NYU fin aid for 0 efc

[sk8rmom]

<p>Calmom, I’m getting a bit tired of you misquoting me…this is what I actually said:</p>

<p>

Professional judgement is used on a case-by-case basis when the student/family requests consideration for a special circumstance, ie. when there is a job loss, high medical expenses, etc. PJ is intended to give FAO’s a wide latitude in determining whether an increase in financial aid is appropriate…but it is not carte blanche to rewrite fed aid rules! There is not request by steve for professional judgement and no basis for one either.</p>

<p>Has ANYONE here ever had or heard of an EFC being changed through professional judgement that was NOT the result of a request for consideration of special circumstances? I have never heard or read of that happening anywhere and would be very interested in knowing where that has been used and why.

</p>

<p>Your son’s FAFSA was adjusted because you failed to enter a value for your business at a time when FAFSA required that, correct? That was probably not professional judgement…that sounds like a required correction and they used an assumption as suggested in the ED guidelines at that time. It’s the same thing that schools do when there’s interest/dividend income and no assets reported, they simply use an imputed value.</p>

<p>In your daughter’s case, the adjustment made seems very sketchy and here’s why:</p>

<p>

The law doesn’t allow you to modify either the formula or the
tables used in the EFC calculation; you can only change the cost of
attendance or the values of specific data elements used in the
calculation. In addition, you can’t adjust data elements or the cost of
attendance solely because you believe the tables and formula are
generally not adequate or appropriate. The data elements that are
adjusted must relate to the student’s special circumstances. For example, if a family
member is ill, you might modify the AGI to allow for lower earnings in
the coming year or might adjust assets to indicate that family savings
will be spent on medical expenses.</p>

<p>Professional judgment can’t be used to waive general student
eligibility requirements or to circumvent the intent of the law or
regulations. For instance, you cannot use professional judgment to
change FSEOG selection criteria. Nor can you include postenrollment
activity expenses in the student’s COA.

</p>

<p><a href=“http://ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachments/0506AVGCh5.pdf[/url]”>http://ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachments/0506AVGCh5.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The data they changed related to income taxes that were never paid because, as you posted, you had no tax liability that year. Imo, she was essentially made pell-eligible fraudulently, although not through any wrongdoing on your part. If there was actually a legitimate reason for Barnard to adjust your income, based on Schedule A deductions, they could have and should have adjusted your AGI.</p>