Policies

If your family experiences changes in their financial circumstances, let us know.

We recognize that families occasionally experience changes in income and/or resources during the application process and/or the academic year. A request for reconsideration should be submitted when a family can document a significant change in financial circumstances, or if they believe there are special circumstances that were not included or considered in their initial aid application. Although the following lists are not exhaustive, we hope you find them helpful.

Examples of Circumstances Considered:

• Recent unemployment of a family member or independent student, or other circumstance
• Non-recurring income or one-time payment that created an unusual increase in income for the base year
• Death of parent or student's spouse
• Loss of untaxed income (social security, pension, etc.)
• Unusual medical or dental bills not covered by insurance, co-insurance or FSA/HSA type cafeteria plans
• Housing change due to homelessness

Examples of Circumstances Not Considered:

• Higher living expenses experienced by the family. (Please note that our need-analysis already includes cost of living adjustment [COLA] based on data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey by Metropolitan Statistical Areas as determined by the US Department of Labor.)
• Purchasing discretionary items such as a car, home appliances, weddings, vacations, second homes
• Reduction in the value of assets
• Credit issues, line of credit changes, etc.

Please either contact the Office of Financial Aid via email, 717-245-1308, or your financial aid counselor to request reconsideration. The counselor will collect information on your circumstances and provide you with guidance as to the necessary documents needed to complete review of your change in financial circumstances.

Most undergraduate students at Dickinson College are considered dependent students for financial aid purposes. The FAFSA will determine your dependency status based on several questions. If you answer ‘no’ to all the dependency questions on the FAFSA, you are considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes and must provide your parent information on the FAFSA. If there are unusual circumstances where you cannot provide your parent information on the FAFSA, such as: abuse, neglect, abandonment, human trafficking, and/or refugee or asylee status, the Office of Financial Aid may be able to perform a dependency override to make you an independent student for financial aid purposes. This would make you eligible for financial aid without parent information or signature.

We cannot override dependency in cases where:

• Parents refuse to contribute financially to your education
• Unwillingness of parents to provide information
• Student being financially independent
• Parents not claiming a student as a dependent on their income taxes

If you would like the Office of Financial Aid to review your unusual circumstances to see if a dependency override would be appropriate, please either contact the Office of Financial Aid via email, 717-245-1308, or your financial aid counselor to request consideration for the dependency override. The counselor will collect information on your circumstances and provide you with guidance as to the necessary documents needed to complete review of your change in financial circumstances.

Once all documents have been completed and submitted, the Office of Financial Aid will review the documents and determine your dependency status. A review typically takes 3-4 weeks from the date when all necessary documentation has been received. Once processed, the student will be notified of the final determination of their dependency status as well as an initial or revised financial aid offer, if all other requirements to receive a financial aid offer have been satisfied. The request for the review will take no longer than 60 days from the date when all the documents have been received (or from the date the student enrolls, whichever is later).

Subsequent Years

Beginning with the 2023-24 award year, any student who was approved for a dependency override and made independent for financial aid due to unusual circumstances will continue to be independent for each subsequent award year at Dickinson College unless the student informs us that their circumstances have changed, or we have conflicting information about the student’s independence. Students must still submit their FAFSA each year but should not need to take additional action to be considered an independent student each year.

Dickinson College requires students whose FAFSA is selected for federal verification to submit supporting documentation to verify specified data elements. Upon receipt of all requested verification documents, the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) will complete the federal verification process in accordance with federal and institutional policies.

If Dickinson College requests documents or information from a student, the student must provide the specified documents or information to receive federal aid.

Standard Selection: The Federal Processing System (FPS) selects applications for federal verification using data-based statistical analysis to identify those with the highest probability of error. A verification flag is set on the student’s processed FAFSA and is noted on their FAFSA Submission Summary to indicate selection.

Update or Correction Selections: Any update or correction to a student’s FAFSA may trigger the FPS to select the application or additional data elements for federal verification at any time during the award year.

Notification of Selection: Students will receive an email from the OFA to their Dickinson email notifying them of documents required for the Verification process. They may also view outstanding items needed via Self-Service Banner. Documents that may be requested are:

• A completed Verification Statement form
• Signed copies of parents’ and student’s Federal Income Tax documents (1040, all schedules and all W-2s). 
• Non-filing Statement for any parent or student who did NOT file a federal tax return 
• Any other verification forms provided by the Office of Financial Aid
• Amended Tax Returns
• Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose

Documentation Submission: Students may upload the documents directly using our Secure Document Submission Form, fax to 717-245-1972, or mail them to the Office of Financial Aid. Students who do not provide requested documentation by the 60th day of enrollment may lose Federal Work-Study eligibility. Eligibility may be reinstated if documents are submitted later if funds are available. Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Loans or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants cannot be processed or credited until the verification process has been completed. Students who do not provide the necessary verification documents also may lose Dickinson grant assistance.  For those having difficulty with the Verification process, financial aid packages will be processed, but funds will not disburse, until verification can be completed.

Federal and institutional aid cannot be finalized until all requested documentation is provided. Failure to satisfy all requests will result in the cancellation of all Federal aid and Dickinson College need-based grant aid.

Review of Information: After all requested information is submitted, the student’s application data will be verified. If all application information is accurate or within Federally approved tolerances, the student’s aid will be processed and/or finalized. If corrections are required, the Office of Financial Aid will correct the data electronically with the Federal Student Aid Program and process the student’s aid request.

Notification of Results: If verification results in a change to the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) and the amount of aid, the student will receive an email notifying them that an updated financial aid offer is available on Banner Self-Service. The offer letter will likely note that Verification of your application data has resulted in a change in your eligibility for need-based financial aid. They will also receive an updated FAFSA Submission Summary.

Referrals: If fraud is suspected on an application for federal assistance, the college is required to report this situation to the U.S. Inspector General's Office. Information from the student's file will be released to authorities pursuing an investigation.

Failure to provide the requested documentation within the academic year may result in the student not receiving federal aid.