How to Negotiate a Financial Aid Award
Lads and lasses
It's that time of year when colleges finish up sending out their admissions decisions...
...followed by offers of financial aid and merit scholarships. Is yours a little bit on the "light" side?"
This may shock you, so I hope you're not operating any heavy machinery...did you know that sometimes -- SOMETIMES -- the financial aid and admissions offices don't give their "highest and best" offers?
Yes, it's true. Colleges aren't always as generous as they might lead you to believe, readin' all that malarkey on their websites about making college "affordable for all" blah blah and BLAH.
Let me ask you another question, Snooki Lumps.. Did you know that you can actually APPEAL (negotiate) your offer?
Yes, it's not a case of "You get what you get and you don't get upset." You should always try to get more than their initial low-ball offer, because there's zero downside to asking! They can't rescind their offer of admission, in case you were wondering.
Knowing how to mount a successful appeal is THE way to make an UN-affordable college, suddenly affordable.
But not all appeals are successful, my friend.
I know, first-hand, what works and what doesn't.
Generally speaking, you have a shot at a successful appeal under a few different scenarios:
- You offer *new* information that bears on your ability to pay tuition to the college, that wasn't on the financial aid applications
- You've had a drop in income
- You've had a significant, unusually high increase in expenses that bear on your ability to pay tuition
- You have better offers from other competitor colleges to use as "leverage"
I wrote a best selling book on this topic, How to Negotiate Your Stingy Financial Aid or Merit Aid Offer, based on my long and sordid record of wheedling additional dollars from colleges after their so-called "final" offers. That book is available on Amazon, but I'm not just some "theory guy" who writes books and columns -- I've been appealing awards, in the trenches for my clients, for years!
In fact, I just (as in last week) heard from a client in Oregon that we helped her get an extra $9,800 in free money, above and beyond her initial offer, which was pretty decent to start. Not too shabby!
if you want to get some help for your cause...
...if you received a financial aid offer or merit aid offer, and you're wondering, "Where's the beef?"...
You should check out the COURSE I created, a "Master Class" on how to appeal your merit or financial aid award.
It's a short, simple and easy to understand on-demand coaching lesson, including actual sample appeal letters that worked for my clients...
...PLUS my personal assistance (first 17 to sign up only)!
Use the coupon code APPEAL when you checkout for an instant, $200 off Fast Action Scholarship. Deadline February 1.
https://www.
See that page for all details.
Speak soon,
-Andy "The Art of the College Deal" Lockwood
P.S. Not only does the master class include an extensive, step-by-step training lesson, which you can watch at your leisure on-demand, covering every possible argument or scenario for a successful appeal, but it also includes some nifty bonuses, including:
- A pre-appeal review of your appeal letter and "situation," to see if I can punch up your actual appeal to make it more effective (hint: always)
- Sample letters of appeal you can use to "model" (not "plagiarize") for your appeal)
You get lifetime access to the training and materials, by they way, so you can use it for additional college years and additional children! The investment in this "college knowledge" could pay off for years!
Here's the page one more time, use coupon code APPEAL
https://www.
P.P.S. Here's the Google review from the client I mentioned, telling her side of the story:
Our family signed on for college financial aid advising and i cannot stress enough, how much stress was reduced by having the Lockwoods on board to help us navigate our first kid going to college. From submitting CSS & FAFSA in this bonkers time to negotiating aid, they were responsive, creative and effective! When our initial aid offer wasn't as strong as we hoped, Andy reviewed our small business P&L and helped us make the case for more funds! It worked! We actually got to a place where we can make it work and send our son to his #1 school! - Suzanne Wright Baumhackl
