08/20/2026
Your financial aid offer is NOT always final. 👀💰
⚡️Comment “FINANCIAL AID” for my free financial aid negotiation template and you can find a more in depth workbook with several sample scripts, what to say in follow ups etc in my 🅱️i🅾️.
Here’s what can make your appeal stronger:
1️⃣ BE SPECIFIC. Explain exactly what changed or why your current financial aid package doesn’t accurately reflect your family’s financial situation.
2️⃣ DONT DEMAND A SPECIFIC AMOUNT. Explain your circumstances and ask the financial aid office to reconsider your package
3️⃣ BRING RECEIPTS. 📄 If your appeal is based on a change in financial circumstances, be prepared to provide documentation that supports what you’re explaining.
And here’s the tip I promised in the video that almost NO ONE talks about:
4️⃣ REMEMBER THERE ARE REAL PEOPLE BEHIND THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE.
Before reaching out, look up your school’s financial aid administrators and leadership on LinkedIn. Read their backgrounds. You might discover that you volunteered with similar organizations, have similar educational experiences, come from similar backgrounds, or have something else genuinely meaningful in common.
For example, I once reached out to a Vice President of Academic Affairs. When we eventually spoke on the phone, he shared that he had also been a first-generation college student and understood how difficult navigating college finances could be.
We were able to connect over that shared experience.
The goal is NOT to manipulate someone into giving you more money. It’s to remember that you’re communicating with human being & genuine relationship building, kindness, and thoughtful communication matter.
Financial aid negotiation helped make my own education more affordable, which is why I want more students to know that the first number they see doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of the conversation.
financial aid