Financial Literacy, Information & Forms

If you or your contributor(s) have experienced a significant decline in income, you may submit a Special Circumstances Appeal after you have received your initial financial aid award notification for the academic year.

Types of circumstances that can be considered for a Special Circumstances Appeal:

• Loss of employment
• Loss of government benefits or child support/alimony received
• Marital separation or divorce
• Death of a parent or spouse
• Extenuating Medical or Dental expenses

Unusual Circumstance

Occasionally, due to unusual circumstances, a student may be considered independent for financial aid purposes by meeting certain criteria. Please review the criteria below, noting any that apply to your situation.

• An abusive family environment
• Abandonment by parents
• Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents
• Human Trafficking
• Legally granted refugee or asylum status
• Were you in foster care or ward of the court or does someone have legal guardianship of you
• Were you an emancipated minor
• Did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth that was homeless or risk of being homeless

Benedictine University cannot consider appeals for dependency override based on the following circumstances.

• Your parent(s) feel they do not have the financial resources to assist with college costs (the FAFSA measures their ability to contribute).
• Your parent(s) stop claiming you as a tax exemption.
• Your parent(s) refuse to provide their information or give you support for your college education.
• Your parent(s) reside outside of the United States of America.

If the parents are unwilling to provide their financial information and the student does not have an unusual circumstance preventing them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information. The student is eligible to receive a dependent level Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan only.

U.S. Citizen Acceptable Documentation

• Copy of student’s birth certificate showing U.S. birthplace
• Copy of U.S. passport, current or expired, except limited passports (which are typically issued for short periods, such as a year, and which don’t receive as much scrutiny as a regular passport when applying)
• Copy of U.S. passport card
• Certificate of Citizenship, which is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to individuals who derive U.S. citizenship through a parent
• Certificate of Naturalization, which is issued by USCIS (or, prior to 1991, a federal or state court) or through administrative naturalization after December 1990 to those who are individually naturalized
• Certification of Birth Abroad, form FS-545, DS-1350 or FS-240, “Reported of Birth Abroad including an embossed seal indicating “United States of America” and “State Department”
• Unexpired Permanent Resident Card or Resident Alien Card (Form I-551)
• Foreign passport including a Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (MRIV). The MRIV must appear in the holder’s unexpired passport and must be endorsed with an admission stamp and the statement “Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year”
• I-94 Arrival-Departure Record, which must be stamped “Processed for I-551” with expiration date or “Temporary Form I-551 with appropriate information filled in
• U.S. Travel Document, containing the Reentry Permit, Form I-327 and the Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571)

Non-U.S. Citizens Qualify for Federal Student Aid

An eligible noncitizen is someone who qualifies for federal student aid, but is not a citizen of the United States. These students must meet some specific criteria. Eligible noncitizens complete the FAFSA just like citizens of the U.S.

To qualify as an eligible noncitizen, you must be a: permanent resident with a “green card,” also known as a Permanent Resident Card. Before you apply, make sure your status has not expired and renew if you need to.

See more information regarding Non-U.S. citizens.

U.S. Citizen Requirements – Request for Citizenship Documentation

Your Student Aid Report (SAR) may indicate you must submit proof of your citizenship status to the Office of Financial Aid. In order to expedite the processing of your financial aid, please forward a copy (front and back) of your citizenship documentation to the Office of Financial Aid. Prior to the disbursement of financial aid, you must present the original document to a financial aid counselor in person at your earliest convenience.