Financial Aid Appeals

All students who receive Federal or Institutional Financial Aid (Title IV – for example: Pell, SEOG, Direct Loans, and/or scholarships) must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to the CUNY SAP policy. Meeting SAP standards is required to maintain financial aid eligibility. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of future eligibility for federal Student Aid. Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated annually at the end of the Spring semester.

SAP Appeal Submission on Student Forms
Students who fail to meet SAP requirements have the right to appeal to reinstate their federal aid. An appeal provides an opportunity for a student to demonstrate their failure to meet the GPA and/or credit requirements was due to extenuating circumstances. Example for such circumstances include but are not limited to medical reasons, death of an immediate family member, change in employment, or a significant trauma in a student’s life. To file a SAP Appeal, you must submit the following information:

• Academic Success Plan (signed by academic advisor)
• SAP Appeal Statement
• Supporting Documentation

Students who filed a FAFSA application for 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 must submit their appeal through Student Forms

First-Time Users:
If you are a first-time user of Student Forms, you will be required to complete the registration process:

• Go to cuny-slu.verifymyfafsa.com.
• Complete your two-step security confirmation by providing either your e-mail or phone number. Next, enter the code you received via your chosen method (email or SMS text).
• Confirm your personal identifying information exactly as you reported on your FAFSA.
• Once completed, you will have access to Student Forms.

Established Users:
If you have previously claimed your Student Forms account, go directly to Step 2.

Step 2- Complete Your SAP Appeal Tasks on Student Forms:

• Upload a copy of your Academic Success Plan developed with your academic advisor.

Note: Failure to meet the conditions of your Academic Success Plan will result in the suspension of your federal student aid for the subsequent term. If you have any questions regarding your Academic Success Plan, please contact your Academic Advisor.

• Upload a signed personal statement explaining the following:
  • What has changed for you that will enable you to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements at the next evaluation.
  • The steps you will take to ensure you continue to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in the future.
• Upload supporting documentation:

You must provide supporting documentation to substantiate the circumstances listed in your signed personal statement. The supporting documentation must be related to the circumstances outlined in your personal statement. The documentation must also reflect the timeframe in which your academic performance was impacted due to your extenuating circumstances. Examples of supporting documentation include but are not limited to:

• Documentation of personal illness involving hospitalization or extended confinement.
• Copy of immediate family member’s death certificate.
• Documentation which shows that you were the primary caretaker of an ailing immediate family member requiring your absence from classes for an extended period.
• Documentation of an emotionally disabling condition that prevented you from completing your coursework.
• Statements from social workers, physicians, or other medical professionals.
• Documentation of military duty, involvement with agencies or government, incarceration, or similar reasons that prevented you from completing your coursework
• Documentation of financial hardship which result in increased hours worked for an extended period (paystubs, work schedule, or statement from employer)
• Evidence of any other extenuating circumstances not listed above (with supporting documentation)

Note: All SAP Appeal documentation must be submitted via the Student Forms website. Emails will not be accepted.

Students who didn’t file a FAFSA application for 2024-2025 must contact our office at financialaid@gc.cuny.edu for a paper copy of our appeal form. They will need to upload a completed copy of the appeal form, their Academic Success Plan (signed by academic advisor), their SAP Appeal Statement and any Supporting Documentation to our Student Drop Off Site.

Note: For security reasons, do not email documents containing Personally Identifiable Information (such as a social security number; name, date of birth, etc.) to our office.

You will receive an email notification confirming that you have successfully completed all the tasks required for your SAP appeal. Please allow 10-14 business days for your appeal to be reviewed. If additional information is needed to review your appeal, we will email you via your CUNY email address. Be sure to respond promptly to any request and upload newly requested information to avoid any delays in processing your appeal.

Note: Submission of a Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal does not guarantee approval. You are responsible for your tuition and fees charges regardless of the outcome of the SAP appeal.

