Student Loan News, Updates and Blog Posts

After you file your FAFSA and receive your financial aid package from your school either you or your parents might be unhappy with the results. When this happens your first instinct might be to write an appeal to the financial aid office. While this might be the right move in some situations other people should think twice before making a call to the college.

With so many families experiencing unemployment and salary reductions the number of appeals that financial aid offices are seeing is on the rise. Financial aid officers realize that this is a hard time for many families and they are doing everything they can to meet the need of every student. It is important to put your families’ financial situation in perspective. Although everyone has a different situation you should think about your income in the grand scheme of things. If you are a parent, see if there are places in their budget where they can make sacrifices to send their children to school. If you are a student, see if you can save a little bit of money from your summer job to put towards your education.

If you still need to make an appeal there are a few things you can do effectively communicate your situation. First, make sure you know what you are appealing. To some families an appeal is an automatic reflex. Often times parents do not know what they are appealing, they just know that the package is not enough. Secondly, try to peak with a financial aid officer over the phone Many schools encourage parent phone calls and will field as many calls as possible. This is much easier at smaller schools, but larger schools try to accommodate phone calls as well. A phone call will make it much easier for you to understand the financial aid officer and for them to understand you. Finally, make sure you have clear documentation as proof of your current income. A financial aid officer will not be able to guess your income so it is important to present your families’ current situation as clearly as possible.