Category Archives: Merit-based Scholarships

Let’s say you’ve gotten accepted to the school(s) of your choice.  Congratulations!  However, the financial aid offer you received from them is far less than what you deserve or expected.  Even if you thought you did everything you could to lower your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and did everything correctly in the financial aid process, you still could have been under-awarded or mis-awarded by the school.  What can or should you do?  Fortunately, in some cases, by submitting a properly crafted appeal to the college, you can dramatically improve your financial aid package!

Often times, the Financial Aid Officer (FAO) at the school has the power or discretion, typically known as “professional judgment”, to adjust the mix (relative percentage of gift aid, loans, and work study) as well as the overall size of a financial aid offer or package as he or she deems fit.  (This is true more so for smaller, private institutions than large, public universities.)  Just like buying a new car at a dealership, there may be some room to bring down the “sticker price” (provided you do qualify for need-based financial aid).  Knowing exactly how to appeal the financial aid package you receive from a particular school alone can make a night-and-day difference, as we can see from the following examples.

How We Can Help
We can help you maximize your ultimate award package by

1. working with you to plan your financial aid process from the beginning so you minimize the chances of being mis-awarded or under-awarded;
2. setting you up from the get-go of the financial aid planning and application process so that you are in the best position of leverage to maximize your chances of a successful appeal;
3. conducting the appeal for you on your behalf.

Please contact us for a one-on-on consultation on maximizing your financial aid!