9 Mistakes that will ruin your students chances for more financial aid

Money recently published 9 mistakes that can hurt students chances for more financial aid. Here is a summary of those mistakes:

1: Getting the name of the college wrong: Seriously this isn’t a joke. Many students don’t proofread what they send. This is a must.

2. Sending their deposit too soon: Once your students had sent in their deposit, the school knows they are committed to attend, so it won’t be as motivated to raise an award.

3: Acting like a jerk: The parents should not fill entitled or act rude to the financial aid staff. This isn’t a smart strategy!

4: Just asking for “more”: Be as specific when they can when asking for an award or grant.

5: Requesting the wrong kind of aid: Before appealing for more aid from a college, your student and their parents should spend some time on its website researching its aid policies

6: Asking for aid you can’t prove you need: Most colleges require appealers to provide recent tax forms and other documentation showing a drop in income or rise in expenses that wasn’t reflected in their aid application.

7: Expecting a free ride: They should show the college that this is a partnership that they want to be a part of.

8. Asking the wrong office: At many colleges, the financial aid office only awards the money that is based on the family’s financial situation. The admissions office or various department heads are in charge of awarding other kinds of grants or scholarships.

9: Giving up too soon: If a college rejects a request to match a competing offer, or to increase need-based aid, ask about other possibilities.

Here is a link to the original article: http://time.com/money/4224810/college-financial-aid-appeals-mistakes/