Professional Judgment Appeal

In some cases, students and parents find the information they provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no longer reflects their current financial situation. When circumstances change, students may request a Professional Judgment Appeal by following the process below.

Financial Aid Forms

Our staff strives to provide individual consideration of each student's circumstance. Appeals will be reviewed by a committee of University Scholarships and Financial Aid Staff. Students should monitor their Virginia Tech email closely after submitting appeals, in case additional information is requested by the committee.

2024-2025 Academic Year Dates

A Professional Judgment Appeal involves correcting a FAFSA based on special circumstances. If you have a personal situation affecting your current finances, which differs from what was reported on your FAFSA, please reach out to our office via email at finaid@vt.edu or call us at 540-231-5179 to discuss this option. Appeals can be submitted at any time throughout the year, but we encourage you to submit an appeal as soon as possible if you have a special circumstance that could warrant this review.

If you have submitted your appeal to our office, we are working these as quickly as we can. Please note: a successful appeal does not guarantee additional aid, and sometimes additional aid is not immediately available. You may be put on a waitlist for certain funds.

Special circumstances for filing a Professional Judgment Appeal include, but are not limited to the following situations:

Death of a student’s parent or spouse
The family has incurred extraordinary medical/dental expenses
The student or the student’s parents have separated or divorced
The student’s or parent(s)’ income has been significantly reduced in the current year
The student or parent(s) no longer receives recurring income, such as child support, taxable social security, alimony, or other sources of income
The parent or student has received payment(s) of non-recurring income (i.e. severance package, bonus, etc...) which were unavailable for educational expenses.
Proceeds from the voluntary or involuntary foreclosure, forfeiture, bankruptcy, or involuntary liquidation of a family farm or business assets that inflate income and/or assets.

Appeal Requirements

If you would like to inquire about a possible Professional Judgment Appeal, please email our office at finaid@vt.edu or call 540-231-5179 to speak to an advisor about your unique circumstances.

Please note: Only submit documentation and forms upon request!