Hello everyone! I committed to Rice this year and am so excited! There were many factors taken into consideration before I committed, but the thing is, it looks like we’ll have to appeal for more financial aid. I know it’s pretty late (we actually received the package a few days before May 1st and were considering our financial options till now), but at this point of time paying for Rice is a bit of a strain. Could anyone please tell me what’s the best way to appeal for more financial aid? Anything to say/not to say? There are no sudden, special circumstances to inform them of. We simply just cannot afford the current price. As of right now, tuition is covered (with Stafford loans) and we’re looking to see if they could help cover room and board.
Thank you in advance to everyone who replies to this! 
Financial aid at Rice is pretty straightforward - it’s based on need. And Rice determines each family’s financial need from the info provided on FAFSA and the CSS Profile. If your answers on both the FAFSA and Profile accurately represented your current financial situation, I don’t see where they’d have much flexibility to increase your offer.
But it’s Rice, and they’re ridiculously generous . . . so if they can possibly find a way to adjust your award, I’m sure they will. The only thing you can do is present your situation honestly and clearly. If there are any circumstances that were not presented in the Profile, make sure to note those, and explain them fully. This could include medical bills or other obligations that are currently impacting your family’s ability to pay.
And I’m assuming it’s your parents who are paying your room and board, and not you . . . so it really should be one of your parents who contacts the financial aid office, since they can best explain any constraints on their ability to pay. (Obviously, if there are language issues, then you should take the lead.)
I hope it works out for you!
Thank you so much @dodgersmom!
First let me echo @dodgersmom that it should be your parent contacting the office, or maybe do a conference call with you and your parents on the line with the Financial Aid Office.
I have had to appeal Son’s financial aid and found a couple of things in particular to be of interest to the Financial Aid Office. The first happened after he was accepted; I mentioned how passionately devoted he was to the engineering club he was participating in during high school. He had given up his Spring Break just to work on trouble-shooting the robot the club was building. I posed this to explain how he would be such a good fit for Rice and Rice for him. The portrayal of Son as “passionate” about his endeavors seemed to hit the right button.
Then another time I simply described my financial situation that seemed straightforward, but the counselor I talked noticed something (in my favor) that I had not realized was indeed a factor requiring additional help. My point here is that don’t consider it an “appeal.” Consider it as simply a discussion where you explain your financial circumstances and explain that being able to afford the school might simply be too big of a stretch, much to your regret. Yes, they have your financial information in front of them, and there may not be any obvious problems on the face of the reports they have, but engaging in a one-on-one phone exchange may bring to light other subtler avenues to making it less financially burdensome for you to attend.
Best of luck; Rice has been such a wonderful experience for us.
I’m so sorry, I just saw this, but thank you so much @RiceMom123! Your advice has been so helpful, and my father now has a clear idea about how to approach them again!