Hi! I am trying to appeal my financial aid decision (for Cal Poly SLO) but I have no idea where to start. Do I just send their financial aid office an email outlining my reasons why I need more aid, or what?
Thanks!
It’s a public school funded by California State taxes.
They don’t give full rides.
Where are they going to get the money?
Funding, to most UC’s generally comes from Cal Grants/Blue and Gold.
Everyone generally needs more aid.
You could try, but don’t be surprised if they can’t change your award.
It is a publicly-funded state college.
What exactly are you appealing in your financial aid package?
SLO gives little to no merit aid, so the majority of FA is need-based. Did you make a mistake on the FASFA with your family’s income?
And they are VERY tight with their need based aid. If you’re not eligible for Pell and Cal Grant, the. You’re likely looking at loans.
To ask the question again, what do you think is incorrect with the aid package?
I went through the appeal process once with the financial aid office once and it was serious work. All in all, I submitted about 30 supporting documents including tax returns, separation letters, signed statements from my parents, pay stubs going back at least a year, etc…
This was all for a significant “change of income” in my case, and probably the only situation in which you’ll have a fighting chance.
So, really depends on how bad you really do need the money or if you can just ask your parents or other family for help.
See “Change of Income”:
https://financialaid.calpoly.edu/_finaid/forms/1718.html