For purposes of this section, definitions are provided below:

• Family members include spouse, child, grandchild, father, mother, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, first cousin, stepparent, stepchild, or stepsibling. Also, a person who is otherwise considered to have a significantly close relationship to the student.
• A sufficiently close relationship refers to a relationship with any other relative within the third degree of consanguinity, plus close friends, including but not limited to roommates, housemates, classmates, or other persons identified by the student for approval by the institution on a case-by-case basis.

In February 2018 the limitations on the number of courses dropped was amended permitting a seventh-course drop if the student:

• reenrolled at the institution following a break in enrollment from the institution or another institution of higher education covering at least the 24-month period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or other academic term of the student’s enrollment; and
• successfully completed at least 50 semester credit hours of coursework at an institution of higher education that were not exempt from the limitation on formula funding before that break in enrollment.