Petitioning Your Aid

Form Used: Financial Aid Revision Petition

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (SFA) recognizes that many families experience significant changes in income or family situations that are not reflected in the base-year income used to determine the student’s expected family contribution.

The Financial Aid Revision Petition is used to review your FAFSA information to determine if you may be eligible for need based Federal Financial Aid such as the Federal Pell Grant program or Federal Direct Subsidized Loans.  It does not offer scholarships nor a change in your cost of attendance.

Students who can document extenuating financial or personal circumstances can submit a Revision Petition to appeal their financial aid decision. Extenuating circumstances may include, but are not limited to, situations such as:

• Divorce of parents or student
• Death of a major wage earner
• Involuntary loss of income by a major wage earner
• Loss of other income or benefits (such as Social Security benefits or child support) by the student, parents, or student spouse

If you have extenuating circumstances that you believe warrant a reevaluation of your financial aid, you should contact a financial aid adviser to discuss your unique situation. You/your parents will be asked to complete a Revision Petition and to provide a complete written explanation detailing your/your parents’ extenuating circumstances. You will also need to provide documentation that you feel supports your appeal. Once your Revision Petition has been received, a professional judgment coordinator will review it, and you will be notified of the results via your UF email.

The normal time period for filing revision petitions is March 1 through June 1 of each processing year. You should be aware that the appeal process will deactivate your financial aid file for up to a month. During this time neither need-based aid nor non-need-based financial aid may be processed or disbursed.

All actions resulting from the petition process are contingent upon availability of funds, as well as any processing deadlines that are in effect at the time of the petition approval.

Form Used: Budget Increase Form

If you have special circumstances that you believe warrant a reevaluation of your Cost of Attendance, you should discuss your situation with our office to determine if you may be eligible to file a Budget Increase Form.

The most common circumstances that result in a student’s being eligible for a Cost of Attendance recalculation are:

• Tuition fees in excess of the amount allotted in the standard cost of attendance
• Books and supplies in excess of the standard cost of attendance
• Required field trips
• Transportation costs for commuting students

Documentation to substantiate your budget revision request is required and must be submitted with the Budget Increase Form.

A member of your financial aid advising team will review your Budget Increase Form. Students will be contacted via their UF email regarding their approval or denial. The actual revision of your financial aid could take two to three weeks, depending on the volume of petitions at the time.

2024-2025 Priority Dates and Deadlines

Undergraduate, Graduate and Professional will be reviewed after drop/add each term.

The Colleges of Medicine, Law, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy will be reviewed within 7-10 business days due to their differing semester start and end dates.

All actions resulting from the petition process are contingent upon availability of funds, as well as any processing deadlines that are in effect at the time of petition approval.

Form Used: Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Petition

Federal and state regulations require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive financial aid. Requirements include minimum grade point average standards, maximum hour limits, and completion percentages.

Students receiving financial aid should become familiar with the university’s  Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

If you are not maintaining satisfactory academic progress as defined in the policy, you will receive an email from SFA notifying you that your financial aid is terminated.

Students have the right to appeal their status. If you receive a satisfactory academic progress termination notice from SFA and believe you have extenuating circumstances that have contributed to your inability to meet academic requirements, you may complete the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Petition. You will need to list and document the unusual circumstances you believe warrant a review of your case. Only courses required for your degree will be considered when determining eligibility for all financial aid.

Your petition will be evaluated, usually within ten working days, and you will be notified via your UF email of the results. If your notification indicates you have been approved, then your aid will be reinstated for that term.

Form Used: Appeal for Reinstatement of State of Florida Programs (download from Forms Page)
(Also Available at Student Financial Aid and Scholarships from financial aid advisers, S-107 Criser Hall)

If you had an illness, emergency, or special circumstances that you believe warrant a review of your eligibility for a state program, you should discuss the situation with your financial aid advising team to determine if you are eligible to file an appeal. Appeal forms are available in July of each year. If you decide to appeal, you must also include a copy of the “Notice of Ineligibility” you received from the state of Florida and you must submit your appeal within 30 days of the issue date of the Notice.

When filing an appeal, explain the illness or emergency that you believe warrants review for continued receipt of State of Florida program(s). Your appeal must include a complete description and documentation of the circumstances. Attach statements from physicians, parents, college officials, etc., to support your appeal. Signatures are required on these. Submit your appeal to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships State Programs section in S-107 Criser Hall. The review process includes notification to the student and the State of Florida of the decision rendered. The entire process will take two to three weeks, depending upon the volume of appeals at the time.

All actions resulting from this appeal process are contingent upon availability of funds, as well as any processing deadlines in effect at the time the appeal is submitted and approved.