What is a Financial Aid Appeal?
Families can feel trapped in the financial aid process. One such situation can occur if there is a change to the family’s financial situation compared to their financial aid application. It’s common to feel that you should simply wait until a future application that will accurately reflect the change in your financial situation. However, families can ask for reconsideration now without waiting. This process is commonly known as a financial aid appeal.
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Financial Aid Appeal
Let’s take a closer look at financial aid appeals.
What is a financial aid appeal?
I categorize an appeal as a situation where we’re asking for more need-based financial aid. This is different from asking for an increase in merit-based scholarship, which I refer to as more typical negotiation or haggling with the school. A financial aid appeal boils down to a situation where the information you reported on your financial aid applications – typically the FAFSA and CSS Profile – doesn’t accurately reflect your current financial situation.
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What are the reasons to appeal for more financial aid?
Here are reasons you can consider appealing for more financial aid.
Lost job or decreased income
Death of a parent
Separation or divorce
Change in marital status
Unreimbursed medical or dental expenses
Dependency override
Change in support payments received (child support, alimony, etc.)
If your situation is unique and doesn’t fall under this list, it doesn’t mean you can’t submit a financial aid appeal. If you feel your current financial situation isn’t properly reflected in the financial aid documents the school requested and the year they are considering, you should still reach out to the college to discuss their appeal process.
Check out our free FAFSA Guide >>
There is a lot to be gained from our free general financial aid advice, but it’s also a very individual process. If you have remaining financial aid questions, email us to discuss more or book an individual session.