive Medical Expenses

• Excessive Medical Expense Special Circumstances that can be considered: Excessive out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed 11 percent of the tax-filer's adjusted gross income (AGI)
• Excessive Medical Expense Special Circumstances that cannot be considered: Medical expenses paid by insurance or others
• Supporting Documentation Requests may include: Only Explanation of Benefits statement (EOBs) from insurance providers detailing out of pocket medical expenses will be accepted

If none of the considerations listed above apply and you feel your situation warrants a professional judgment, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Students who are required to commute a significant distance for enrolled classes, related non-classwork, required experiential learning site or internships can submit a request to the Office of Financial Aid.

A student must provide documentation using a recognized mapping website of roundtrip mileage to and from Lenoir-Rhyne or similar documentation of such costs. A letter from the student’s advisor or supervisor is required with dates of travel and location if the request is related to non-classwork, required experiential learning site or an internship. Purchase of a vehicle, auto loan payments, insurance, license, registration and general car maintenance cannot and will not be considered.

Federal regulations permit the Office of Financial Aid to consider the cost to purchase a computer when calculating a student’s Cost of Attendance. Allowable expenses include the purchase cost of a computer, printer and other necessary software and supplies as long as the expenses are incurred no earlier than 100 days prior to the beginning of the academic year.

A maximum of $2,500 in computer expenses will be considered once per degree level. The equipment must be purchased in advance and appropriate documentation provided to the Office of Financial Aid before the increase in Cost of Attendance and eligibility for assistance can be considered.

In calculating a student’s Cost of Attendence, federal regulations permit the Office of Financial Aid to include an allowance based on expenses incurred for dependent care. The period of time for which the dependent care expenses are incurred must be directly related to the time needed for the student to pursue their education.

The dependent must have been included in the student’s number in household on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Students with disability-related expenses may contact the Office of Financial Aid to have such expenses considered. Disability-related expenses include, but are not limited to: Personal assistance, equipment and supplies.

The Office of Financial Aid may potentially include disability expenses in the Cost of Attendence that are not provided by other assisting agencies. The Office of Financial Aid may consult with the Office of Disability Services and/or other sources to confirm the average cost of such expenses. Documentation of actual expenses may be necessary.

Students residing on-campus may have the housing component of their Cost of Attendance adjusted to reflect actual charges.

Students residing off-campus who incur reasonable housing costs in excess of our estimates may be able to request an adjustment to see if a Cost of Attendence adjustment is possible. 

The Office of Financial Aid may also include the one-time cost of obtaining the first professional credential in a field that requires licensure or certification. This cost must be incurred during a period of enrollment even if the exam is scheduled to be taken after the semester has ended.

The cost of test preparation courses cannot be included in a student’s Cost of Attendence.

Federal regulations allow the Office of Financial Aid to take into consideration eligible study abroad costs for approved courses of study when determining financial aid eligibility. Charges that exceed the existing estimated budget will be considered.

Students who incur education-related expenses not listed above should contact the OFA directly for additional information.

Examples of items not eligible for Cost of Attendence increases:

• Auto purchase or payments
• Auto repairs and routine maintenance
• Credit card or other consumer debt payments
• Moving expenses and security deposits
• Costs incurred outside of the current academic year
• Costs incurred by a family member or other person, including a spouse or roommate's portion of rent, mortgage or daycare
• Child support and other such child care expenses (other than daycare)
• Legal fees, bail, traffic tickets, parking tickets or fines
• Veterinary costs, unless for a service animal