Financial Aid Forms

During the course of attending CSM, there may be times that the Financial Assistance Department will ask you to submit a form to complete your financial assistance application.

Verification-Related Financial Assistance Forms

All forms needed for verification can be accessed via your my.CSMD account:

Log into my.CSMD. If you have login issues, contact the Help Desk at 301-934-7740.
Click on "Online Services", then "Financial Aid", then under "Checklist: Action Needed" click on "Complete Required Documents".
Download and complete the appropriate CSM forms.
Submit completed forms to the Financial Assistance Department by uploading on your account, emailing to FinAid@csmd.edu, mailing, or dropping off to the Financial Assistance Department.

Federal Tax Transcript

If we are requesting a copy of your (and/or spouse's, or parent's) federal tax transcript, you may request a free tax return transcript from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at www.irs.gov by either using ‘Get Your Tax Record’ service, or completing Form 4506-T. You may also call IRS at 800-908-9946 for specialized assistance.

The review process can take up to 6 weeks once we have received all documentation that was requested.

Non-Verification-Related Financial Assistance Forms

Professional Judgment

Professional judgment refers to the authority of a school’s financial aid administrator to adjust data elements on the FAFSA form that impact the Cost of Attendance (COA) and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Professional judgments are made on a case-by-case basis.

CSM’s Financial Assistance Department will review every professional judgment request and make decisions based on the information and documentation provided.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Special circumstances refer to a student or contributor experiencing significant changes to their financial situation, including but not limited to:

Change in employment status, income, or assets
Change in housing status (for example, homelessness)
Tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school
Extraordinary 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

UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Unusual circumstances refer to a situation where a student is unable to provide parent information because they are unable to contact a parent or where contact with a parent would pose a risk to the student. Such situations may lead a financial aid administrator to change a student’s dependency status (commonly referred to as a dependency override) from ‘dependent’ to ‘independent.’
Unusual circumstances may include:

Human trafficking
Legally granted refugee or asylum status
Parental abandonment or estrangement
Student or parental incarceration

What is NOT considered an unusual circumstance?

Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education
Parents are not willing to provide information for the FAFSA form or verification
Parents don’t claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency

PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT APPEAL PROCESS

If you believe special circumstances and/or unusual circumstances apply to you, you have the right to request an appeal following the steps below:

The student should contact the Financial Assistance Department to determine if they should submit a Special Circumstance Appeal Request Form (as a dependent student or as an independent student) and/or a Dependency Override Appeal Form.
The student submits the appropriate Appeal Form and all supporting documentation as required.
The Financial Assistance Department will review the appeal and notify the student of the final decision within 60 days from the submission of the Appeal Form and required documentation.

Email us at FinAid@csmd.edu

Phone: 301-934-7531

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

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