In the spring of the senior year, after the timely submission of admissions applications and financial aid applications, the student will begin receiving award letters. An award letter is a statement from the school detailing the type and amount of financial aid the student can expect to receive. A typical award letter will denote funds from varied sources including federal, state, and the college’s own resources. While some award letters are easy to understand, more prove to be complicated.

The Department of Education has long promoted and offered a standardized format for the communication of the awards letter. Regrettably, only a few colleges use this easy to understand format. Still, it is important to know if an award letter has met the standards that the college set for their previous year’s freshman class. Awards Analysis was created to address these issues. If the award is lacking compared to the norms set by the college, appeals for more money (in the form of additional merit and need-based assistance) is appropriate, and many times successful.

We are here to help you evaluate your awards in a realistic and comprehensive fashion and help you determine the merit of appealing.

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