Most college financial aid offices will request documentation anyway, so this speeds up the process. Including the person’s name at least twice throughout the appeal letter gives the letter a personal touch. Similar to writing a cover letter, this should be addressed to a person rather than a generic greeting such as to whom it may concern. Attach documentation that backs up your appeal reason. Address the letter to someone in the financial aid office, ideally the Director of Financial Aid.If you’ve received an alternative (higher) offer, be clear about that.Explain your reason for writing, and use numbers if possible. Be honest and specific about your family’s circumstances.Be clear about why you want to go to the school, as well as why you are a student they should want to keep (You’re hardworking, you’re high-achieving, etc.).
What information should I include in the appeal letter?
If you have multiple reasons for appealing, you’ll need to decide how to strategize what to include vs. In this case, you can appeal to have your next semester’s aid raised. This change might have occurred between when you filed your FAFSA and when you received your original financial aid offer, OR it might occur in the middle of a school year. Common reasons for this include a family member losing their job, a birth or death in the family, separation or divorce, medical bills, and special needs children. Your family now has a different (lower) ability to contribute to your college expenses. Maybe your family has debt outside the United States, or informal debt to family members.Ĥ) Your financial circumstances have changed. Maybe your parents will likely earn way less this year because they work freelance and their main client dropped out. You want to see if you can use your other offer as a bargaining chip, to negotiate for more aid at your top school.ģ) Your FAFSA didn’t reflect some nuanced financial situation. Your top choice school has offered you less financial aid than another school. Now, you can’t afford to attend without more aid.Ģ) You received a better offer at another school. You were thrilled when you received an acceptance letter to your top school, but then less than thrilled when you got your financial aid award letter. There are four common scenarios for why you might want to appeal your original financial aid offer, and request more aid:ġ) You just got admitted, but it’s just not enough. Your financial aid counselor uses this calculation to determine what types of aid you are. The direct and indirect costs listed on the Offer Letter are all estimates. Estimated Direct Cost + Estimated Indirect Cost Total Estimated Cost of Attendance. Javascript:if (typeof CalloutManager != 'undefined' & Boolean(CalloutManager) & Boolean(CalloutManager.closeAll)) CalloutManager.Why might I write a financial aid appeal letter? This estimate is the amount that your financial aid offer is based on.