---
name: financial-aid-appeal
description: "Write a financial-aid appeal or scholarship request letter that aid offices act on — factual, documented, and specific about the ask. Use when asked to appeal my financial aid, write a scholarship letter, ask for more aid after circumstances changed, or respond to an aid decision. Produces the appeal letter with the changed-circumstance case documented, the specific dollar ask, the evidence list to attach, and the follow-up plan."
---

# Financial Aid Appeal Skill

Aid offices don't respond to hardship essays; they respond to *documented changes with specific asks*. This skill builds the appeal the way an aid officer processes it: what changed, since when, evidenced by what, and exactly how much is being requested. Dignity throughout — facts carry the emotion better than adjectives do.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The appeal letter** — one page: the change, the numbers, the documented evidence, the specific ask
- **The evidence checklist** — what to attach (and what offices can't act without)
- **The ask math** — the gap computed, not gestured at
- **The follow-up plan** — timing, who to contact, and the phrases that keep the file moving

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **What changed** — job loss, medical costs, family change, competing offer — with dates
- **The numbers** — original aid, current gap, family contribution then vs now
- **Available documentation** — termination letters, medical bills, the competing school's offer
- **The school and deadline** — appeal windows are short and hard

## Framework

1. **Change is the case:** appeals succeed on *changed circumstances since the original application* or *information the office didn't have*. Establish the change in the first two sentences.
2. **Numbers, then feelings:** "household income fell from $84k to $51k in March (termination letter attached)" does what three paragraphs of worry cannot. One human sentence is allowed; one.
3. **The specific ask:** "an additional $4,500 in grant aid to close the gap shown below" — offices can approve a number; they cannot approve "any help you can offer."
4. **Competing-offer appeals** are legitimate and have their own etiquette: state the offer factually, attach it, express genuine preference for THIS school, never ultimatum.
5. **Every claim gets a document** — undocumentable claims get reframed or cut; unsupported hardship claims damage the documented ones beside them.

## Output Format

# Financial Aid Appeal: [student, ID] — [school, term]

[Date, aid office address]

**Paragraph 1 — the change:** what changed and when, in two factual sentences.
**Paragraph 2 — the numbers:** then vs now, the resulting gap, table if clearer.
**Paragraph 3 — the ask:** the specific amount and type (grant vs loan matters — say grant).
**Paragraph 4 — one human sentence + commitment to the school.**
**Enclosures list:** [every document referenced]

## Evidence checklist
[Per claim: the document that proves it, and where to get it if missing]

## Follow-up plan
[Confirm receipt at day 3 · polite status check at day 10 · the sentence to use · who escalates if the window nears]

## Quality Checks

- [ ] The change and its date are in the first two sentences
- [ ] Every number has a then/now pair and a document
- [ ] The ask is a specific dollar amount and aid type
- [ ] One page; one human sentence; zero adjectives doing evidence's job
- [ ] The deadline and follow-up dates are real calendar dates

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not write a hardship essay — offices process documentation, not narrative
- [ ] Do not leave the ask vague — "whatever is possible" is a request for the minimum
- [ ] Do not exaggerate or shade the numbers — offices verify, and a caught embellishment ends the appeal and taints the file
- [ ] Do not ultimatum with a competing offer — preference plus facts, never threats
- [ ] Do not miss the window while polishing — a good letter today beats a perfect one after the deadline

## Example Trigger Phrases

- "Appeal my financial aid."
- "Write a scholarship letter."
- "Ask for more aid after circumstances changed."
- "Respond to an aid decision."