Once the committee has received all required documentation, you will receive a final determination notification via your CUNY email. Failure to submit your SAP appeal by the deadline or to submit all the required documentation will result in your appeal being denied and you will not be eligible to receive federal student aid for the term in question.

Deadlines: The Spring 2024 semester, the appeals deadline is May 8, 2024. The Fall 2024 deadline is December 7, 2024. Be advised that all appeal reviews must be completed by the last day of the semester.  Since appeals have a 10-14 business day processing time, we strongly recommend students file their appeal as early in the semester as possible in case additional information needs to be requested.

Federal law allows financial aid administrators to use their discretionary authority to exercise professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust students’ dependency status on the FAFSA based on their documented circumstances.

The Unusual Circumstance appeal is applicable to undergraduate students only who are considered dependent students as per federal guidelines but are unable to provide parental information on the FAFSA. Such students must be experiencing a severe family situation that prevents them from obtaining the required parental information.

Examples of applicable circumstances warranting consideration for this appeal include:

• Parental abandonment or estrangement
• Physical or emotional abuse
• Parental substance abuse
• Parental incarceration
• Or another such situation beyond the student’s control

For an Unusual Circumstance appeal, the student must be able to document a complete breakdown of the relationship with both parents.

Examples of circumstances that are NOT applicable to this appeal:

• Student does not live with the parent(s)
• Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
• Parents are unwilling to provide their information on the FAFSA, documents required for Verification purpose, or parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.

If you have questions about qualifying for an Unusual Circumstance appeal, contact the Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid at financialaid@gc.cuny.edu.

In some instances, information previously reported on the FAFSA may no longer properly reflect the student’s and/or family’s ability to contribute toward the student’s education because there are significant changes in income for the student and/or parents (if dependent). Federal regulations allow financial aid administrators the authority to exercise professional judgment to adjust (on a case-by-case basis) certain FAFSA data elements to account for changes in income information after completing the FAFSA.

When completing the FAFSA, a student must report income information from two years prior (also called prior-prior year).  Students who were not previously qualified for a Federal Pell Grant or did not receive the maximum Pell Grant based on prior-prior income reported on the FAFSA may be eligible for additional funds based on an approved Special Circumstance appeal.

The Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid will review the supporting documentation that addresses the change in income, assets, and other relevant documentation to determine if adjustments can be made to the data elements on the FAFSA to reflect the student and family’s current financial circumstances more accurately.

Possible circumstances for this appeal include but are not limited to:

• Reduction in income due to an involuntary change in employment or involuntary reduced wages/working hours from current employment
• A significant loss of income due to a period of unemployment
• Death of a wage-earner (parent, if dependent; spouse, if independent) after completing the FAFSA
• Student (if independent) or parent (if dependent) marital status has changed to divorced or separated after the FAFSA was filed
• Loss of untaxed income or benefit (from a public or private agency, or from a person because of a court order – example: child support)
• Loss of income due to disability or a natural disaster.

If you have questions about qualifying for a Special Circumstance appeal, contact the Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid at financialaid@gc.cuny.edu

Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of a student’s educational expenses for the period of enrollment. The COA also represents a student’s maximum financial aid eligibility for an academic year. A student’s COA budget is an estimation of both the student’s direct and indirect expenses while enrolled. The COA can vary and may change based on a student’s residency, enrollment status, and degree program.

Breakdown of the cost of attendance for the academic years 2024-2025 and 2023–2024

Cost of Attendance (COA) Appeal

Federal law allows financial aid administrators to use their discretionary authority to exercise professional judgment on a case-by-case basis to adjust students’ cost of attendance based on their documented cost for certain expenses.

Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid if they have an expense not listed in the cost of attendance, such as childcare or uninsured medical expense or would like an adjustment for a certain expense. The appeal allows students to request an increase in their COA by submitting an appeal and supporting documentation.

Examples include:

• Childcare
• Medical, Dental, and Optical
• Household utilities
• Additional required education costs

Students can begin the COA appeal process by emailing the Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid at finanicalaid@gc.cuny.edu