Professional Judgment

Professional judgment is an opportunity for the parent, student, or National University to account for exceptions in certain areas that might allow more financial aid eligibility. The goal of professional judgment is to assess whether current circumstances preventing a student from receiving adequate financial assistance should be considered. To learn more about professional judgment, visit: https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/what-is-professional-judgment

Professional Judgement Criteria & Process

Institutions of higher education have the ability to assist students with unusual and special circumstances by adjusting their federal student aid eligibility to reflect their unique situation more accurately. These adjustments may include updating the student’s dependency status (this may also be known as dependency override) and the information the student must provide on their FAFSA form.

Professional Judgement requests will follow the process outlined below:

• Student requests a professional judgement for Unusual or Special circumstances.
• An advisor then explains to the student they will need to provide a statement explaining their request and outlining the Unusual or Special circumstance that warrants an adjustment to their COA or SAI.
  • Students should expect to provide supporting documentation to support their Unusual or Special circumstances.
• Once the student provides their statement and necessary documentation, the Professional Judgement request is submitted by an advisor for review.
• An Aid Administrator will then review the student’s statement and supporting documentation to determine if an adjustment is warranted.
  • If approved the students file will be updated to reflect that their Professional Judgement request was approved. The Professional Judgement request approval will need to indicate the unusual or special circumstance that warranted an adjustment.
  • If denied, the students’ file will still need to be updated to reflect their Professional Judgement request was denied and the reasoning for which the students request was denied.

Once a student has submitted their request and all required documentation, including their completed FAFSA form, the estimated timeline for a Professional Judgement review to be completed will vary on a case-by-case basis but will be reviewed by an aid administrator as soon as possible. It is important to note that extenuating circumstances may prolong the process, as aid administrators are sometimes faces with situations out of their control, such as but not limited to requiring additional documentation from the student or having to wait for a grade to post before they may complete their review process and reach a decision.

Documentation is critical throughout the Professional Judgement process. Schools must ensure that any supporting documentation they collect is adequate to substantiate the student’s circumstances. Documentation may include (but is not limited to) the following:

• A documented interview between the student and the financial aid administrator;
• Submission of a court order or official federal or state documentation that the student or student’s parents or legal guardians are incarcerated;
• A documented phone call or written statement, which confirms the unusual circumstances with:
  • A state, county or tribal welfare agency;
  • An independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood; or
  • A public or private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence.
• A documented phone call or written statement from an attorney, guardian ad litem, a court-appointed special advocate (or similar), or a representative of a TRIO or GEAR UP program which confirms the circumstances and the person’s relationship to the student;
• A documented determination of independence made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year; or
• Utility bills, health insurance, or other documents that demonstrate a separation from parents or legal guardians.

An Aid Administrator’s decision regarding adjustments is final and cannot be appealed.

For more information about requesting a professional judgement, please contact your advisor or the general advising email at [email protected].