Financial Aid Professional Judgement Appeal Process

Learn How the Professional Judgment Appeal Process for Federal Financial Aid Works

Lincoln Technical Institute strives to offer our families the best financial aid possible within federal, state, and school funding boundaries. However, we understand the FAFSA does not always capture the most accurate financial snapshot of your household and that certain circumstances may present your family with unique financial challenges. If your family has experienced a significant change of financial circumstances, you may be able to request a Professional Judgment to have your federal financial aid eligibility reevaluated. Requesting an appeal does not guarantee an adjustment can be made to the financial aid offer, and the review process will require our office to request additional documentation.

In unusual cases, an aid administrator can determine that a student who doesn’t meet any independence criteria should be considered independent. The Higher Education Act allows an aid administrator to make dependency overrides on a case-by-case basis for students with unusual circumstances. The administrator must document the reason(s) for that decision in the student’s file.

Appeals for 2023-2024 can be requested by calling or contacting your financial aid administrator.