Professional Judgment

Philosophy

Financing the cost of attending Ohio Wesleyan is the responsibility of the individual student and student’s family. Therefore, the student is expected to explore and pursue all available forms of assistance.

The Financial Aid Office seeks to bridge the gap between the cost of attendance and the resources available to the student. A Federal Methodology is used to determine a family’s eligibility for federal financial aid funds based on information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Financial Aid Office acknowledges that special circumstances may arise when the Federal Methodology does not accurately reflect a family’s true ability to contribute to the cost of education. Students who believe their circumstances warrant reconsideration of their eligibility may meet with a Financial Aid Officer to more fully explore their options.

The Financial Aid Officer may, upon receipt of adequate documentation, make adjustments to a student’s cost of attendance or data elements on the financial aid application to change the student’s eligibility for financial aid. The extent of additional help may be limited by the availability of funds.

Professional Judgment

Professional Judgment is the ability of a Financial Aid Officer to make adjustments on a case-by­-case basis to the cost of attendance, or to the values of the data items required to calculate the expected student and/or parent contribution. This process allows for the treatment of individual eligible applicants with documented special circumstances.

Special Circumstances

Special Circumstances shall be conditions that differentiate an individual student from a class of students rather than conditions that exist across a class of students. Special Circumstances are typically unplanned situations that may negatively impact a family’s expected ability to contribute toward a student’s education. Families may obtain the Special Circumstances Appeal here.