Home > Costs, Scholarships, and Aid > Financial Aid Office > Special Circumstances
If you would like to talk to an expert about your special circumstance, we are here
for you!
For personalized assistance, we invite you to meet with our Financial Aid Advisors:
If your family experienced a significant decrease in income for the calendar year, a reevaluation of your award may result in financial aid eligibility.
Please review the below guidelines regarding what qualifies as a special circumstance. Exceptions may apply, and we will respond to each case accordingly. We cannot reduce the student aid index due to financial decisions. Federal and institutional policies dictate what can be considered and what documentation is needed.
Follow up with a financial aid advisor at PPSC to discuss your special circumstance.
Situations that may warrant a Dependency Override include:
Situations that would not warrant a Dependency Override include:
If you are experiencing unusual circumstances, contact the Financial Aid Office, which can 
When you filed your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you reported that you are in legal guardianship. Before we can determine your eligibility for financial aid, you must document your legal guardianship status, by either:
A legal guardianship is a formal decision by a judge that suspends parents’ custody of their child and gives custody to a non-parent. Persons that courts appoint as guardians vary by state.
The court must be in your state of legal residence at the time of the decision, and you must be in legal guardianship immediately before reaching adulthood in your state.
Documentation of your legal guardianship status must be provided before we can continue processing your application for financial assistance.
You must provide legal guardianship documentation to process your financial assistance application.
Students who report a legal guardian other than their parent on the FAFSA are required to submit additional documentation before student aid eligibility can be determined. This can be done by:
• Providing a copy of court documentation showing you are in legal guardianship
-OR-
• Providing a copy of a court’s decision that you were in legal guardianship before you reached the “age of majority” in your state.*
*Note: The court must be in your state of legal residence at the time the court’s decision was issued.
Special Assistance for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Under the EmpowerEd program (part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act) students who meet certain criteria are eligibile to have the remaining cost of their
PPSC attendence (after scholarships, grants, and other financial aid awards have been
applied) coverd for up to 132 semester credit hours.
A student is considered homeless if they lack fixed, regular, and adequate housing.
This includes but is not limited to:
• Youth sharing housing with other people temporarily because they have nowhere else
to go.
• Youth living in emergency or transitional shelters, for example, trailers provided
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after disasters.
• Youth living in motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, abandoned buildings, bus or train
stations, substandard housing, or any public or private place not designed for humans
to live in.
Documenting Your Circumstances
Information documenting your circumstances submitted to the financial aid office can come from recognized third parties such as private or publicly funded homeless shelters and service providers, college access programs such as TRIO and GEAR UP, college or high school counselors, other mental health professionals, social workers, mentors, doctors, and clergy.
• High school liaisons can also provide a McKinney-Vento letter confirming their
determination of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth status.
• If student cannot submit a McKinney-Vento letter, they can meet with the Financial
Aid Office to determine Unaccompanied Homeless Youth status.
EmpowerEd Program
Students eligible for EmPowerEd must meet the following criteria:
• Identified as a homeless child or youth under the McKinney-Vento Act while residing in Colorado between 9th and 12th grade
• Are between the ages of 17 to 26
• Current Colorado resident
• Accepted into an in-state public institution, local district college, or area technical
college
• Enrolled in a program for a first bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or certificate at an accredited institution
of higher education,
• Completed FAFSA or CASFA
• Completed the EmPower Ed Application
Complete Empower Ed Application
Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information about these benefits:
Or reach out to us in-person at our Centennial Campus location:
Financial Aid Office (at the Enrollment Services Desk)
Pikes Peak State College, Centennial Campus
5675 South Academy Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
You are serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training. You are considered to be independent on the FAFSA but will need to provide our office with supporting documentation.
At some point since you turned age 13, you were an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent). You are considered to be independent on the FAFSA but will need to provide our office with supporting documentation.
At some point since you turned age 13, you were a ward of the court. You are independent on the FAFSA but will need to provide our office with supporting documentation.
At some point since you turned age 13, you were in foster care. You are considered to be independent on the FAFSA but will need to provide our office with supporting documentation such as:
You are or were a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence. You are considered to be independent on the FAFSA but will need to provide our office with supporting documentation.
Our financial aid advisors are here to help answer your questions regarding federal financial aid, including: