Do you think that my Financial aid appeal would be accepted? I am returning to this college after a ten years

Question

I went there straight out of high school in 98/99. My grandfather passed right before I moved. My father was a horrible drunk. Mom and Dad would fight and call me fighting and it was just crazy. Mother would cry on the phone about how Could I leave her and how dare I move out and leave her down there. I would get cussed out by them. I stopped talking to my dad because he was drunk when I went home and he told me I was a backstabbing little ***** and he didnt know why I ever came home because all I did was cause problems. I was also dealing with an abusive phsycho boyfriend that my parents would chew me out for trying to dump. He was raping me, abusing me, stalking me. He followed me to and from all of my classes. Would go into a rage when I would talk to anyone. He signed up for all of my classes and sat behind me. I was going through severe depression. I told my parents what was going on and they told me that I needed to work it out with him.

Answer 1

First of all, when you write the letter you need to know why your fin aid is being denied.  Poor gpa? Dropped all your classes?  Too many hours?  Parents make too much money?  Find out EXACTLY which regulation(s) are stopping you from getting fin aid and write your appeal letter to that.  Be sure in your letter you state why your fin aid was denied (good so they can tell you understand enough so that you won't do it again) and also in your letter explain how your situation has changed so that this and other situations won't happen again.  It is perfectly acceptable to list the personal problem and why you were unsuccessful the first time, but you really want to avoid listing too many issues, as the committee is likely to think you are a basket case and won't approve your appeal.

It would be better, rather than explain all the things that went wrong before, for you to explain exactly what  your educational goals are, and what you have done in the mean time to ensure your success in school this time.  Hope this helps.

EDIT:  Also, if you blame anyone other than yourself for your academic and fin aid problems such as an advisor, professor, parents... I guarantee your appeal will go straight to the trash can.

Answer 2

Wow... talk about hogging all the dark clouds for yourself.  That is some life story.  Hopefully over the last 10 years life has been a bit kinder to you.  

Why do you need a financial aid appeal after 10 years?  Were you academically dismissed?  Did you speak to an admissions counselor and did they recommend you do an appeal letter?

You may just need to take a couple of courses and pay out of pocket, or take a private education loan for them and prove that you can do the work now.  Get good grades in those and you will have more of a leg to stand on with getting readmitted perhaps.

Answer 3

Edit: Okay, with the additional information that you have provided, I now have a better understanding of your situation.

Each school has some sort of "Satisfactory academic progress" standard for financial aid - it's a requirement of the federal financial aid programs that each school establish, publicize and enforce those rules. The satisfactory academic progress standards usually have two components, a quantitative and a qualitative standard.

Quantitative refers to your GPA - the school will mostly likely require that you maintain a minimum GPA in order to avoid both academic and financial aid suspension.

Quantitative refers to your academic progress. There is a limit to the number of semesters a student can register for before financial aid eligibility is lost. For example, if a certain degree program requires 120 credit hours, a particular school's policies might allow you to sign up for no more than 180 hours of credits before financial aid eligibility is suspended. These policies also require that students earn a passing grade in at least a certain percentage of the classes you attempt.

All schools have SAP standards, and all schools will (and must) suspend the financial eligibility of students who do not meet or maintain those standards. Students who are suspended from financial aid eligibility have two options - they can seek alternative funding sources, or they can attend school, at their own expense, until they satisfy the GPA and credit completion requirements.

All schools also provide an appeals process, and most specifically define the circumstances in which an appeal will be considered and (more importantly) granted. Unfortunately, these policies nearly always require substantial supporting documentation. It's not that the schools are cold-hearted, but they are bound by federal regulations that administer the financial aid program.

Here's an example of one school's "unusual circumstances" policy:

# unusual circumstances interfered with your ability to meet SAP standards, including but not limited to:

    * illness, accident, or injury experienced by you or a significant person in your life. Documentation required: physician’s statement, police report, or other documentation from a third party professional; hospital billing statement

    * death of a family member or significant person in your life. Documentation required: a copy of the obituary or death certificate

    * divorce experienced by you or parent. Documentation required: attorney’s letter on law firm’s letterhead or copy of divorce decree

    * reinstatement after an academic dismissal or extended break in your enrollment. Documentation required: advisor’s written statement

    * personal problems or issues with your spouse, family, roommate, or other significant person. Documentation required: written statement from medical doctor, counselor, attorney, or other professional advisor

    * successfully completing coursework during probation, yet remaining below the 75 percent overall completion ratio. Documentation required: advisor’s written statement

    * exceeding timeframe while in a second undergraduate or dual degree program or as a result of changing your major. Documentation required: advisor’s written statement

Note that all of these require documentation. I suspect your school's policy is very similar.

I don't know what to tell you - there is absolutely no harm in making every possible effort to appeal your financial aid suspension to your school's academic progress appeals committee. I just don't know if there is anything you can say in a letter that will overcome a stated policy that requires documentation. Perhaps your best bet is to make a personal appeal to an influential faculty or staff member who can lobby on your behalf.

One more thought - there are financial aid programs that you may still be qualified for, even if you have been suspended from federal aid eligibility - some of these programs include:

CitiAssist, Collegiate Funding Services, Educaid, Campus Door, U.S Bank No Fee Educational Loan, GAP Educational Loan and the Wells Fargo Collegiate Loan - these are, of course, private student loans, and they are more costly than federal funding. Co-signers may be required.  I can not vouch for, or recommend any of these options, but you may want to visit some of the relevant web sites and see if you're eligible. Unlike some of the private loan sites that are frequently touted on this Yahoo! topic, these are all large, well known, and legitimate educational lenders.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Answer 4

Without documents, no I don't think it will get approved.  For your grandfather's death, you should be able to turn in a Death Cert an obituary or a copy of the program that was given out at his funeral.  

For your illness they are going to request documents, all you can do is explain what happened when you tried.  I would advise to have the doctor/office/hospital write a letter stating that you attempted to get your records but they were lost or they don't keep records that long or whatever may have happened.

For your other issues, there really wouldn't be documents you would have to write a letter explaining them.  You could also ask someone close to you to write a letter explaining what your situation was.  

In the end, you don't have anything to lose to at least try to appeal.  Be detailed in your explanation, be sure follow your school's procedure to file an appeal.  It doesn't look good when you ar asking for a second chance and you don't turn in all necessary forms or miss the deadline.  Also, in your explanation, be sure to include details about how you have grown and explain why you are now ready for college and what a college education is going to mean to your future.

Good luck