Appeal Process: Current and Returning Undergraduates
7/1/24 Update: We will begin reviewing submitted appeals for Returning students on 8/1/24
Appeal Process: 2024-2025 Overview
All of our financial aid awards for Arts & Sciences and Engineering students are based solely on financial need, as determined by our analysis of family financial resources.
Tufts has a process through which you can report a change in circumstances by submitting Appeal documents. If there has been a significant change in your family’s financial situation, or if you believe there are special circumstances or new information that should be considered, you can submit appeal documents for review.
- If 2023 parental income is at least 15% less than 2022 income, Tufts may consider an appeal based upon 2023 income. A more recent change in circumstances, such as a period of unemployment lasting six months or more, or medical expenses over 5% of total income, may also be considered.
- In cases of current year change of financial circumstances, an appeal may not be reviewed until the end of October, and any additional aid will be credited to your spring bill. Your family should plan to pay the fall semester balance in full when due in August.
- We are not able to consider appeals based on circumstances that include, but are not limited to: high consumer debt, personal expenses, monthly living expenses, and changes or expenses that have not yet occurred.
How to Submit an Appeal
These documents can be submitted as part of your 2024-2025 aid application in May along with the required IDOC submission, or to request reconsideration of your 2024-2025 aid decision after you receive the notification letter. We begin emailing financial aid decision letters to currently enrolled students at the end of June.
To initiate an appeal, please submit the following items to IDOC:
- A completed Appeal Form.
- A detailed explanation letter, and any supporting documents that would be helpful in clarifying the situation.
- A complete copy of the 2023 Parent Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2s, including all schedules, statements, and attachments, and if applicable, federal business returns.
Emailed forms and tax documents will not be accepted. After the Appeal Form, explanation letter, tax documents, and supporting documents have been received, they will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee.
If the Appeal documents are received in time, they may be considered during the awarding process. If they are received after the 2024-2025 financial aid decision notification has been sent to you, the review will begin on 8/1/24 if all documentation has been received, and a decision will be returned as soon as possible. Current year changes may not be reviewed until the end of October.
Federal Dependency Override Review
Tufts follows dependency status criteria set by The U.S. Department of Education sets the to determine a student’s dependency status for federal aid. However, some students may face challenging family circumstances and need to request that parental information not be used to determine federal aid eligibility. Students who are unable to complete the FAFSA with parental information can request a Dependency Override Review.
Dependency appeals are only reviewed for documented unusual circumstances (i.e., abuse, abandonment, etc.). The Higher Education Act allows an aid administrator to make dependency overrides on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances. Please note that none of the conditions listed below, singly or in combination, qualify as unusual circumstances or merit a dependency override:
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education.
- Parents are unwilling to provide information on the application or for verification.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
The following are examples of unusual circumstances that may be considered for a dependency override:
- Human Trafficking, as defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
- Legally granted refugee or asylum status
- An abusive family environment
- Abandonment and/or estrangement by parents
- Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents
- Parents cannot be located
How to Request a Federal Dependency Override Review
To initiate an appeal, please submit the following items:
- Answer the dependency questions in your 2024-2025 FAFSA to indicate there is a special circumstance preventing submission of parental information. Upon submission, the FAFSA will not calculate a Student Aid Index (SAI). If the dependency appeal is approved we will make updates to the FAFSA which will allow the calculation of the SAI.
- Submit the Federal Dependency Override Review Form.
Dependency Override and Institutional Aid
There may be situations where you are considered independent for federal aid but not for institutional aid. This means that while you may not have to submit parent information in the FAFSA, you will still need to provide parent information in the CSS Profile to be considered for Tufts grant aid.