Professional Judgment

Considering Unusual Circumstances for Financial Aid Eligibility

The FAFSA application collects information and assumes that the student’s/parent’s financial strength stays about the same from year to year. When determining eligibility for federal aid, the FAFSA is the primary method of determining EFC, Expected Family Contribution.

For some students and/or parents, their financial situation changes significantly from one year to the next. De Anza College chooses to use an optional method of determining EFC based on Professional Judgment in some cases. Some unusual circumstances that may lessen the financial strength of a student or family are:

• Loss of a job
• Reduction of work hours
• Loss of benefits
• Death of a parent

After the start of the Fall Quarter, De Anza College offers students/parents the option of providing additional information to re-evaluate their eligibility for financial aid under Professional Judgment. During October, students are invited to go through this process after being coded during the review process and subsequently being screened by the financial aid office for satisfactory academic progress, enrollment, and other factors.

During the Winter and Spring Quarters, students may go through this process by providing a copy of their most current tax returns, normally starting in February after W2s are received by the student/parent.