Financial aid appeal letters: What they are and how to write one

Sometimes, the financial aid colleges offer you is not enough to cover the basic costs of attending college. While a college reconsidering your financial aid package is not the norm, a financial aid appeal letter may help you to make the case for a review. If your circumstances have changed since filling out the FAFSA or you believe your school needs more information to accurately assess your financial need, consider submitting an appeal letter.

What is a financial aid appeal letter?

After you submit your FAFSA and apply to a college, your college will send you a financial aid award letter detailing every type of aid available to you, including scholarships, work-study and federal student loans. Your financial aid is determined by the information you gave on your FAFSA — along with your academic performance, in the case of merit-based scholarships — but circumstances may have changed since you submitted it.

If this is the case, you can send a letter to your school’s financial aid office appealing for more aid. Though rare, it is possible to get more financial aid through this process. An appeal letter should be carefully written, submitted to the right person and only used for specific circumstances.

How to write a financial aid appeal letter

Your financial aid appeal letter should explain your financial situation and why you need more aid– not simply ask for more money. An appeal letter should be polite, succinct, and professional, explaining why your household income or financial situation has changed– and why this may impact your ability to attend the school.

Before you start writing, call your school’s financial aid office to discuss your options. Some colleges may have a different process than an appeal letter for aid package reconsideration.

Start promptly

Write your appeal letter as soon as possible to increase your chances of being awarded more. Schools have limited financial aid to distribute, so it’s best to submit your appeal early in the admissions process.

Look up the application closing date at your school and submit the letter well before, if possible. If you’re further into the admissions process, submit the letter as far ahead of the term start date as you can.

Address a specific person

In your letter, you can address someone in the financial aid office you’ve talked to or an official listed on the department’s website. If you’re not sure who to target, call or email the financial aid office and ask for the name of the best person to address. You may also want to ask how they’d like to be addressed, such as including an honorific before their name (Mr., Ms., Mx. or Dr.), or degrees after it (such as Ph.D.).

Be clear and concise

Explain your specific requests succinctly and respectfully. Your tone matters; stick to the facts of the situation and explain how the lack of financial aid impacts your ability to attend the school. You can find guides to help you write concisely, like the one from the University of Arizona.

Use specific examples to support your claim

Explain the facts of your current situation. If one of your parents was laid off, for instance, include when it happened and how much your family’s income has been reduced. However, do not go into excessive detail about the circumstances — your goal is not to make the official feel sorry for you but to demonstrate why you need more financial aid.

For instance, you might write in your financial aid appeal letter, “The situation with my family’s net income level has changed. My mother has had to go in for extensive medical treatment due to a car accident, and we are paying $30,000 in out-of-pocket medical bills.”

End on a positive note

Thank the specific person you addressed your letter to, and thank them for the opportunity to request more financial aid. Express gratitude and end on a friendly note, with the expectation that you’ll hear from them soon.

While writing a professional letter like this can be intimidating, there are online resources and templates that you can use to guide you through the writing process. Before sending, see if you have a trusted friend, family member or school counselor proofread your letter.

Work with the financial aid office in case they also require proof of changed circumstances or any other paperwork.

Financial aid appeal letter example

When to write a financial aid appeal letter

When it comes to writing an appeal letter, there are specific circumstances that increase your chances of approval.

Another school offers more financial aid

If you apply to more than one school and find a big difference in financial aid packages, use that gap to bolster your appeal for more aid. However, only compare offers at similar types of schools. For example, don’t compare an offer at a private university with one from a large, public university in an appeal letter.

If you have two schools comparable in size and stature, compare both of your aid packages. Then calculate the amount of financial aid you should receive based on the school’s net price calculator (NPC), available on many school websites. If there’s a significant discrepancy, consider pointing that out to your first choice college’s aid department.

Your financial circumstances have changed

If there was a significant change in the family’s financial circumstances (e.g., job loss, unexpected reduction in work hours, etc.) since you initially submitted the FAFSA, this could be grounds for an appeal.

“Families should be prepared with recent tax returns, cash flow statements, and other supporting financial documents in case the college or university requests them,” advises Jonathan Sparling, Certified College Financial Consultant and vice president of strategic partnerships at CollegeWell.

Some circumstances that warrant a financial aid appeal letter are:

• Death of an immediate family member.
• Unexpected medical expenses.
• Divorce.
• Job loss or a reduction in income.
• Homelessness.

Your academic performance has improved

According to Sparling, it may also be worth appealing if your academic outcomes have significantly improved since you initially applied. It could include higher standardized test scores or an improved GPA.

“Students should provide documentation to support these new accomplishments,” Sparling adds. “Note that this type of appeal typically applies only to schools that offer merit-based scholarships.”

What to do if your appeal letter gets denied

There are still plenty of ways to pay for higher education, even if your appeal letter is denied:

• Apply for scholarships. Apply for as many scholarships as you can. Because you don’t have to pay back these funds, they’re an ideal first step if you need help paying for college. There are scholarships available for just about everything, and they may be granted by schools, nonprofits and private organizations.
• Consider private student loans. After maximizing your federal aid and scholarship opportunities, private student loans can help cover any remaining costs. They’re usually a last resort since they can have higher interest rates than federal student loans, and they don’t afford the same protections. However, with high loan maximums and some unique benefits, they are worth considering if you otherwise can’t afford your education.
• Look at other programs. If you’ve exhausted every other financial aid option, consider a more affordable program. Online schools and community colleges are often thousands of dollars cheaper than four-year universities. Many students attend community college for the first year or two of their education before transferring to a more expensive four-year college.

Bottom line

It can be daunting to write a financial aid appeal letter. But Sparling stresses understanding the appeal policy and being mindful of timing. Both factors may impact your appeal’s chances of being considered. “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” he says, if conditions have changed substantially.