- Income reported on the FAFSA that you will not receive for reasons such as termination, change in employment, a reduction of hours, or decline in self-employment income
- Loss of income due to separation, divorce, or death of a parent or spouse after submitting the FAFSA
- Loss of benefits such as child support or spousal support
Changes to Your Family's Financial Situation
The Financial Aid Office understands that there are many changes happening in family finances and we are here to support you. We can perform a personal review of each family's individual circumstances as the basis of determining a student's financial aid eligibility. Additional financial assistance may be available and can be in the form of a grant, loan, or scholarship and is determined on a case-by-case basis.
That was then:
Your financial aid is based upon income from two years prior to the start of the academic year as reported on the FAFSA (i.e. The 2023/2024 FAFSA requires 2021 tax information).
This is now:
However, we recognize that family circumstances can change unexpectedly, affecting a family's ability to contribute toward educational expenses.
If your or your family’s financial situation has changed significantly from what is reflected on your federal income tax return, you may be eligible to have your financial aid adjusted.
Tell me more:
You can request that your financial aid eligibility be reviewed if your financial situation changes for reasons such as the following:
The following is not considered a change in circumstances:
- Matching financial aid eligibility from other universities or colleges
- Student or parent(s) who does not wish to borrow to cover educational expenses
- Parent(s) refusal to contribute to educational expenses
- Parent(s) payment of student loans for older siblings or their own loans
- Expenses such as credit card debt, mortgage payments, car payment, other personal debts, wedding expenses, vacations, sports, enrichment activities, etc.
To apply:
To be considered for a review of your financial aid eligibility, submit the Income Reduction Form:
- Submission of this form does not guarantee an adjustment or increase to your financial assistance.
- The school's decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.
- All Income Reduction requests must be submitted by April 1 of each academic year.
To submit:
- Upload to pennwest.studentforms.com
- If you are sending documents to us with Personally Identifiable Information (i.e., social security number, driver’s license or state ID number, Alien Registration Number, date of birth), we suggest that you redact/blacken out that information prior to sending.
The process:
- Requests will be reviewed in the order that they were received.
- Please allow approximately 10 to 14 business days for us to review your request. Additional processing time may be needed if more information is required. E-mails will be sent if additional documents are needed. Please check your e-mail frequently.
- Notification regarding the outcome of the review will be sent via e-mail upon its completion.
We assume everyone wants as much grant and scholarship money as possible. Your award reflects your “fair share” of the limited financial aid we have available.
PA Residents:
If you are an undergraduate student and a Pennsylvania resident, you can also submit a separate request for your PA State Grant. Their form is different than ours and should be sent directly to them. Please go to www.pheaa.org for the Reduced Income Form or call Pa State Grant at 800-692-7392.
Families can consider additional options to help with educational expenses such as: