What are the chances of getting a financial aid appeal approval?

<p>This is my first time not meeting SAP requirements, and it is not because of my GPA. I actually am under the 75% completion rate rule but I raised my GPA from a 2.5 to a 2.77. Anyways, here's the letter I sent in to the fin. aid office:</p>

<p>To whom it may concern:</p>

<p>My name is *** and I am a junior majoring in Mathematics with 8-12 Teacher Certification. I am writing to ask you to appeal my suspension of federal aid. This letter hopefully explains my situation as to why my completion rate of classes fell below the required 75% and what I will do to raise it back to being above 75%. Please understand, I am not placing blame on anyone or anything and I take full responsibility for my actions that lead me to not meeting SAP requirements.</p>

<p>First, I will begin with my explanation of why I did not meet SAP requirements for the 2013-2014 school year. For the past four semesters, I was struggling with a medical condition that was very painful and put me behind in school work. My symptoms were abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting, and irregular/bloody bowel movements. At first, my doctor treated my condition thinking it was nothing more than a simple stomach virus I contracted from eating restaurant food and takeout. The medication she prescribed me did not work and my symptoms continued to worsen. The pain in my stomach got so severe that it was hard for me breathe, and I could not eat anything because my stomach was not able to digest it. My weight dropped to under 100 pounds and I missed a lot of classes during the 2012-2013 semesters.</p>

<p>It was during the fall 2012 semester that my condition turned really bad and I missed a lot of my classes because of doctors’ appointments and the pain. I was admitted into the emergency room in November and after many x-ray scans, the doctors finally diagnosed me with a stomach condition called ulcerative colitis, which is a disease that causes inflammation of the stomach lining and rectum. I was prescribed strong steroids and painkillers to help me overcome the pain associated with UC. Thankfully, I was able to verify everything with my professors and received incompletes in all of my classes. Two professors you can contact to verify how sick I was are *** (222-222-2222) and *** (111-111-1111).</p>

<p>In the spring 2014 semester, I was still experiencing the same symptoms; however they were not quite as severe as before because of the prescriptions. Because of this unexpected disease, I fell behind in my studies. However, I was able to recover and raise my grades and my passing rate. In the fall 2013 semester, my GPA was a 2.46 and I was able to raise that to 2.77 in the spring 2014. Furthermore, I maintained that GPA in the summer semester this year as well.</p>

<p>My plan for the following semesters is to focus all my attention on my classes and also continue taking all the prescriptions prescribed by my doctor. In addition to this, I am also scheduled to meet with my doctor every two months to make sure my medical condition is in the process of healing and not worsening. To make sure that I pass all my classes with high grades, I will also utilize the help offered by services at (university name), such as the math clinic and Supplemental Instruction in the Academic Support building.</p>

<p>I would really appreciate it if I could get another chance to prove that I am a hard working student who enjoys school and being part of the (university name) family. But, I cannot do that without assistance from financial aid. Please know that I am extremely focused on my future and my dedication to my education is paramount. Please allow me a second chance to prove that I can be a model student and achieve academic excellence.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

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<p>Nobody wants to read that many details about your illness. You had to drop classes due to illness, but as your GPA had remained healthy, you are appealing suspension. That’s pretty much it.</p>

<p>Chances are, your college has guidelines for when it grants an appeal and when it denies one. The only thing you can do is follow the procedures for appeal spelled out in the notification of suspension. If your college generally grants a first appeal, you should have a very good case.</p>