A financial aid appeal is a letter of application through which a student can request the college or federal authority to provide him full or partial financial support for his education. Financial aid appeals are evaluated by the U.S. Department of Education. Judging by the information provided, the amount of financial aid, if any, is determined.
To apply for financial aid, you can obtain the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA). The forms require information, such as annual family income and number of earning members in the family. For every bit of information you provide, you must be able to support with appropriate documents. Keep photocopies of each and every document. When the financial aid approvals come out from different colleges you had applied to, select the one that meets your requirements (the amount of funding given, the course you find most suitable and the quality of education) the best.
Apart from basic financial incapacity, there are some circumstances that make a potential student unable to fund his higher education. A sudden job loss, or perhaps switching to a job that pays less, are two such cases. Some unexpected or unusual expenses, such as a medical procedure, debt repayment and wedding expenses, also fall under this category. Again, there are some students who are suddenly forced to adopt independent status due to any one of the following reasons: parents who are unwilling to contribute to their child’s education, those who to refuse to give information or verification for financial aid or those who claim that the student as independent to reduce income tax. A student might himself claim that he is independent. For all of these cases, special application forms are available. Again, the concerned student must be able to produce sufficient evidence of his condition.
Wards of court almost always require financial assistance from either the government or the concerned college because, being protected by the court, his legal guardian is not responsible for his finances. As a ward of the court, the student may still be in contact with or living with his biological parents who are financially capable of bearing his educational expenses, but he is still qualified to receive financial aid. If a student is declared a ward of court before the end of the year, the student is considered eligible for financial aid in the award year. The administrators of a college may want legal documents from the court or a signed copy from a judge validating the student’s state.
After submission of the FAFSA, it is processed by Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education. If an online form is submitted along with a valid email address, it takes less time to process and email the respective student his Student Aid Report. If the form is submitted offline, it takes about two to three weeks for the same. SAR contains all of the information provided by the student; you can edit it using your PIN at the website http//: www.fafsa.gov. The financial aid office will send the student an award letter if a school he listed has offered admission with suitable financial aid. It offers information about the funding he might receive from federal, state and school sources. Federal student aid program offers three types of aid to continue education after high school: grants, work-study and federal loans.