Professional Judgement
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Professional Judgement
Professional Judgement is a process a student can apply for when they feel the information reported on the FAFSA no longer accurately reflects their financial situation. If your financial circumstances have changed, there are situations where financial aid professionals can review and update your FAFSA to better reflect a student's situation. These changes may, or may not, impact your financial aid.
What is an SAI?
- SAI stands for Student Aid Index and is the number that helps determine the amount of financial aid a student is eligible to recieve. The Department of Education calculates the SAI from the information on a student's FAFSA. A student's SAI helps financial aid professionals determine how much financial need-based aid the student is eligible to receive. Financial aid that is based on financial need may include - but is not limited to - things like grants, Federal Work-Study, or subsidized loans.
Once your FAFSA form or FAFSA correction has been processed, you can get a copy of your SAR by
- logging in to studentaid.gov using your FSA ID and select the “View or Print your Student Aid Report (SAR)” option near the middle of the “My FAFSA” page or
- contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243; TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing 1-800-730-8913) and requesting a copy be sent to you via U.S. mail (allow 10-14 days for delivery).
My SAI is Zero, or a Negative Number
If your SAI is “0” or a negative number, you have already been offered the maximum amount of Federal and State aid.
My SAI is Greater than Zero
If your SAI is greater than “0” please read the information below about the conditions which do/do not qualify for a Professional Judgement. The process is a way for us to ensure you are receiving the maximum amount of aid possible based on the changes in your financial circumstances. If your SAI is greater than zero, and you have experienced these circumstances, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
The following conditions may be considered, but are not limited to:
- Loss or reduction of income
- Death of spouse or parent that was reported on the FAFSA (23/24)
- Excess medical or dental expenses paid out of pocket
- Parent reported on the FAFSA retired within the last 12 months
- Marital status change for parent or student
The following conditions may not be considered:
- Information on the FAFSA resulted in a 0 Student Aid Index (SAI)
- Loss of overtime or bonus
- Bankruptcy, foreclosures or collection costs associated with outstanding debts
- Consumer debt (credit cards, car payments, loans, etc.)
- Payments on back taxes owed to the IRS
- Lottery or gambling winnings or losses
- One-time income used for non-life essential items (e.g. family vacation)
- When an adjustment to the FAFSA will not produce a low enough SAI to become eligible
for additional subsidized loans, the Federal Pell Grant, or the state CAP and KTG
grant.
- Example: SAI is $50,000 and one of the parents lost their income for 6 months but the financial impact reduced their SAI to $30,000. This would not gain a student any additional financial aid.
The Professional Judgement Process
If the student qualifies to begin the Professional Judgement Process, they will be contacted and be asked to submit the following:
- Professional Judgement application
- A statement explaining the situation and their request for a Professional Judgement
- Sufficient supporting documentation of circumstances
Possible Outcomes from a Professional Judgement
- No change: The change in circumstances did not impact your Student Aid Index (SAI)
- Reduced SAI but no change in financial aid offer: The change in circumstances reduced the SAI but did not change it enough to impact your financial aid eligibility.
- Reduced SAI and adjustments made to federal loans: The change in circumstances reduced the SAI and qualified you for some subsidized loan funding to replace the equivalent unsubsidized loan funding.
- Reduced SAI and adjustments made to state and/or federal grants: The change in circumstances reduced the SAI and qualified you for additional state and/or federal grants.
- Reduced SAI and adjustments made to state and/or federal grants and federal loans: The change in circumstances reduced the SAI and qualified you for additional state and/or federal grants, as well as qualifying for some subsidized loan funding to replace the equivalent unsubsidized loan funding.
Contact Us
For additional questions regarding the Professional Judgement process, please contact our office.
Office of Financial Aid
Office Hours: 8:00-5:00 EST
Phone: 270-789-5013
Email: Finaid@campbellsville.edu