The Office of Financial Aid

Understanding Revisions and Appeals

The following changes may activate a revision of your award.

• Additional scholarships will be coordinated into your financial aid offer. Instructions attached to the scholarship may designate if the fund must be used to cover certain costs and the how the monies should be disbursed.  Our office will attempt to reduce loans to fit your scholarship into your budget, when possible
• Changes in your housing plans will usually result in a change to your Cost of Attendance and your financial aid funding. You are encouraged to report any change in your housing through the Request Revision/Resources tab in R’Web.
• Enrollment below full-time might result in a reduction/cancellation of some financial aid funds and billing for funds received. If a student drops a class or withdraws from all classes after their disbursement was received, the student may need to pay back some, or all, of the money that was disbursed. Learn more in our Guide to Changes in Student Enrollment and the Impact on Financial Aid Eligibility. 
• Withdrawing from courses may have a significant impact on your financial aid eligibility.  Please review our Withdrawal Guide and reach out to your counselor for guidance before you withdraw from UCR!

What are the different types of Appeals?

The descriptions below outline the appeals you may submit to our office. If you are unable to decide which appeal you should file, or if you have a situation you wish to be considered that appears to fall outside of these appeals, we encourage you to contact our office.

• Special Circumstance

  Significant changes in your family's income may merit recalculating your financial aid eligibility. Please review the information below to determine if you have an eligible reason for a Chance of Circumstance Request.

  Eligible Reasons for a Change of Circumstance Request

  • Change in employment status, income, or assets;
  • Change in housing status (e.g., homelessness);
  • Tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school;
  • Medical, dental, or nursing home expenses not covered by insurance;
  • Child or dependent care expenses;
  • Severe disability of the student or other member of the student's household;
  • Other changes or adjustments that impact the student's costs or ability to pay for college.

  Documenting a Special Circumstance

  Unemployment documents should be less than 90 days old. If there is a reason a new unemployment document is not obtainable, please include that in your statement. Examples of documents we may request:

  • W2s;
  • Mortgage Statements;
  • Tax returns;
  • Letters from attorneys;
  • Unemployment statements; and
  • Letters of Separation

  We may ask for additional information to assess your record. We encourage you to monitor your emails and reply as soon as reasonable.

• Unusual Circumstance

  The U.S. Department of Education determines if your parents are required to provide information on the FAFSA based on a series of questions when you completed the FAFSA. In certain situations, students may submit an appeal to UCR requesting to remove parent information and income. This is an Unusual Circumstance. Reqeusts can only be approved in certain limited and exceptional circumstances where the parents are unable to be contact or contact poses a risk to the student.

  Eligible examples of unusual circumstances where parent information can be removed or excluded from the FAFSA:

  • Human trafficking;
  • Being legally granted refugee or asylum status;
  • Parent abandonment or estrangement; or
  • Student or parental incarceration. 

  Unusual circumstances do not include:

  • Parent refuses to contribute to the student's education.
  • Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
  • Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
  • Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

  Documenting an Unusual Circumstance

  To document your Unusual Circumstance, a signed and dated statement is needed that includes a complete history of your relationship with your biological and/or legally adoptive parents, and the specific dates of events that caused your separation from your parents.

  Additional information regarding your self-support may be requested such as utility bills, health insurance, or other documents that demonstrate a separation from parents or legal guardians. 

  Two signed and date letters from professionals (on their letterhead) documenting their first-hand knowledge of your Unusual Circumstance. The Financial Aid Office may contact these references for additional information or clarification of your situation. These letters include: 

  • Submission of a court order or official Federal or State documentation that the student or student's parents or legal guardians are incarcerated;
  • Written statement, which confirms the unusual circumstances from a state, county or Tribal welfare agency;
  • an independent living case worker who supports current and former foster youth with the transition to adulthood;
  • a public of private agency, facility, or program servicing the victims of abuse, neglect, assault, or violence;
  • a representative of a TRIO or GEAR UP program which confirms the circumstances and the person's relationship to the student;
  • a documented determination of independence made by a financial aid administrator at another institution in the same or a prior award year;

  The UCR Financial Aid Office will apply the full flexibility in the law and presume a student with an unusual circumstance is independent in subsequent years unless the student tells us their situation has changed, or we have conflicting information.

• Cost of Attendance Appeals

  Cost of Attendance Appeal can be used if you believe the Cost of Attendance used in determining your financial aid is not sufficient to cover your actual expenses. Award increases for approved Cost of Attendance Appeals will usually be in the form of additional loan eligibility. 

  The UCR Cost of Attendance is constructed annually. We include the following elements in our Cost of Attendance:

  • Tuition and Fees
  • Living Expenses (Food and Housing)
  • Transportation
  • Books and Supplies
  • Personal Expenses
  • Direct Loan origination fees (are only included for those that borrow)

  Except for tuition and fees (and on-campus food and housing), all other components of our Cost of Attendance are based on the data gathered in the UC Cost of Attendance Surveys (COAS), which is an online survey administered every two years to a sample of UC undergraduate students.

  COAS data is used to estimate the total cost of attendance at UC campuses, including the day-to-day expenses of students, and directly influences financial aid policies and programs.

  If a student or parent has expenses that are not included or exceed our published costs, we can accept receipts/proof of payment to consider the unusual costs. 

• Federal Work-Study Appeal 

  Federal Work-Study Appeal can be used to be considered for a new award, or for an increase in funds.