<p>You can always ask. Lewis & Clark states you must put your request in writing. They also state that you must have really extenuating circumstances, which must also be documented. If none of this pertains to you and the school believes that you do not have a 'financial need" just be prepared that you may not receive any additional monies.</p>
<p>If this is going to be a deal breaker for you/your family, be prepared to move on to a more affordable option.</p>
<p>As Sybbie says, you can always ask. In your case, I would ask for merit money. My son got more merit when he asked. Find out if merit and need are in the same office there, and in this case when you call your admissions officer, bring up the merit award and ask for help in getting more. I don’t think going to financial aid will make a difference as it appears that you do not qualify for need. If you got aid elsewhere and the NPCs indicate you should hve gotten aid even with the merit money, you might ask for a review in case there has been a mistake. I would pore over the numbers first to see if you can find the sticking point. I suspect you might have gotten more merit at another school. Don’t mix merit and financial aid as they are often awarded by two separate offices.</p>
<p>I read that “disclaimer” as applying more to need-based than merit aid, for what it’s worth. If the school offers more merit than 12K to some students, they might consider an appeal, particularly if you can show better merit aid offers from other peer schools.</p>
<p>I think that in general you have to assume it will be unlikely that a school will meet your need on appeal, but if it’s your top choice and money is what’s keeping you from saying “yes” it’s always worth a shot.</p>
<p>Princeton Review has a book called “How to pay for College without Going Broke” that has a whole chapter about appealing FA decisions. There includes scripts of what to say as well as draft letters you can use. A lot of what people said here is in the book, but it sort of takes you through the process step by step. It was a very useful read during this process.</p>
<p>Read up on it but don’t use the script too closely. The fin aid and admissions officers probably have those scripts right by their side these days.</p>
<p>When appealing for more aid, who should write the letter – the parent or the student?</p>
<p>When it comes to FA matters, I think it’s fine for the parent to communicate with the school. I prefer doing it myself as I have a better understanding of financial matters than my child and I have never gotten the feeling that colleges have a problem with this.</p>
<p>I handled an appeal with my son’s school, and did get what we needed (which wasn’t a huge amount). I think it’s reasonable for the parents to do this as the school knows it’s primarily the parents’ finances that are being looked at, and primarily the parents who will pay.</p>
<p>ETA: for merit, I would have the student do it.</p>
<p>Who does the appeal come from – the student or the parent?</p>
<p>I appealed in person when we spoke with the administrators at admitted students orientation. I brought the peer U’s written merit offer. While I was told they generally don’t match offers, they did nudge S’s offer up to match to competitor. Both were private Us.</p>
<p>I had full need met at Ohio State (a MIRACLE) but at Case Western Reserve I need $14.5k a year to attend that is not covered by financial aid. My parents are willing to increase their PLUS loan by $4k at Case, should I appeal to have my scholarship/grant aid increased also since OSU met my full need? My parents are just learning about the FA process and are a little clueless. Case is my dream school BTW.</p>
<p>And sorry for hijacking!</p>