Forms & Resources

If a student believes the Cost of Attendance (COA) used in determining their financial aid was insufficient, they may request a review to increase their COA (and aid eligibility) with a Budget Review Request.

• Budget Review Request Form (PDF)

Financial Aid has the authority, through Section 480(d)(7) of the Higher Education Act, to change a student’s status from dependent to independent in cases involving unusual circumstances.

Your Review of Dependency Status can be considered in documented cases of abuse, abandonment or neglect. If your situation falls under one of these reasons, select the appropriate option below and follow the instructions.

We cannot process a Review of Dependency Status for any of the following reasons.

• Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education;
• Parents are unwilling to provide information on the application or for verification;
• Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes;
• Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Apply for Initial Review of Dependency Status

For Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, submit the following:

• Completed and signed 2024-2025 Review of Dependency Status (PDF) form.
• A personal statement explaining your relationship with your biological mother and father.
• At least three (3) signed, written statements from professional third parties (i.e. clergy, counselors, teachers, etc.) attesting to your relationship with your biological mother and father.

Review Process

The Unusual Circumstance review process typically takes 2-3 weeks from the date a completed request and all required documentation is received. During peak processing times, it could take longer, but no more than 60 days to be reviewed. If a student’s dependency status change is approved, this status will continue for each subsequent award year unless the student informs us that their circumstances have changed or we have conflicting information about the student’s status.

Complete this form if your parents do not provide any financial support and/or refuse to complete the FAFSA, to have your financial aid file reviewed for limited loan eligibility.

• 2024-25 Parent Refusal Form (PDF)

Review Process

The Unusual Circumstance review process typically takes 2-3 weeks from the date a completed request and all required documentation is received. During peak processing times, it could take longer, but no more than 60 days to be reviewed.

Federal and state regulations governing student financial assistance require that an institution develop standards to measure academic progress toward a degree. Students applying for financial aid will be monitored for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) whether or not financial aid was applied for or received during any academic period in which the student was previously enrolled. You will not be eligible for financial assistance if you do not meet the academic progress requirements. Financial Aid monitors SAP at the end of each term. You must meet the minimum standards for SAP by the end of any given enrollment period at TWU to maintain financial aid eligibility.

If a student fails to meet SAP requirements due to mitigating circumstances and loses financial aid eligibility, the student may submit a written appeal with supporting documentation. A SAP Suspension/Suspension 1 appeal will ONLY be accepted when this form is completed and submitted with the required personal statement and supporting documentation.

• Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form (PDF)

Complete this process to have your financial aid file reviewed if there has been a major change in your situation since filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), or you have special circumstances that were not taken into consideration on the FAFSA.

• 2024-2025 Special Circumstances Form (PDF) - Used for Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

• 2024-2025 TEACH Grant Request Form (PDF)

Forms that may be requested by the Financial Aid Office: For the 2024-2025 Financial Aid Year - Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

• Dependent Verification Worksheet
• Independent Verification Worksheet
• 2024-2025 VFD Parent Signature Page (PDF) (for dependent students)
• IRS Tax Transcript of 2022 student tax return** if the student did not use the IRS Data Retrieval (unchanged) when completing the FAFSA
• IRS Tax Transcript of 2022 spouse tax return** if the spouse did not use the IRS Data Retrieval (unchanged) when completing the FAFSA and if you are married and filed separate tax returns.
• IRS Tax Transcript of 2022 parent tax return** if the parent did not use the IRS Data Retrieval (unchanged) when completing the FAFSA and you were required to provide parental information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• 2024-2025 Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose (PDF)

**There are a few cases where a student, parent, and/or spouse cannot utilize the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange or obtain a copy of a tax transcript. Examples of these situations and acceptable documentation are listed below:

Students or Parents filing an extension

• Submit a copy of IRS Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf )
• Submit a copy of all W2s
• If self-employed submit a signed statement certifying the amount of the individuals Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and the U.S. Income Tax paid for tax year 2022

Students or Parents filing an Amended Return

• Submit a signed copy the of IRS Form 1040X that was filed
• Submit a tax transcript obtained from the IRS that lists account information of the original return
• Copies of all W2s

Students or Parents are victims of identity theft

• Contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490
• Request an alternative tax return transcript TRDVB (Transcript DataBase View)
• Submit this form to the Financial Aid Office

An overaward is when the total financial aid funds received by the student exceed their calculated financial need and/or their total cost of attendance. To resolve an overaward, the offer(s) may need to be reduced or canceled.

