Estimated Parent Professional Judgment

This Estimated Professional Judgment form allows Mines to estimate potential adjustments to your FAFSA before you submit official documentation. While many changes are significant, they do not always result in significantly different aid offers.

You may file this form if you have had an involuntary change in income or benefits. Examples include a layoff due to downsizing, no longer being able to work due to medical reasons/caregiving needs, or expiration of unemployment benefits. Voluntary retirement does not qualify for a professional judgment. Please contact our office if you want to discuss the nature of your loss of income or benefits.

You may also file this form if your marital status has changed since you filed the FAFSA. If your marital status changed before you completed the FAFSA, you should make adjustments at studentaid.gov.

Professional Judgment Steps for 2026-2027:

Complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA using the 2024 income. Mines must have received your student’s FAFSA to begin the process. Incoming students must be accepted to Mines for Financial Aid to view the FAFSA.
If the change happened to a parent on the FAFSA, submit the Parent Estimate Professional Judgment form below with as much information as possible including an explanation of the changes. This form is accepted through February 1, 2027 for 2026-2027.
If the change happened to the student on the FAFSA, submit the Student Estimate Professional Judgment form with as much information as possible including an explanation of the changes. This form is accepted through February 1, 2027 for 2026-2027.
Mines will respond to this Estimate submission with more information within two weeks.
If an official Professional Judgment form is requested by Mines, the student will upload the form and requested documentation through Trailhead. Adjustments for Fall 2026 are due by July 15, 2026.
Your student will receive an email when the Professional Judgment has been processed. Processing can take 2-4 weeks.
Your student will receive a second email when their aid package has been updated. This should happen within a week of processing.

Estimated Parent Professional Judgment (2026-2027)

Student ID Number (CWID)(Required)

Student Name(Required)

Parent Name(s)(Required)

Parent Email(Required)

Effective Date of Change(Required)

Must be at least 8 weeks ago.

Does your student currently attend Mines?(Required)

Has your student received an aid package?

Incoming Students: Please submit this form only AFTER an initial aid offer has been made to your student. If you submit your FAFSA after initial packaging has begun, an aid offer will be made within 2 weeks of submitting the FAFSA. Continuing Students: We begin packaging aid in mid-June. You can submit this after we have received your FAFSA to see if your SAI will be positively impacted by the change.

Statement About Changes(Required)

Please write a statement about what changed in your family’s situation, so we have a clear picture of the financial impact.

Did you have a change in marital status (divorce or widow)?

If your marital status has changed since you filed the FAFSA, use this form to indicate your portion of the base year tax information. If you completed the FAFSA as married, but your status changed prior to filing the FAFSA, make these changes directly on studentaid.gov.

Base Year Income

Using the tax year on the FAFSA (2024 for fall 2026-spring 2027), how much of the following fields are YOUR amounts from the Federal IRS tax return? 1. Wages (line 1 and or schedule 1 line 3) 2. Adjusted Gross Income (line 11) 3. Total tax (line 24). If there are other lines of income on the taxes (like dividends or interest) please split those out as well.

Income type

Your 2024 Amount

Did you have a change of income in 2025 or 2026?

If you had a change at least 8 weeks ago, we can evaluate your year to date 2026 family income. If the change impacted your 2025 taxes please attach your 2025 Federal 1040 form for evaluation.

Income

Please provide income information for the following (add a line for each type of income).

1. Parent 1 Annual Work Income

2. Parent 2 Annual Work Income

3. Retirement Account Withdrawals

4. Child Support Received

5. Interest/Dividend Income

6. Social Security Income

7. Unemployment Compensation

8. Disability Income

9. Severance

Income type