In order to request a professional judgment students must notify the Office of Financial Assistance about special circumstances or unusual circumstances. Unusual circumstances can typically be reported on the FAFSA which will prompt requests for additional documentation. Circumstances that can not be reported on the FAFSA can be reported to our office via the Professional Judgement Appeal form.

Once an appeal is filed, the Office of Financial Assistance Appeal Committee will perform an initial review of the information provided. At this time we will ensure that the student has a valid FAFSA on file, free of any errors and/or conflicting information. If it is determined that the circumstances may warrant a professional judgment, additional documentation will be requested. Requests for additional documentation will be sent to the email address indicated on the appeal form. Documentation should be submitted via our secure portal bradley.leapfile.net. Emailed copies of documentation will not be accepted.

Once all of the appropriate documentation has been received, the appeal will be reviewed. This process may take up to four weeks to complete. If approved, any updates to the FAFSA will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education so that the SAI may be recalculated. Changes in SAI will likely result in updates to the student’s financial assistance offer which will be communicated to the student via email.

Bradley University reserves the right to deny requests for professional judgments. Denial letters will be sent to the email address included on the appeal form. The professional judgment determination made by the Office of Financial Assistance is final and cannot be appealed to The U.S. Department of Education or any other office or individuals at Bradley University.