This guide shows how to ask for a second look at an aid offer, from choosing which office to contact to writing a request the office can act on. It covers changes in family circumstances, competing offers and other money to look for once the answer comes back.
Which office can change which line
The college's aid office controls more of the offer than any other office. It awards the college's own grants and scholarships, distributes FSEOG and work-study, and applies the federal rules for Pell. It can also use professional judgment to adjust the information behind your Student Aid Index when your situation has changed.
A state grant is set by the state's higher education agency, and some states run their own review for changes in income. A private scholarship is decided by the group that awards it, and the aid office has no say over its amount. Send each request to the office that actually controls the line you want reviewed.
Special circumstances and professional judgment
The FAFSA uses income from two years before the award year, which can be out of date by the time classes start. A job loss, fewer working hours, large medical costs, a divorce or separation, or the death of a parent can change a family's finances well after that tax year. A financial aid administrator can review these changes case by case.
The office decides each case and asks for documents to support it. Expect to provide items such as a termination letter, recent pay stubs, medical bills or a court document. A review can raise a grant, lower a Student Aid Index or leave the offer unchanged.
Send each request to the office that actually controls the line you want reviewed.
Asking a college to look at a competing offer
A request based on another college's offer is a separate kind of appeal. Some colleges accept it, often for their own merit or need-based grants, and others decline to review offers on that basis. Ask the aid office whether it considers competing offers before you send one.
If the college does consider them, send the other offer in full rather than a summary. Point to the specific difference in gift aid, and explain why the college remains your first choice. Federal and state grants rarely change through this route, because their rules are set outside the college.
Writing a request the office can act on
Use the college's own form if it has one, since many offices route requests through a special circumstances form. Otherwise, write a short letter that states what changed, when it changed and how it affects the family's finances. Attach every document and include your student ID number on each page.
Keep the tone factual and specific. Name the award or line you are asking about, and ask what else the office needs. Keep copies, note the date you sent the request, and follow up by phone if a week or two passes without an answer.
Other money to look at after the answer
Some help remains available after the offer is final. Many colleges run emergency grants through the dean of students or the aid office, and departmental scholarships may open later in the year. Local scholarships with spring deadlines can still be worth an application after you commit to a college.
Work and service programs add other options. Ask whether work-study positions remain open, whether your employer offers tuition help, and whether a state grant for high-demand fields covers your major. Report any new award to the aid office so it can fit into the rest of the offer.
Steps to take this week
- Find which office controls each line of your offer
- Gather documents for any change in income
- Ask whether the college reviews competing offers
- Use the college's special circumstances form
Who decides
Your college's financial aid office
Send each request for more aid to the office that controls that line, with documents that show what changed.
