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What to Do If a Financial Aid Offer Is Inaccurate

When that financial aid offer arrives, check it carefully. Here are some circumstances you may run into and what you can do.

Circumstances you may encounter if your financial aid offer is inaccurate or impcomplete.
Situation What to Do
Contact information is incorrect. Contact the financial aid office with updated information. The student should also log in to the FAFSA portal to update information.
Financial information has changed since you submitted your FAFSA. Contact the financial aid office about drastic financial changes due to loss of a parent's job or other circumstances.
The student wants to be considered independent for financial aid purposes due to a severed relationship or abusive situation. Students with extenuating circumstances in regard to their relationship with their parents may contact the financial aid office to clarify the situation and determine the dependency appeal process.
An expected federal or state award is not listed. If the student qualifies for but didn't receive a federal or state grant or scholarship, first determine if the award is automatically granted to all eligible applicants.
  • If an automatic award wasn't received, contact the agency responsible for administering it and notify the financial aid office.
  • If the award is not automatic, funds may not be available for all applicants. You may try contacting the agency administering the award to see if any remaining funds will be awarded later.
An expected institutional award is not listed. Not all awards are automatically granted to all eligible students. If the FAFSA was filed by the college's priority deadline, contact the financial aid office to determine if any institutional awards are still available. If the award was offered by a specific department, ask a financial aid representative if the office has been made aware of the award.
A state or federal award was submitted to the wrong college. Contact the agency responsible for administering the award. Also notify the financial aid office and the financial aid office at the other institution of the mistake.
An unexpected award is listed. Many colleges consider an application for admission to also be an application for other institutional awards. If the student doesn't meet the qualifications for an award, contact the financial aid office to clarify.
A grant or scholarship awarded by an outside entity isn't shown. Tell the college about all grants and scholarships received. If an award is missing, contact the financial aid office.
A work-study amount is listed. This amount may be dependent on the student finding a work-study position and earning a paycheck based on hours actually worked. Start with the financial aid section on the college's website. If that doesn't contain information about how to locate and apply for work-study positions, contact the financial aid office.
Not enough aid was offered to cover costs of attendance. If there is a large difference between aid and costs, some options to consider are:
  • Contacting the financial aid office to inform them of the situation and see if any additional aid is available.
  • Increasing student employment to earn income to cover the shortfall.
  • Asking about monthly payment plans.
  • Exploring less expensive education options, such as a public university or community college.
  • Relying on gifts or federal PLUS Loans for parents to help pay for college.
  • Taking out private student loans to cover the remaining expenses.

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