<p>Hello everybody. I need some urgent advice regarding my current financial aid awards. Here's my situation: I'm currently attending UW-Madison as an out of state resident. Initially the school gave me a pretty good financial aid package. including the loans that were offered it was about $29,000 in aid. But I got a few scholarships and that took care of the loans. One of my scholarships was $6500 and at first I thought that the school was letting me keep it, but out of no where half way through the academic year they tell me that they are reducing my grants because of that scholarship. Because of that I just received a bill for $2,900 to pay them back for the grants that they originally gave me. </p>
<p>Tomorrow I have an appointment with a financial aid officer to see if I can get some of that money back because I can't pay the bill they just sent me and my parents don't have the money either. I only have enough money left to last me for food till the end of this semester. Can anybody give me any advice on how I should discuss this with the aid officer? </p>
<p>When the $6500 scholarship was sent to the school, it had a letter from the organization that gave me the scholarship stating that the scholarship should be used to reduce only loans and work study and should not affect grants. Should I bring this up or will I just look like a fool?</p>
<p>Sorry I don't have an answer for you - just wanted to say "what's up with that!?" and man, you're scaring me that schools could do that! Good Luck tomorrow - don't be afraid to state your case, beg, whatever you have to do!</p>
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When the $6500 scholarship was sent to the school, it had a letter from the organization that gave me the scholarship stating that the scholarship should be used to reduce only loans and work study and should not affect grants. Should I bring this up or will I just look like a fool?
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<p>I would bring that up. Also, I read somewhere that there is a specific order in which financial aid is supposed to be reduced, starting with loans/work study. </p>
<p>sorry I can't really help, but best of luck! That situation really sucks.</p>
<p>Yeah, life sucks. I spoke with a financial aid officer for an hour today and I ended up having to take a loan for that amount. Kinda ironic, you get money in scholarships and it ends up making you to be poorer. And I thought I was going to be loan free this year. Of course I thought UW was good to me with all those grants too, but I was wrong.</p>
<p>At least I'm going back to FL next year where 75% of my tuition will be paid for and hopefully where my "actual" aid package is presented to me up front so I don't have to go through this ordeal again. Sigh</p>
<p>From another thread:
Actually, there is a federal guideline for the reduction of funds...and first is Parent PLUS Loan, followed by Unsub Loans, then Sub Loans, then Perkins Loans...and so on down the line.</p>
<p>it's all up to the school to decide what the scholarship money is used for. </p>
<p>because afterall, the grant money is their money offer to you, the student.</p>
<p>so, there comes a point when outside scholarship is practically useless.
though, i'm sure you can find ways to come across this by negotiating deals with the finaid office.</p>
<p>Not all that familiar with college admissions and financial aid, but, anytime I read something as a "guideline", i figure it is just that. Not a rule, not a law. YRMV</p>