What is an Extension Appeal

Students disqualified due to exceeding the 150% unit time-frame of their stated academic program or major may appeal to extend their eligibility for financial aid beyond the 150% unit time-frame. Students approved under an extension appeal will be subject to an SAP contract for the classes approved by the appeals committee - only the approved classes on the contract are counted towards financial aid eligibility. Students may review the approved courses on the Student Portal (Financial Aid & Scholarships > SAP Extension of Appeal> View/Apply SAP Appeal - the approved courses are marked as "Include towards FA Progress Units").

For example, Cubby is pursuing an Associate's degree that requires 60 units. At the end of the Spring 2020 semester, Cubby has attempted 98 units but he still needs 3 more classes to completed his academic program; even though Cubby will be disqualified in the next semester of enrollment, he will have a chance to appeal to extend his eligibility for financial aid for the remaining classes required to complete his degree.

How to submit an Extension Appeal

• Prior to submitting an appeal, students must develop a new or update their existing educational plan with their LACC Academic Counselor and discuss their academic progress.

• Once the student has an Educational Plan, they log in to the Student Portal to initiate the extension appeal:

  • Click on the Financial Aid and Scholarships menu and select the current academic year if prompted.

  • Click on the SAP Extension of Appeal from the menu on the left.

  • Follow the instructions and answer all required questions.

  • Submit your appeal.

What happens after the appeal is submitted

• Extension appeals are reviewed by the LACC Appeals Committee. The result of the appeal will generally be emailed to the student's LACCD email account within 45 calendar days. Students whose first level appeals are denied have a second level appeal within 14 calendar days of the notification.

• When an extension appeal is approved, the student is placed under an Extension Appeal Contract; the contract will list the approved courses for the academic program associated with the appeal. You may find the list of approved (and denied) courses on your Student Portal > Financial Aid & Scholarships > SAP Extension of Appeal > View/Apply SAP Appeal. The approved courses are marked as "Include towards FA Progress Units".

• The Financial Aid Office will monitor changes in enrollment throughout the semesters for students under an Extension Appeal Contract. New courses will be evaluated for eligibility by the Appeals Committee and when applicable, the new courses will be included in the Appeal Contract according to the academic program associated with the extension appeal.

• The Appeal Contract will be valid until the student completes the academic program associated with it or changes to a new program; at that point the contract becomes void and the student will need to submit a new appeal. Contact the financial aid office to initiate a new appeal under the new academic program.

What options do I have if my appeal is denied?

• If the first-level appeal is denied, the student will have a chance to submit a second-level appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days of the notification. The result of the second-level appeal will be emailed to the student's LACCD email.

• An Administrative District Review may be initiated by the student who reasonably believes that the college, state, and/or federal guidelines were applied incorrectly, and therefore, adversely affected the student's financial aid status, rights and privileges. A request for Administrative Review can only be submitted after denial from the first-level and second-level petitions. An Administrative Review is conducted by a district-appointed administrator. Administrative Reviews must be submitted before the end of the specified semester for which the student is requesting reinstatement or extension of financial aid eligibility. You may submit a completed copy of the form to the financial aid office in person or you may email a scanned copy to aidappeals@lacitycollege.edu from your student email account (the form is not fillable).

The FAFSA and Dream applications use the prior to prior year as base income to determine student’s eligibility, for example, for the 2023-2024 year, the students' eligibility is based on 2021 income. If you or your parents have experienced a significant decline in income, you may submit a Special Circumstances Appeal.

Types of circumstances that can be considered for a Special Circumstances Appeal:

• Loss of employment
• Other loss of income
• Marital separation or divorce
• Disability or retirement
• Death of a parent or spouse
• One-time payment received

If you feel your current circumstances fit that description, click here to submit a Special Circumstances Appeal.

Appeal Process

After receiving your appeal, your case will be assigned to a Financial Aid Technician who will email you the next steps to process your petition. You should receive this first communication within 10 business days from your petition. Please be aware that during peak processing times (i.e. the weeks leading to or during the first few weeks of the start of a term), the first communication may be sent beyond the 10 business days. The technician, based on your statements, will request documentation to prove your case. All documentation requested is required to make a determination on your appeal. All communications will  be sent to your LACCD student email.

Appeal Outcomes

The FAFSA considers a student as dependent for financial aid if he or she answers NO to all the dependency questions on the FAFSA or Dream Application. There are times when an otherwise independent student may not meet the criteria established by these questions. If the answers on your application for financial aid determined that you are a dependent but you feel your circumstances warrant a review for independent status, submit this appeal. Please note, that a student is not considered independent solely based on:

• self-sufficiency
• a parent's unwillingness to provide information
• a parent's unwillingness to assist with educational expenses
• a parent not claiming the student as a dependent for income tax purposes

If you feel you fit in that description, click here to submit an Unusual Circumstances Appeal.

Appeal Process

After receiving your appeal, your case will be assigned to a Financial Aid Technician who will email you the next steps to process your petition. You should receive this first communication within 10 business days from your petition. Please be aware that during peak processing times (i.e. the weeks leading to or during the first few weeks of the start of a term), the first communication may be sent beyond the 10 business days. The technician, based on your statements, will request documentation to prove your case. All documentation requested is required to make a determination on your appeal. All communications are sent to your LACCD student email

Appeal Outcomes