Students who feel that there are special circumstances that should be taken into consideration by UMF when aid eligibility is determined should inform the Financial Aid Office of these circumstances in writing. To do so, you and/or your parent should request from the Financial Aid Office an Explanation of Special Circumstances form which should be completed and returned to the Financial Aid Office. Some situations which may be considered “special circumstances” include (but are not limited to):

  • unemployment or reduced employment
  • separation or divorce
  • loss of non-taxable income or benefits
  • loss of one-time income
  • disability
  • death of parent or spouse
  • unusual medical or dental expenses
  • other situations that affect the family’s ability to contribute to the student’s education.

In most cases, the Financial Aid Office will require some type of documentation supporting your claim of exceptional circumstances to comply with Federal and University regulations.  Please be prepared to support all claims with some type of documentation.  It is not a guarantee that an appeal will result in more financial aid.


Contact Us

If you have questions, please contact us. We look forward to helping you.

Merrill Center Student Services
University of Maine at Farmington
224 Main Street
Merrill Hall
Farmington, Maine 04938
tel  207-778-7100
fax  207-778-7555
TDD/TTY  207 778-7244
umfaid@maine.edu