<p>The Financial Aid Office at my college gave me a $1000 scholarship for the fall semester. In the beginning of the semester I called the office and went in person to the financial aid office to inquire about the scholarship. I even asked if they were sure it was mine and they said yes. Unfortunately, I did not get this in writing. However, I received a call a week ago from the financial aid office stating that the scholarship was not mine and that they had made a mistake. Now they want me to pay the scholarship money back. Am I liable for this? Am I legally required to pay this scholarship money back even though it was the financial aid office that made the mistake?</p>
<p>Of course you are. It was an error but it’s not your money. You have to give it back. Finders keepers doesn’t apply here.</p>
<p>You do have initial paperwork with the scholarship offer? At my dd’s campus, they log notations in the computer of phone and office contacts. You did everything you were supposed to do. BUT . . . . If YOU felt the scholarship wasn’t yours to begin with, you should have waited. You may want to go through the director of financial aid to ask.</p>
<p>Next time, if they tell you it’s yours, get it in writing. Because it was not yours, they will expect to be paid. However, I would ask to work with them, to give you time to pay it, since you made every effort to clarify the situation. Hopefully they will work with you, so this debt doesn’t hold up your spring registration.</p>
<p>I do not think you should have to pay this back if this was not need-based aid. </p>
<p>If this was a merit based scholarship, I would fight this. Otherwise schools could do this crap all the time. Award merit, then realize they “over-awarded” and then later tell students that the students “owe” them. That’s BS. Fight this.</p>
<p>If this was need based aid, then it’s different. Merit should not have to repaid because the school made a mistake. That’s their problem.</p>
<p>What made you to
?</p>
<p>If it is not on you award letter, you may have to pay it back.</p>
<p>I agree with Mom2. Most likely the scholarship was credited to the OPs account and now they want repayment. I’m not sure how the OP should have or could have ‘waited’. Bump this to the top of the finaid office.</p>
<p>I would take this one right to the top … depending on the size of the aid office, either the director of client services or the director of the aid office. Explain the situation calmly and clearly, bringing copies of everything you have, and giving a date on which you visited the aid office (many offices keep track of who you saw when you were there - as well as notations of the visit). Ask what can be done to remedy this situation.</p>
<p>Yes, it was not yours, and you should have held the money on the side, just in case … on the other hand, you came in & asked about it - said you didn’t think it was yours - were told you could keep it - at least that is what I understand from the info presented here. If it is at all possible, you might be able to work out some sort of deal. If not, though, it is within the rights of the school to expect you to repay it.</p>
<p>the fact that it wasn’t in the student’s spring award letter is irrelevant. Many times scholarships will appear on a students online acct because those were awarded later. </p>
<p>If the student has his cell phone records, show the school that you called on X date to inquire about the scholarship award when it suddenly appeared in your online acct.</p>
<p>Again, since this wasn’t need based aid, I don’t think the student should have to pay it back. Schools can’t expect kids to know whether or not they “really” should get a merit scholarship if it’s not an “auto” one. If my kid’s school gave my kid a XXX scholarship, and then much later claimed it was a “mistake”, I’d tell them to either approve it or I’d make a stink about it and it wouldn’t be worth the $1000 (or whatever) for them to push the issue any further.</p>
<p>Yes, it was not yours, and you should have held the money on the side, just in case</p>
<p>Kels, that is unreasonable.</p>
<p>Kids often ask about surprise merit awards. When they’re told that the awards are theirs, they don’t “hold the money on the side”. In fact, when the surprise awards occur before “school decisions” are made, decisions are often made based on these awards. The school needs to eat their mistake.</p>