Students or parents who feel they have a real need for extra aid will have more luck if they follow these Dos and Don't's suggested veteran aid officers.
Do:
Make sure you've filed all the necessary aid applications. If you haven't done so already, fill out the FAFSA. If your college is one of the 300 or so that also requires the College Board's CSS/Financial Aid Profile, fill that out as well. If you have filed the aid applications, check them to make sure they accurately represent last year's finances.
Check your college's financial aid Web page. Some have instructions or forms for filing an appeal. If you don't see any instructions, call the office and ask for help.
Send a letter to your college's financial aid office asking for a "professional judgment" review of your award. Give specific reasons why you need more aid.
Provide documentation for your claims, such as copies of W-2s, tax forms, hospital bills, and the like.
Send the appeal and documentation as soon as possible. Some aid is first come, first served.
Don't:
Lie or shade the truth. Most aid officers demand lots of corroborating evidence, and they scrutinize it. And the government can take back your aid, fine you, and even send you to prison for lying on the FAFSA.
Let shame, embarrassment, or ego stop you from filing a legitimate appeal.
Demand grants to replace student federally backed Stafford and Perkins loans or earnings from a work-study job. Although a handful of schools are promising enough grants to allow low-income students to graduate debt-free, the vast majority of schools can't afford to give out that much aid.
Expect a bankruptcy filing to guarantee you more aid. Since bankruptcy typically wipes out debts, colleges may conclude that you now have more money to spend on tuition.
Have your appeal filed by your accountant. Financial aid officers say the most persuasive appeals are filed by students themselves. Letters from parents also are often rewarded. If you can still afford to pay an accountant big bucks, aid officers may suspect you can afford more tuition, too.
Source: www.usnews.com