Special Circumstances

We understand that sometimes a family experiences an unexpected change in circumstances, making information submitted on the FAFSA no longer reflective of the family’s current financial situation. The U.S. Department of Education allows financial aid administrators to use professional judgment to make adjustments to a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information on a case-by-case basis.

If your family has recently experienced a change in circumstance, we encourage you to submit a special circumstances form to our office (see drop down below for more information). A financial aid counselor will work with you to understand your special circumstances and evaluate if you qualify for additional financial aid through the federal government, state government and/or ONU. We may request documentation such as tax returns and pay stubs as part of the review and we cannot guarantee an increase in financial aid eligibility as a result of the review.

- Loss or reduction of working income
- Loss of benefits such as child support, unemployment, alimony or disability
- One time income distribution (ex. IRA or Pension Distribution)
- Significant medical expenses
- Divorce or legal separation of parent or independent student
- Death of parent or independent student’s spouse
- Bankruptcy
- Lifestyle expenses (ex. vacation, tithing, high mortgage payments, etc.)
- Standard living expenses (ex. utilities, cable bills, credit card payments, cell phones, car payments, etc.)
- Educational debt
Once all needed documents are submitted, please allow up to two weeks for review. A financial aid counselor will contact you via email or phone if any additional documents or information is needed and with the final result of the review.
Please submit the following documents to apply for consideration of your special circumstances. Your FAFSA must be filed for the correct award year before special circumstances can be considered.

For the 2024-2025 Academic Year
- Special Circumstances Form
- Dependent Verification Worksheet
  - If an independent student please submit the Independent Verification Worksheet
- Documentation requested in right column of Special Circumstances Form
All documents can be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid by uploading to our secure portal https://forms.onu.edu/Forms/FinAid_Upload, mailing to the Office of Financial Aid, Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main Street, Ada, OH 45810 or in person to the 2^nd floor of Weber Hall.

Special Circumstances

Qualifying Circumstances

Circumstances not Considered

Timeline for Processing

Submission Process

Information for: