Financial Aid Offer Not Enough? How to Ask for More College Scholarships

[@richardvenegas3778]

Thank you for u video. My daughter didn’t get fafsa because of my income. She got grant from the college she want to, but still to high for me. I called them and suggest that I should reaply. She really wants to enroll and praying that they can find more extra funds for us.

[@k.t155]

Did she get the funds she need ?

[@richardvenegas3778]

@@k.t155 yes and really glad they did it.

[@amampersanda]

Hi I was wondering how you were able to negotiate with the financial aid office I was admitted to my dream school but it’s also a private school this year but I can no way afford the price in the financial aid summary. Could I contact you in any way? ASAP would be the best.

[@micahschultz2981]

Followed these tips and received $3500 more in scholarship per year!!

[@CollegeCoach]

Yay! Congratulations, Micah! We’re so glad!

[@josephbarragan7040]

So I received a generous scholarship from my top choice but I would like more, how would I go about framing my questions for more money without coming off as I guess ungrateful for my previous grant

[@CollegeCoach]

Just be polite, express that you’d love to attend the school and are grateful for the existing grant, but that you don’t think your attendance is feasible at this point. Ask if there are any additional scholarships you could apply for. Good luck!

[@charlesmclaughlin3108]

During this time of pandemic, is negotiating through email or Zoom acceptable or should you try to schedule something "in person"? Thanks again, you're great!

[@CollegeCoach]

Email is actually preferable, at least to start. Lay out your case in writing. You can follow up by phone or Zoom if you haven't heard back in a week or two.

[@charlesmclaughlin3108]

Thank you. Hopefully last question 😀 When should this negotiating process start?

[@CollegeCoach]

@@charlesmclaughlin3108 As soon as you’ve received all your offers. For high school seniors, right now!

[@BlakeHorns]

I was accepted off the wait list at my #1 school. Super excited! My #2 school has lower cost of attendance (tuition, room and board). In addition, my number two school offered a 4000 per year merit scholarship. Can I submit a letter asking to be considered for a merit scholarship? Any downside?

[@CollegeCoach]

Now that you've been accepted, there's no downside at all. Be prepared, however, with waitlist offers, colleges often expect very quick responses, and may tell you that you have to make a decision based on your current offer (or lack thereof). Still, however, it's worth a shot! Good luck!

[@lucasy9436]

Thank you for this video I appreciate it!

[@brisguzman9216]

My son received very little federal aid. He wants a State U in NY, they are inflexible and all the scholarships he has applied to has gotten nothing. He is heartbroken I can't pay for that school. I'll try again and call admissions.

[@CollegeCoach]

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, you can’t control what a college chooses to do-some may be willing to work with you and some may not-but all you can do is try. All our best to you!

[@brisguzman9216]

It is very sad. Now I understand why a lot of kids just don't even try.

[@charlesmclaughlin3108]

When negotiating can you tell the schools what colleges offered more merit scholarships? Thanks in advance.

[@CollegeCoach]

Yes, though we'd tend to recommend that you stick with one or two offers that you're considering, rather than sharing a long list of other offers, to create the serious threat that you'll take another school up on their offer. You can actually attach the other offer(s) to your negotiation email, so that the college knows you're not bluffing. If you don't attach the other offer(s), be prepared that the college might ask for it.

[@charlesmclaughlin3108]

@@CollegeCoach Thank you so much for your reply.

[@angelsquier2290]

Should I send an email to my financial aid office? I recieved a need based financial aid offer but would like more to ease some stress but my circumstances haven't changed. I'm just worried about phrasing everything right and was going to call but I feel like I should email instead

[@CollegeCoach]

We recommend emailing, as the person answering the phone in the aid office is unlikely to have the power to change anything, certainly not on the spot, so it's best to lay out your case in writing and let it get to the right person. Appeals that can bring some new information to the table--changed financial circumstances, better offer from another school, higher test score, or something the aid office didn't know about previously (high medical expenses, parents' own student loans, support for overseas relatives, etc.) are most likely to be successful, but, even if you can't think of much, it never hurts to ask. The worst they'll say is "no," and you never know! Good luck!

[@ashers5506]

Hello, I’m an incoming freshman and was relying on getting a Bright Future scholarship to help pay for college tuition, but unfortunately missed the criteria by so much (very frustrating). I have a EFC of 0 and have the full amount the pell grant offers. The university itself hasn’t offered any scholarships or grants to me and I wanted to know if this is a big reason to appeal to them as it was a HUGE way i was going to pay for college and it’s affecting me. As a first gen student my parents and I don’t know what to do…

[@CollegeCoach]

Yes, you should contact the Financial Aid Office to see if there are any additional resources to tap into. If not, you may want to consider two years of community college to reduce your costs. Good luck!

[@ashers5506]

@@CollegeCoach ok, thank you!! Is there anything specific I should say? I’m awful when it comes to wording things so i’m a little nervous..

[@CollegeCoach]

@@ashers5506 Just follow the tips in the video and you'll be fine. Colleges won't always say yes, but it never hurts to ask, so no reason to be nervous.

