<p>Hello, I recently lost my Merit Aid because of a low GPA. My school requires a minimum of GPA of 3.0 to keep the scholarship. I performed really poorly my freshman fall semester and earned a 2.7. However in my second semester, I managed to improve to about a 3.1 for the spring semester. It was still not enough, as being at 2.9 cumulative made me lose the merit aid.</p>
<p>I know I have only myself to blame, but just know that I didn't slack off by partying or anything like that. I had a really hard time to adjust to the college lifestyle and wasn't able to perform as well as I had in high school. I know it is too late to reapply for the FAFSA, but I just wanted to know if I can appeal for the scholarship back. My school recommends that I send a formal letter only after I have met the minimum GPA of 3.0. Does this mean if I can improve my GPA to at least a 3.0 in the fall semester, I can receive my scholarship back in the spring semester? Or do I have to wait a full year before doing so. Thanks for all the help.</p>
<p>Merit AID and FAFSA have nothing to do with each other. The FAFSA is a tool for determining financial need and qualification for federal assistance (student loans, federal work study, Pell grants). Any need-base asssitance that you received from federal funding will still be available to you, and you can still take out Stafford loans as long as you filled out your 2012 FAFSA application.</p>
<p>As to whether or not you can regain your merit scholarship for the spring semester, only your school financial aid office can answer that. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>At some schools, all you need is one term and you are done. You lose it, you don’t get it back. You need to talk to your school—find out to whom you can make a direct appeal and what the procedure to do so it. It’s certainly worth the effort.</p>
<p>I found out my school does have an appeal process, but they require a formal letter to be delivered only after my fall & spring semester GPA reaches the minimum. I know its too late to apply to the FAFSA, but does it have any deadlines in the winter?</p>
<p>It is not too late to file FAFSA. You will need your custodial parent and spouse’s tax return for 2011 as well as your own and a list of their assets and what the value is as of the day you complete FAFSA. You might want to make sure that no account is “loaded” with money earmarked for something else. Payday is not the day you want to use as the bank account will be artificially be high. You can applly for PIN for yourself and your parents immediately, so that you can start as soon as you have that info.</p>
<p>FAFSA, does not give you any money. It gives you a number which is your EFC (Expected Family Contribuition) IF it is very low, like under $5k, if your family income is very low, you can get some federal PELL money. It also qualifies you for the Stafford loans, $5500 as a freshman, $6500 as a sophomore and it increases a bit more for a senior. When you fill out the forms to get that loan, half that amount, less a 1% origination fee is sent to your school which will put it in your account and take what you owe in direct billed expenses out of that. The other half goes into the account for the spring term. </p>
<p>After you get your information from filling out the FAFSA, call your school financial aid office so someone can walk you through all of this. </p>
<p>Your parents can also borrow money once the FAFSA is filed through DIrect Loans Parents (PLUS). The interest rate is a bit higher for them, but they can borrow more than you can.</p>
<p>I’m confused, I thought the FAFSA was for both need based and merit based aid? I’m attending school in New York state, and I thought the FAFSA application for merit based aid was due in March or April, either ways its past. I’m looking for solely merit based aid as my family does not qualify for need based aid. Thanks for all the help thus far. :)</p>
<p>No, FAFSA is for need based aid - there is no FAFSA application for merit based aid. However, some schools *may *require you to file FAFSA in order to be considered for their own institutional merit based aid. In that case any cut off dates are set by the school, they are nothing to do with FAFSA itself. You would have to ask your school about this.</p>
<p>It is highly unlikely that you are going to get a dime of merit money this late in the year, and with your GPA. On top of that, most such scholarships are for freshmen. You can look on Fastweb and ask your school for information on any such award still out there, but really, your grades just put you out of what merit money you got. It’s a bit unreasonable to expect a scholarship, given your situation.</p>
<p>FAFSA has to be completed for you and your parents to be eligible for federal/state money. When you complete it, make sure you connect with TAP–I don’t know the exact eligibility for it, but you might as well give it a go while you are doing this. Though you will not qualify for PELL or subsidized loans, from what you are saying, you will automatically become eligible for up to $6500 ins DIrect Loans in your own name upon completing FAFSA. That might bridge your gap for the term and you can then appeal for return of your merit award. But it is a LOAN that you will have to repay when you get out of college. </p>
<p>If you are at UB, good luck in appealing. My son lost his award there due to low GPA, and neither he nor anyone else he knew who appealed for its return was successful that year despite every sad story under the sun. Once gone, it’s gone is the way it usually works with the appeal process there just in case there is a one in a million circumstance that will make a difference and also because thre should always be some way to protest or appeal this loss.</p>
<p>I’m attending school at SBU. Is the appeal process that strict for all schools? For me, I haven’t heard of what the appeal process is like. The money I lost was not much, but anything is better than nothing. Either ways, its still worth a try.</p>
<p>No. It varies from school to school My son’s amount was not that much either but he did file his appeal which was denied which means absolutely nothing to you, as you are in a completely different school. You might as well try, but look on chat boards at the school and see if you can get some info that can help you win your appeal, and/or find out how it usually works. My son could not find anyone who ever won an appeal, and he looked long and hard and even asked the school who did not have reassuring info for him. It can just help you in writing the appeal if someone who knows the process can give you some tips.</p>
<p>At some schools, the appeal is just a formality and any/everyone who meets certain check points will get the scholarship back upon appeal. At other schools, no one gets it back without some earth shaking reason even if lost on .01 of a point, rebounding with 4.0s. It’s an individual school thing.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help so far. I just have one more request if you don’t mind. My school will allow me the next fall semester to bring my GPA up before sending the appeal letter. If I might ask, what did your son write about in his appeal letter and how long does it have to be?</p>
<p>Drew, it’s been a few years and a few computers ago. It did not work, so it would be more of an example of what not to write. If you can find out who has gone through this succesfully at your school, that would be the most successful. Good luck.</p>