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Published March 10, 2019
If the award you received from your student’s preferred school isn’t enough, you may feel deflated. Is it time to tell your child that they need to move on and choose a school with a better package?
Not yet.
There are times when it makes sense to appeal the financial aid package.
Follow these tips to help you write a letter that gives you the best chance of success. Nothing is guaranteed, but these steps will help.
Schools receive a lot of appeals and there are many moving parts involved in awarding aid. Students that are offered aid and decide not to attend may free up money, and that money can be eaten up fast by those in need.
If you plan to appeal, have your student reach out as quickly as possible after receiving the award. This will give you the best chance of getting attention, and it’s possible more money will be available earlier than later.
Do not contact the school and ask to appeal for more money before your student receives their initial award from financial aid—they will not review an appeal before sending you the award. If you haven’t received their award yet, and you think you have completed all necessary paperwork, reach out to the school to get an estimated time frame of when the award will be sent.
Experts recommend writing an email to the financial aid office in order to find out what the appeal process is. Trying to call, especially during a busy time, can result in endless voicemails.
Instead, have your student write to financial aid and ask about the appeals process. While the email does not need to be as detailed or formal as the eventual appeal letter, it should explain that there are additional circumstances and your child wishes to appeal.
During busy times, it can also be helpful to reach out to the student’s admissions counselor for information about the financial aid appeal process. Some schools manage appeals for merit aid through admissions and appeals for need-based aid through the financial aid office.
Every school will have its own process. Some will be more open to reconsideration than others. Be sure to pay attention to the details the school sends you and follow the steps closely.
This recommendation is rather controversial amongst parents, but we believe that the best thing you can do with the appeal is to have it come from your child.
They are the one who will be attending, and they are the one that the aid package directly affects. The school wants to hear from them.
If there are reasons your student can’t write the letter, for instance they don’t understand all the financial details, then you, as the parent, can write a supporting letter explaining the financial details in more depth. This way, your student is still getting involved in the process and writing their initial letter, but you are providing more details to show the full picture.
There may be a financial aid appeal form that will be required, along with documentation of any change or competing offer. However, the letter is the personal appeal. Your student should share why they feel an appeal is warranted, and why they want to attend the school.
Sample financial aid appeal letters can be helpful resources when formatting your student’s appeal letter. You can use the samples as a guide to create your own appeal letter that is specific to your student’s situation.
The first thing to do is acknowledge the award already received and express gratitude for it. Your student should explain how excited they are to attend the school, and how glad they are that the school offers help so that students can afford to attend.
Next, the letter should express regret because the current financial aid package doesn’t allow your student to fulfill their desire to attend the school. Express the financial considerations that make attending the school difficult or impossible with the current aid package.
Of course, these should be strong reasons. Paying for a second home or a parent’s desire to retire are not considered strong reasons to appeal. Illness, death, job loss or an additional child in school, however, can be very strong reasons.
If your student’s GPA or test scores have increased significantly since their initial application to the school, you can mention this in the letter.
Be careful about the language in the letter. Never refer to the situation as a “negotiation,” because financial aid offices don’t negotiate. Instead, be clear that your student understands the decision but feels there are additional circumstances to consider.
Be extremely respectful, and use the name of the financial aid officer if at all possible. Never use the appeal letter to vent frustration or insult the school, process, or officer. That won’t help you win anything.
Finally, include any forms required by the school, along with documentation of any extra expenses. Perhaps the FAFSA didn’t reflect costs your family has from helping ailing grandparents, for instance. If competing offers are in play, you can also include those as documentation for your financial aid appeal.
Remember that financial aid officers are working their tail off during this time. They are hearing from so many families and considering so many situations, it’s exhausting.
What’s one way to stand out? Send a thank you letter after you get the appeal information. This is the time to be as nice as you’ve ever been in your life. You and your student should be grateful and kind throughout the entire process – this will mean a lot to the financial aid office, even if they can’t grant your appeal.
Even if you get a “no,” you never know when you might need an ally in financial aid in the future. If additional funds become available, the financial aid office may be more likely to remember your student if they were respectful and responsive during the appeal process.
Here are a collection of suggestions and testimonials that were shared in our Paying for College 101 Facebook group by parents who completed the financial aid appeal process.
Obviously no appeal is guaranteed to work, but you may be surprised how much extra aid your student ends up with, so it’s good to try! If you have a great reason for reconsideration, don’t hesitate to reach out for an appeal.
You May Also Like:
Understanding the Financial Aid Appeal Process
Sample Financial Aid Appeal Letters
Negotiating College Tuition Tips: How to Get a Better Deal From Your School
Connect With Other Parents Trying To Figure Out How To Pay For College
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