Experts say winning financial aid appeals is rare, but an approved financial aid suspension appeal letter can help students get more money for education. It is possible to challenge financial aid packages received from colleges after obtaining award letters. While not every student is eligible for financial aid, some situations necessitate submitting a perfect financial aid suspension appeal letter to request more money.
Hopefully, you will learn how to write a perfect and effective financial aid suspension appeal letter to get more money for education.
If you haven't filed the FAFSA yet or didn't meet your school's deadline, do it now before applying for a financial aid suspension appeal. You can file the FAFSA online. The priority deadline is usually several months before college application deadlines, so make sure to apply early enough even if you aren't expecting to win the appeal. If something happens after filling out the FAFSA that impacts your eligibility for financial aid, that could be a reason to submit a suspension appeal letter.
Submitting a Financial Suspension Appeal
Asking colleges to suspend your financial aid is not easy. You need to submit a strong and compelling argument with supporting evidence in your financial aid suspension appeal letter, so colleges understand the situation and agree that suspending your financial aid is necessary. Most schools review appeals twice a year: once in October and again in March. That means if you were unable to provide the required documents or information by the deadline for one college, submitting an appeal might be useless because it will likely be reviewed during another timeframe. Try this course on how to write an effective bank loan rejection letter.
The most common reasons for filing a financial suspension appeal include:
- Not using all of awarded loans or grants, especially if you receive them for multiple years
- A medical emergency where the student is unable to complete college courses
- Financial aid cannot be disbursed because of an outstanding balance on the student's account. A good letter of appeal for financial aid must include accurate documentation. Some students who are suspended receive more financial aid unless they failed to provide all required information. Others will need to file a new FAFSA and demonstrate why they deserve more money.
- The family financial situation changed due to job loss, death of a relative, divorce, or another unexpected event
- Higher tuition costs were charged by the college. In this case, you must provide your school's yearly cost estimates and examples from previous years that indicate higher prices for tuition. You can also show how much money was needed from your initial financial aid award package. According to experts, a good way to create a suspension appeal letter is to write down all relevant facts beforehand so you don't miss anything important when writing the final document.
You have many options for contacting colleges about suspending financial aid: email, phone call, or even snail mail. The choice depends on what information you have and which method is preferred by colleges where you are supporting for your financial situation. Evaluate your situation and select the option that will help you to write the best financial aid suspension appeal letter.
Conclusion: If you want to write a perfect financial aid suspension appeal letter, remember that it must be accurate and include all necessary information. Colleges understand tough situations, especially if a student is unable to complete college courses, provide required documentation or face an expensive tuition increase. The more time you allow for suspending your financial aid, the better your chances of winning the appeal. In most cases, colleges might require students who submit a successful appeal to sign a "letter of responsibility" document. Some colleges promise not to ask any questions about your personal life as long as you take full responsibility for addressing your situation and rectifying issues by following the plan submitted with your financial suspension appeal letter.
Writing your Financial Assistance Appeal Letter
There are various procedures to follow while determining how to draft a financial suspension appeal letter. You are on the right page if you are here for some useful tips for writing a winning financial suspension appeal letter!
Colleges usually require some kind of documentation to support suspension requests. Even if you were unable to submit anything else, sending official documentation might be enough for appealing your suspension. If your family's main breadwinner lost a job or there was a major medical emergency, submitting things like doctor's notes and unemployment letters can help sway colleges' decisions. Letters from parents may also be helpful during this process. A letter from your school counselor can show that you are an exceptional student who sticks out among other students with similar grades and test scores by doing well academically despite difficult circumstances at home.
Provide Information
The key to writing a winning financial aid suspension appeal letter is providing information. Explain why students need more money in the form of grants, scholarships, or loans. Consider including details about parents' income changes, divorce or death of a parent or unusual expenses that are outside the student's control. If possible, include documentation of any unreimbursed medical expenses for which college bills have not been paid because insurance did not cover them. A good rule of thumb is no longer than one page and it should be written as concisely as possible without leaving out pertinent information. It should also be addressed to the right person who can grant an exception for financial aid suspensions on a case-by-case basis. For example, there are separate appeals processes for federal, state, and college financial aid suspension appeals.
Gather Documents
Applicants also need to provide documentation of their situation in the form of letters from doctors or tax returns. The best way to prove anything is with documentation, not by stating it without proof. For example, if a letter explains that an applicant's parent committed suicide in January, include the death certificate with the appeal letter rather than just writing that her father died when applying for financial aid suspension help in September. Also, be prepared to explain why money might not cover all expenses because it is used up at different times depending on when tuition bills are due. It is important to know what qualifies as unusual circumstances versus exceptions based on individual judgment because appealing for more money because of a student's poor academic performance is unlikely to be approved.
Gain Support
It can also help to have third parties write letters on behalf of the student appealing for financial aid suspension. One appeal letter cannot cover every scholarship, grant, or loan type that might be available, but it gives the application more credibility when multiple forms are submitted together even if they are addressing different types of money. These letters should come from people who know what the students' situation is because they are less likely to make assumptions about their capabilities and qualifications for getting additional money for college. For applicants with fewer resources, gaining support from guidance counselors or teachers who understand academic life outside of class can help put an appealing context. A financial aid adviser may be able to write a letter on behalf of the student as well because they have more information about what could be approved.
