Special Circumstances

There are many reasons a person’s income may change (divorce, job loss, high medical bills not covered by insurance, etc.). If your income or financial situation has changed, you can petition the Financial Aid Office to re-evaluate your financial aid status and eligibility. You must complete the Reduction in Income Appeal and submit it to the Financial Aid Office for review.

The Reduction in Income Appeal is available for students whose financial circumstances have drastically changed since the FAFSA tax year and would like to request that the Financial Aid Office re-evaluate their eligibility based on their current financial status. Reduction in Income Appeals take 4-6 weeks to process and must be submitted before the last date of the student's enrollment for the academic year. For more information about the Reduction In Income Appeal, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@dvc.edu.

If you are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness, you may be able to submit your financial aid application as an independent student. You can also access resources and information to help you:

• DVC and Community Resources for Homeless Youth 
• DVC Basic Needs Webpage

If you have any questions about financial aid programs for homeless youth or the status of your application, please contact Cynthia Ruiz at cruiz@dvc.edu.

The Dependency Override Appeal Petition is for dependent students who do not meet the federal criteria for “independent” status as outlined on the FAFSA but who would like to have their unique circumstances reviewed in order to be considered an independent student for financial aid purposes. 

Circumstances that would be considered for a dependency override appeal include:

• Abusive family environments
• Abandonment
• Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents
• An unsuitable household requiring legal intervention
• Severe estrangement from parents
• Parent mental incapacity
• Death of a biological / adoptive parent

Circumstances that do not qualify for a dependency override appeal include:

• Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education
• Parents are unwilling to provide information on the financial aid application or verification documents
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
• Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency (ex: living outside of the parent's home)
• Disagreements between student and parent(s) that may cause the parent(s) to unwillingly provide information

To apply for dependency override:

1. Submit your FAFSA for the applicable aid year online and bypass parent income information.
2. Submit the Dependency Override Apply for the applicable aid year. To complete the appeal online, you'll need to provide:
   1. A written statement detailing the special circumstances that explain the reason for your request and discusses your relationship with your parents;
   2. Two statements from professionals (teacher, counselor, clergy, social worker) familiar with your situation that further outlines and verifies the special circumstances. The statements must include address and telephone numbers from the professionals and should be on letterhead;
   3. Complete the verification items list on your financial aid checklist on InSite

A Dependency Override Appeal must be submitted before last date of enrollment for the academic year to be considered. The Financial Aid Office typically begins processing dependency override appeals in May for the next aid year. Processing time may take 4 to 6 weeks. You will be sent a notification of the result to your InSite email account. 

If you have had a dependency override appeal approved within the Contra Costa Community College District in a prior year, you are not required to submit another dependency override appeal. However, you are still required to renew your FAFSA. For more information about the Dependency Override Appeal, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@dvc.edu.

The information listed on this page is not inclusive of all policy and procedures. You are encouraged to meet with a financial aid counselor to discuss your unique circumstances, discuss the override appeal and submit the appeal with supporting documents, if applicable. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

The decision to approve or deny a dependency override is made by the Financial Aid Office at DVC, not the U.S. Department of Education, and is not appealable to an outside entity.