Special Situations

DEPENDENCY OVERRIDE:

Any one of the following will result in a student being considered independent for federal student aid programs:

• born before 01/01/1985 (for the 2008-2009 aid year)
• a ward of the court
• both parents deceased
• a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• legal dependents (other than a spouse) for which they provide ½ of support
• married at the time of filing
• or a graduate or professional student

Students who do not meet the criteria of an Independent Student may ask for a dependency override. The US Dept of Education feels that students under 24 years of age should be assisted by their parents in educational expenses. You cannot live with your parents and request a dependency override. The unwillingness of the family to pay or provide information is NOT a valid reason for requesting a dependency override. In ALL cases independence must have occurred out of necessity rather than choice. Examples of such situations are abandonment, parental drug abuse, parental mental incapacity, physical or emotional abuse, parental incarceration or severe estrangement. A Financial Aid Committee will review your documents and notify you by letter of the decision. You will be asked to provide the following:

• a letter, on letterhead, from clergy, social worker, or a counselor indicating why there is an estrangement from parents
• an letter of explanation of the situation from the student and others familiar with the family circumstances
• income information including:
• Tax returns or Non-Filer Statement
• Verification Worksheet or other pertinent income information
• the Dependency Override Form

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SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

If a family's financial circumstances have changed from the base year financial information on the FAFSA; they should contact the Financial Aid Office.  Special Circumstances may include:

• A 30% reduction in income due to changes in employment from last year to this year
• Excessive medical/dental expenses not covered by insurance
• Change in marital status due to divorce or separation
• Death of a primary wage earner
• Unusual debts (other than discretionary purchases)
• Private school tuition expenses for elementary or secondary education

You may be asked to provide:

• Base year income information, layoff or temination notices, projected income information for the current year, Verification Worksheet and other income information in support of your request
• Copies of medical bills and evidence that payment arrangements have been made
• Copies of divorce decrees, W-2's or other income information as required
• Death certificate of primary wage earner and W-2's or other income information as required
• The Special Circumstances Form

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TAKING CLASSES AT ANOTHER SCHOOL (CONSORTIUM)

WV State ( the home school) students may choose to take classes at another institution ( the host school) while also attending WV State. You must request approval to take credit as a transient student from the Office of Registration and Records at WVSU/WVSCTC. If your request is approved, you will receive a letter of approval to earn credits as a transient student. The Financial Aid Office at WVSU/WVSCTC (the home school) must have a copy of the transient approval letter in order to request a consortium agreement from the host school ( the institution from which you will take classes). The host school must confirm your enrollment before you can receive your financial aid from WVSU/WVSCTC. The student will be responsible for making certain that the host school is paid.

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TAKING CLASSES AT ANOTHER SCHOOL (COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS)

Both WVSU and WVSCTC have some joint programs with other post secondary schools. Students in these cooperative programs qualify for financial aid but, may only receive aid from one school. In most cases, The Office of Student Financial Assistance at WVSU/WVSCTC will process aid for students enrolled in cooperative programs. Students taking classes at another school must notify our office. We will determine which school processes financial aid. If WVSU/WVSCTC processes financial aid, we will need verification of enrollment at the other school. The student will be responsible for making certain that the other school is paid.