Types

• Need-based overaward: When a student’s total need-based aid offers* exceed their calculated financial need
• Cost of attendance overaward: When a student’s total financial aid offers exceed their estimated COA

*Need-based types of aid include aid programs such as Federal Direct Subsidized Loans, federal-work study, grants and scholarships.

Procedures

Overawards typically occur when the Financial Aid office, at the time of releasing the financial aid offer, is not aware of additional financial assistance a student is receiving. Students are responsible for notifying our office as soon as they are aware of additional aid they will receive.

If a student’s financial aid awards are reduced and/or canceled to resolve an overaward, the student may want to review and submit a 2023-2024 Budget Review Request Form form to have their Cost of Attendance re-evaluated based on their documented expenses.

Per Federal Regulations, Texas Woman’s University is required to resolve all overawards before additional financial aid can be released. Overawards are resolved by reducing and/or canceling the financial aid offered. Undisbursed loans will be reduced before any reduction is made to previously disbursed awards.

Overawards can also occur as a result of verification being completed or other changes being made to a student’s FAFSA and/or account status (i.e. residency, housing). Be sure to complete all necessary action items within the financial aid section of the TWU Pioneer Portal as soon as possible to prevent the need for changes to be made to your aid offer(s).

Important Terms

SAI: The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an index number that is used to determine how much need-based financial aid a student is eligible to receive. The information reported on the FAFSA is used to calculate the SAI.

COA: The estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) represents the average expenses paid by students in various circumstances. The total financial aid offer cannot exceed the estimated COA.

Need-Based Financial Aid: Any "free money" and/or aid that must take a student’s SAI into consideration. Examples include, exemptions, waivers, scholarships, departmental stipends, grants, work study and Federal Direct Subsidized loans.

Non-Need-Based Financial Aid: Aid that does not take a student’s SAI into consideration and typically requires repayment. Examples include Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans, Federal Grad PLUS loans, Federal Parent PLUS loans and private student loans.

Need-Based Overaward

Estimated COA: $20,000
SAI: $2,000
Eligibility for Need-Based Aid: $20,000 - $2,000 = $18,000
Total Need-Based Aid Offer: $22,000
Need-Based Overaward: $22,000 - $18,000 = $4,000

This student has a Need-Based Overaward because the student’s need-based aid offer exceeds their eligibility for need-based aid by $4,000. 

COA Overaward

Estimated COA: $20,000
Total Aid Offer: $28,000
COA Overaward: $28,000 - $20,000 = $8,000

This student has a COA Overaward because the student’s total aid offer exceeds the estimated cost of attendance by $8,000.

Need-Based & COA Overaward

Estimated COA | $20,000
SAI | $2,000
Eligibility for Need-Based Aid | $20,000 - $2,000 = $18,000
Total Need-Based Aid Offer | $21,000
Need-Based Overaward | $21,000 - $18,000 = $3,000
Estimated COA: $20,000
Total Aid Offer: $22,000
COA Overaward: $22,000 - $20,000 = $2,000

This student has a Need-Based Overaward and a COA Overaward because the student’s need-based aid offer exceeds their eligibility for need-based aid by $3,000 and their total aid offer exceeds the estimated cost of attendance by $2,000.

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

• If you are a dependent student, you will report your and your parents’ information.
• If you are an independent student, you will report your information (and, if married, your spouse’s information).

Answers you provide on the FAFSA determine whether you are considered dependent or independent.

What if you have unusual circumstances?

If you have unusual circumstances in which you are unable to contact your parents or when contact with your parents poses a risk to you, complete your FAFSA without them. You will be considered provisionally independent and allowed to submit your FAFSA without parent information. You will need to submit documentation to the financial aid office to review your situation.

What if my parents aren’t going to help me pay for college or refuse to provide information on my FAFSA?

You cannot be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with this process. If you do not provide their information on the FAFSA, the application will be considered "rejected" and you will not be eligible for most federal student aid programs. Review and submit the Parent Refusal Form to be considered for Federal Unsubsidized loan funds.