Last week’s blog covered how to read your award letter, but what can you do if the amount you are on the hook for is higher than what you can-- or want to-- pay? Ideally you will have sussed this all out before applying to schools, but the reality is that a school isn’t always transparent about expected family contribution, and even when it provides a cost calculator, the school doesn’t necessarily stand by it. Thus, many families are left comparing award letters as decisions come out and trying to decide how to proceed. The approach you take depends on whether you are appealing financial aid or a merit award. 

Appealing a School’s Financial Aid Offer

What’s a “Meets Need” school? 

A small percentage of schools is “meets need;” that is, the school pledges to cover the cost of college beyond whatever the federally calculated expected family contribution is on the FAFSA (and often requires the CSS too).  In financial aid speak, the college covers the difference between the college costs and the expected family contribution (EFC), which is the demonstrated financial need (DFN). 

Costs - EFC = DFN

Some “Meets Need” schools pledge to cover the DFN amount without resorting to loans. These include Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and a handful of others. All such schools are very generous with need-based financial aid. Even very low-income students can apply to these schools without worrying about the expected cost; on the other hand, high-income families should expect to pay a lot of money at these schools, as these schools do not play the merit aid game and are therefore very expensive for families without demonstrated financial need. 

If you have high financial need and are admitted to a school in this category, you should have your financial need met, even without loans at some schools. If your financial aid package comes back requiring a contribution that is too high for your family, call the financial aid office to appeal the award. 

What if I was accepted to a school that does not pledge to “Meet Need?”

You might find you are admitted to an excellent school, but there is a huge gap between the financial aid awarded and the EFC determined by FAFSA/CSS. In this case, the school makes no commitment to meet your need, but you can return to the financial aid office to appeal the award. You may be asked for additional information or to fill out lengthy forms, and it is essential to do what the school asks if you want to obtain more aid. 

How do I appeal a financial aid award? 

If you believe aid has not been calculated correctly for any reason, including if your family’s financial situation has changed since you filled out the FAFSA/CSS in the fall, you should indicate that to the financial aid office like this: 

“I am thrilled to have been admitted to ___ school. It is my first choice/high on my list for the following reasons ____.” 

“However, my family’s financial circumstances have changed.” or “My family’s calculated expected contribution does not align with the cost calculator I did when I applied.” (or both)

Can you exercise your professional judgment to review my file and re-consider the financial aid package? I will be happy to provide you with my recent tax forms, bank statements, and any other relevant information.” 

If the college meets need, you should explicitly point out that commitment and pull up the numbers to show the discrepancy between your financial situation and the gap the school has incompletely filled between EFC and college costs. If you are appealing to a school that is not “Meet Need”, you do not have that negotiating chip, but you can appeal based on your desire to attend and your family’s financial need. 

CTK Pro Tip: It is best if the initial communication comes from the student. College is an adult phase of life, and schools like to see students step up to advocate for themselves. 

CTK Pro Tip: Always be honest. If a school is not your top choice; don’t say so. Instead you can state that it is “very attractive” or “high on my list.” 

Appealing Merit Awards

How do I appeal a merit award?

Merit awards are a university’s attempt at cost discounting designed to lure attractive students to a school. If you have been admitted to a school that you would like to attend but the cost is higher than you want to or can pay, you can appeal to the school for a higher merit award. 

Because schools use merit awards to attract desirable students, you should think about what makes you attractive to the school, that is, what sets you apart from other candidates. Remember that at this point the school has an interest in keeping its yield numbers high. In other words, it has admitted you, and it will look better for the school if you accept their offer than if you don’t. You are in a strong negotiating position that can result in a win-win: you attending the school of your choice at an affordable price and the school getting a student it wants on its campus. Because this is an admissions issue, you should appeal to the admissions office. 

“I am thrilled to have been admitted to ___ school. It is my first choice/high on my list for the following reasons ____.” 

“The costs are still high for my family. In fact, I have offers from ____ and ____ that bring my family contribution down to _____. Could you match those offers to make your school an affordable option for my family?”

How do I know what, and how much, to ask for?

In the above example, you are asking for the college to meet the offer or offers from other schools. Note that you are not asking for the same award but rather for the school to get you to the same level of family contribution. A $30k merit award that brings you to a family contribution of $40k is not as useful as a $20k award that brings you down to a $25k contribution. 

Short of the college meeting your need or matching other offers, you may be wondering what you can expect when you negotiate the merit award. 

These are some of my favorite resources for comparing costs and awards across colleges: 

• Tuition-free colleges Colleges that don’t charge tuition

• Merit Aid chart by school  Listing typical merit aid per student for families with no financial need

• Tuition Fit Share your data to get information back on other students’ merit offers 

• National Merit Scholar Merit Aid Some of these colleges offer steep discount to NMS finalists

• Paying for College 101 Resources for finding low-cost options, including out-of-state public schools

• Road to College/College Insights Subscription service that allows you to compare specific merit awards by school

When all is said and done, the goal is to have a school that is the right fit for you and will be affordable for your family. We have thousands of colleges in the U.S., and there are many affordable options.