INFORMATION USED IN EXERCISE OF AID ADMINISTRATOR DISCRETION.

SEC. 2009. INFORMATION USED IN EXERCISE OF AID ADMINISTRATOR DISCRETION. Section 479A(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1987tt(a)) is amended to read as follows: “Sec. 479A. (a) In General.—Nothing in this title shall be interpreted as limiting the authority of the financial aid administrator, on the basis of adequate documentation, to make adjustments on a case-by-case basis to the cost of attendance or the data required to calculate the expected student or parent contribution (or both) to allow for treatment of an individual eligible applicant with special circumstances not addressed by the data elements in subparts 1 and 2 of part A and parts B, C, and E of this title. However, this authority shall not be construed to permit aid administrators to deviate from the contributions expected under subparts 1 and 2 of part A and parts B, C, and E in the absence of special circumstances. Special circumstances shall be conditions that differentiate an individual student from a class of students rather than conditions that exist across a class of students. Adequate documentation for such adjustments shall substantiate such special circumstances of individual students. In addition, nothing in this title shall be interpreted as limiting the authority of the student financial aid administrator in such cases to request and use supplementary information about the financial status or personal circumstances of eligible applicants in selecting recipients and determining the amount of 103 STAT. 2123awards under subparts 1 and 2 of part A and parts B, C, and E of this title.”.