When your student receives their college acceptance letter, there’s typically a financial aid award letter right alongside it.
1. A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION
Usually, this means showing that there’s been a substantial drop in the household’s income. However, that can manifest in several ways.
2. ANOTHER SCHOOL OFFERED MORE
In some cases, students can leverage the financial aid offers made by other schools to increase their awards at their top-choice colleges.
3. A RECENT AWARD, HIGHER TEST SCORE, OR OTHER SIGN OF INCREASED MERIT
Many colleges offer a combination of need-based and merit-based financial aid.
4. EVIDENCE OF AN ERROR
While colleges are usually careful about calculating financial aid packages, that doesn’t mean mistakes can’t happen.
(...And Avoid Student Loan Debt)