Professional Judgment (Policy FA-17)

Policy:

In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), a financial aid administrator (i.e., the
Director of Financial Aid and/or Financial Aid Counselors) may exercise professional judgment to adjust
data on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is used to calculate the student’s
eligibility for financial aid. Professional judgment is considered only on a case-by-case basis when the
student can demonstrate the existence of a special circumstance.
The Financial Aid Director and/or Financial Aid Counselors must complete the verification process on the
student’s FAFSA prior to exercising professional judgment, regardless of whether the application was
selected for verification by the Central Processing System (CPS) or by the institution.

Procedure:

The student must submit a written request for professional judgment/special circumstance review to his
or her Financial Aid Counselor.

All the Clarkson College Financial Aid Counselors will review the student’s request, which will either be
approved or denied. Within five (5) business days, the student’s Financial Aid Counselor will notify the
student in writing of the decision. The student will also be notified of the appeals process at that time.

The student may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid if the request is denied. The financial aid
professional judgment/special circumstance appeal process does not fall under the College’s grievance
policy; therefore, in accordance with the HEA, the Director of Financial Aid’s decision is final.

Academic Policies and Procedures