Contact Award Letter Issuers
In addition to writing the financial aid suspension appeal letter, students should also contact their colleges or universities about receiving more financial assistance. For example, making direct appeals for exceptions from school administrators may be worth the effort. It is possible that these people will have some free money available if they can waive tuition fees because courses were dropped or a parent lost a job. If that does not work, appealing directly to scholarship providers who might be willing to extend deadlines or reduce standards can result in extra money even if it means less time for studying and completing assignments. If those options fail, students could talk to their professors about getting extensions or incompletes on work that had to be pushed back due to circumstances outside of their control.
Supporting Documents
In addition to the financial aid suspension appeal letter, it can help applicants to include other forms of documentation. For example, if one parent had passed away close to the date when tuition bills are due, send copies of death certificates so there is no confusion about what happened. It helps students to write a cover letter with the application explaining why more money is needed and how it will affect academic performance if they cannot attend school. This way administrators have all information available at once rather than having to chase down letters after the fact. Furthermore, some schools may require an additional form demonstrating that the student is not receiving any additional income that could be put toward tuition.
Inquire About The Appeals Process With The Aid Office
Determine your school's appeal process before writing and submitting a financial assistance appeal letter. Along with your financial suspension appeal letter, you may be required to complete further documents. Your academic improvement plan may need to be included separately. Learn about the school’s appeals process and deadline. In most cases, a committee will review the required documentation.
Collection of Proofs
You can increase your chances of success by attaching any academic justification you have with your letter.
Among them are:
- Evidence that you or a family member were sick
- Financial records from your job
- Taking responsibility for educational failures
Include any contact with professors demonstrating your efforts to maintain satisfactory performance and keep a high-grade point average. Encouraging academic references or academic records may also be helpful.
The Financial Aid Appeal Letter
It is time to write your financial suspension appeal letter! Required things are:
- Contact and address information
- Noms and addresses of the financial aid committee
- Reason to appeal
- The reason why you want your aid eligibility reconsidered
- Your final seal
Remember This Important Factor
Remember to tailor your letter to your scenario. A financial assistance appeal letter sample can take several forms. As opposed to family stress or health issues, your financial suspension appeal letter should focus on the issues that hampered your ability to complete your assignment on time.
What Are the Components of Writing a Successful Appeal Letter?
There are a few factors that you need to keep into considerations, and these include:
- Formal heading using student's name, ID, the date, info of the committee.
- Formal address with committee members' names the student is dealing with.
- Write introductory paragraphs and also provide deadlines.
- Explain the academic complications in one or two short paragraphs.
- Explain your strategies to improve your academic performance.
- Give a formal conclusion.
- Provide the info about related attachments. For instance, if you have medical reasons, attach the doctors' statement.
A Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Letter sample to follow:
This letter serves as my formal request for financial aid suspension and to explain why this action would benefit me and the school. I am writing because I will not be able to attend college if my application is denied and there is no way for me to pay out of pocket. If you grant me a suspension until January, it will allow me to continue my education uninterrupted while keeping up with coursework from last semester. My family has been going through an unusual hardship since August 2009 when my father became sick unexpectedly. His illness lasted nearly four months before he passed away in January 2010, but we were unaware his condition was so serious until shortly after he had been hospitalized. In those last few months, instead of being able to focus on a career and a future, I had to work constantly at my part-time job just to cover living expenses. Summer break after that semester was spent attending to the estate rather than preparing for the fall term. Even now there is still much going on as we complete paperwork, take care of legal matters and sell off things that were left behind after his death.
I am optimistic about returning next semester because I will finally be done with all these personal issues surrounding my father's passing. However, it is not financially possible for me or anyone in my family to pay another year of college tuition without some assistance since both of my parents are gone and I am an only child. If I am not granted a suspension until January, it will force me to take out more loans and go into larger amounts of debt than I already have in order to stay in college this year. My family's financial situation has put me behind by one semester, which means that my education would be incomplete if I cannot return next term. It might even lead to having to drop out altogether because we simply do not have the funds available to cover tuition.
Therefore, I ask you to please consider suspending my student aid for one semester due to unusual and extraordinary circumstances beyond my control. This action would allow me to continue attending classes without interruption while still fulfilling all class requirements from last year so that my education is not further delayed by another unplanned leave of absence.
I understand if it is not possible to grant a suspension and fully appreciate your consideration. Thank you for considering this request to reinstate my financial aid so I can return to the college as soon as possible.
- Possible Closing Sentiments:
Thank you in advance for taking the time to review my appeal and consider suspending my financial aid until January. If there is anything else that I need to do or provide, please let me know as soon as possible since classes start soon and I would like to be able to prepare myself accordingly before they begin. Enclosed are all necessary forms and documentation related to this matter, including proof of income. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you have other questions about my situation or if I can provide additional information that you need.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
John Doe's Signature
Why Is It Important to Write a Financial Aid Appeal Letter?
An academic probationary period of one semester or three trimesters is usually imposed if your appeal is successful.
In a few weeks, the Financial Aid Committee will review your academic progress and determine if you still fulfill future financial aid criteria.
What If Your Financial Aid Appeal Letter Is Denied?
Your financial assistance eligibility will not be replaced if your financial suspension appeal letter is unsuccessful.
But it doesn’t mean you have to drop out of school. Besides working while in school, you should look for external grants and private student financing.
Bottom Line
The SAP committee may not accept your appeal or suspension for various reasons, including change of post and the absence of schemes. Other types of financial support, such as private loans for students, can enable you to finish your half-year or even a year if your financial assistance cannot be reestablished. Hope this article taught you everything you needed to know about how to write a financial aid appeal letter.