[@mariamohaj9393]

​@@ashers5506 hi what happened to you

[@mariamohaj9393]

Hello i get accepted at Sebelas maret University in indonesia but my scholarship only coverd my tuition fee and the indonesia language course so i have to pay for my accommodation in the dormitory and my everyday life but i can't do that due to the war that started in my country Sudan since April what can I do? and where i should ask for support

[@CollegeCoach]

We are not experts in Indonesian universities, but would recommend you reach out to the school--admissions or financial aid office.

[@joshuasmith4714]

Great info. Thank you for this

[@CollegeCoach]

You’re welcome!

[@torit7690]

Hi, I am foreign student enrolled in a US university. I was awarded both need based and merit but it wasn’t enough for my family and I so I requested for additional assistance and the aid was granted. However, we still couldn’t afford, so I had to defer from fall to Spring semester. Can I still request for more aid? And would it me advisable to be the one to email the school or should my dad do it this time around? Thank you.

[@CollegeCoach]

You can always request more aid. It’s unlikely the college will be able to provide significantly more aid than previously offered, but it never hurts to ask. Either one of you can do the asking, though your father may be able to speak more thoroughly about your family’s financial situation. And if the college still doesn’t come down to your price range, you may need to think about enrolling at a less expensive school. Good luck!

[@torit7690]

@@CollegeCoach Thank you.

[@alanquart1538]

Any update?

[@Denisexhope]

Hello, I would really like to attend a school but it way out of my parents budget so in the email what should I mention, and how should I start it

[@CollegeCoach]

This article might help with some possible circumstances to bring to the college’s attention: blog.getintocollege.com/10-reasons-for-a-financial-aid-appeal. Even without any of these special circumstances, if the college is way out of your parents’ price range, the financial aid office should get that from your financial aid application.

[@weirdo2746]

Hello! So I got a very generous offer from my top priority school. However, it’s not enough to fully cover all the expenses for school. I’m wondering if I should contact the financial aid office and ask for more? or would that look ungrateful and could they possible revoke my financial aid package for that? Is asking for $3k more a year reasonable or is that too much?

[@CollegeCoach]

As long as you’re polite, there’s no harm in asking. A $3k ask is reasonable, though, if your initial offer is already large, they may not offer any more. Still, the worst they’ll say is no. And you might just get a yes!

[@kam6659]

i missed the css financial aid deadline but i just got accepted into a private school. should i asked them if i can still submit it?

[@CollegeCoach]

Yes, I would submit the form immediately and follow up with the school, apologizing for the oversight.

[@gloriaangelicaromerohererr4329]

Hello, I would like to ask you a question. If we have already filed the fafsa but need to change sometjing in regards of the income can we still do it? Or is it to late to do it? And what should we do? Thank you in advance, hope to hear from you soon.

[@CollegeCoach]

If you made a mistake on the FAFSA, you can correct the error at any time. Log back into the FAFSA, correct the information, and-because of the late hour-send the Financial Aid Office a quick email to let them know about the correction. If, however, the information was correct at the time of filing, but has now changed, you aren’t allowed to update that directly on the FAFSA, but you should write an email to the Financial Aid Office(s) and ask them to reevaluate your financial aid in light of your new circumstances. Good luck!

[@gloriaangelicaromerohererr4329]

Thank you for your quick response, I really appreciate it. If we need to remove my parents income and just leave my income Will I be able to do it? Or we can't do it no more? Thank you in advance, hope to hear from hoy soon.

[@CollegeCoach]

@@gloriaangelicaromerohererr4329 That's more complicated. If you automatically qualify as an "independent" student (based on your age, marital status, etc.), federal financial aid will automatically be based upon just your information. If you don't meet one of the automatic qualifications for independent student status, you would need to appeal to the college financial aid office for what's called a "dependency override." Read more about it here: studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency. And contact your financial aid office with questions. Good luck!

[@gloriaangelicaromerohererr4329]

@@CollegeCoach ok, thank you very much really appreciate you taking your time to answer my questions.

[@user-we8ql5sz1y]

Must the email be sent to the admissions office or financial aid office

[@CollegeCoach]

If asking for more merit scholarships, admissions. If asking for more need-based aid, financial aid. If you're not sure or both might be in play, it doesn't hurt to include both offices on your email.

[@shortcakeandchai]

what if youre already in college and need to negotiate? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! i am not sure what to do as they increased my tuition by an extra 20k

[@CollegeCoach]

Hi Anisha, this is a little complicated, so we'll address in the next "listener questions" segment of our podcast, "Getting In: A College Coach Conversation." The video of the segment will likely be up here on our KZbin channel later this week and will air on Apple podcasts next week. Stay tuned!

[@fatuma2662]

How can I start my email I’m so nervous I didn’t get enough Aid but I would love to attend my dream school I need help.. I will be a freshman *^

[@CollegeCoach]

Thank them for accepting you, tell them you would be so excited to attend, but explain that it is just the money holding you back. They may or may not be willing to increase their offer, but absolutely nothing bad will come from asking. You can do this!

[@fatuma2662]

@@CollegeCoach thank you

[@phoenixlee3180]

Hi there!! Who should I address my email to if I haven’t talked to any specific person or advisor? Just the Office of Admissions (since Im doing the Merit Scholarship request)? Thank you so much for informative video!!

[@CollegeCoach]

Yes, you can send the request to the generic Admissions Office email and address the letter to the Director of Admissions. Good luck!