<p>Hey guys (: I wanted to post this to give future applicants hope, and to check in with everyone else who put in an appeal. The results of mine were extremely positive, which restored my faith in NU Financial aid. I really feel like they live up to everything they promise.</p>
<p>My Original Financial Aid:
Northwestern Scholarship $11,283.00<br>
Federal Work Study $2,200.00<br>
Federal Perkins Loan $1,000.00<br>
Fedl Sub Stafford Loan $3,500.00<br>
Academic Year Totals $17,983.00 </p>
<p>After the appeal:
Northwestern Scholarship $38,883.00<br>
Federal Work Study $2,200.00<br>
Federal Perkins Loan - UG $2,500.00<br>
Fedl Sub Stafford Loan $3,500.00<br>
Academic Year Totals $47,083.00</p>
<p>Who else put in an appeal / what were the results?</p>
<p>Were there any circumstances that had changed since you received your first aid package that made you submit an appeal or did you just not feel the original package was good enough?</p>
<p>I applied for an appeal…they changed nothing. i appealed cuz the efc was too high…no major shifts in financial condition…but still not easy to afford</p>
<p>Basically, when we got the financial aid package, we didn’t feel like it reflected our need / situation. I don’t want to make it sound like it was an easy process and NU just waved its magic wand, and I suddenly had a lot more money. I only mean to say that NU was very helpful through the complicated experience. </p>
<p>We began the process of the appeal the Monday after packages were released (I think that was the 5th) and began by contacting FAFSA to make sure our EFC was correct, and having that reevaluated. Then, we got in contact with NU’s financial aid office. I was lucky, because the man who we wound up talking to was someone who also worked in admissions, who I had met when he visited my school, and had kept in contact with regarding all my admissions questions. So, it wasn’t just a complete stranger helping us out.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I can’t go into a great amount of detail in what was required for the appeal, because my dad covered most of it, but along with the appeal letter explaining circumstances, there were a lot of forms that our representative needed faxed / sent. Proof that our claim that the package was unsubstantial, basically. But it wasn’t a guessing game. Our family called, explained our situation, and NU outlined exactly what they needed from us to reevaluate our package. </p>
<p>It then took two and a half weeks or so to process, but our representative was with us every step of the way.</p>
<p>I know it’s going to be different for every person and every situation, but my suggestions to anyone wanting to go through the process would be to start at the source by making sure your EFC is correct (there are a lot of small mistakes to be made on the FAFSA forms), and get in contact with NU’s financial aid office right away. Our experience was positive, and the office was very helpful, and so I assume that if you’re truly in need of a reevaluation, NU will pull through for you.</p>
<p>I sent in an appeal for my son, due to salary decreases I took in late 2009 (therfore my 2010 expected salary was over-stated). Noticed today in CAESAR, only got a reduction in my EFC of $3,000, which was coverd by increasing the NU Scholarship by $3,000 for this year.</p>
<p>I’m glad everything worked out for you, logleptic. Did your financial situation change dramatically? Or did you guys make some serious mistakes on the FAFSA the first time around?</p>
<p>I didn’t have so much luck when I appealed. My parents submitted an appeal explaining the changes in our financial circumstances (they weren’t catastrophic, but enough that what they had offered us wasn’t going to cut it). They gave me a tiny bit more aid that was not proportionate to the change in circumstances that we had demonstrated. I’m hoping for better results next year…</p>