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Let's face it - award letters are confusing and can be misleading. Every university has their own format, and it can be hard to tell how much you are receiving in need-based aid, merit-based aid, or loans. Even worse, the university makes you wait weeks after acceptance to share how much they will offer. Your child's elation of being accepted at their top choice schools can be followed by stinging disappointment when the school offers less than you expect.
Here are a few key things to remember when appealing a financial aid offer:
1) Contact the university to determine where to send the appeal letter - some universities want letters sent to the financial aid office, others want the letter to go through admissions.
2) The letter should come from the student, not the parents - admissions officers look more favorably upon appeals coming from students.
3) Choose your top two or three schools - writing appeal letters to every school is disingenuous, and not a good use of your time. You only want to send appeals to schools that you are serious about attending.
4) Express gratitude and share why you want to attend - focus the beginning of the letter on why you want to attend the school. Be specific to the extend possible, including detail about why this school is good for the major you are choosing.
5) Include any unusual circumstances - you always want to note any financial or medical hardships that are not reflected in the FAFSA numbers. Admissions officers will take these factors into account and adjust need based aid accordingly.
If you need help, schedule a consultation with me here and I can help you with your appeal letters.