The following COVID-19 update was sent to campus June 24 from Ryan Zantingh, director of student financial planning.

As we navigate unprecedented economic upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to make you aware of Drake’s financial aid appeal process that is available for a recent loss of income or other special circumstances. For certain situations, financial aid administrators have the authority to make changes to a student’s FAFSA in order to more accurately reflect a student’s ability to pay for college. 

If you have completed the 2020–2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and anticipate a reduction of family income in 2020 (compared to the 2018 income reported on your FAFSA), you may wish to submit Drake’s Special Circumstances Form to report your situation. Staff from the Office of Student Financial Planning will review your appeal and, if appropriate, adjust your FAFSA. This adjustment may result in increased eligibility for need-based student financial aid. 

Adequate substantiation is required in order to consider an appeal for special circumstances. Please complete the Special Circumstances Form with as much detail as possible and include supporting documentation when submitting your form. 

I recognize that a great amount of uncertainty about the pandemic remains and projecting 2020 income may be difficult. If this is your situation, I encourage you to submit this form later in the summer or during the fall semester when you are better able to provide accurate information. There is not a pressing deadline to submit this form, but understand that billing obligations will continue as scheduled. Accordingly, you should submit your appeal as soon as you have the information needed to do so.

If you have questions or need assistance with this process, please contact the Office of Student Financial Planning at financialaid@drake.edu.

Drake’s Special Circumstances Form for 2020–2021 is available here.

Please visit drake.edu/coronavirus, which houses a repository of campus updates and messages pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also provides answers to many frequently asked questions.