Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Letter

Students receiving monetary assistance for college can find their assistance stopped if they fail to keep the required grade point average. Depending on the reasons for failing grades, a financial aid suspension appeal letter may be the first step in getting assistance reinstated by the college or university.

Format and Content

The first step in organizing a financial aid suspension appeal letter format is to ask a counselor in the financial aid office for advice. It is necessary to follow your college’s specific guidelines for appealing a financial aid suspension. You will most likely need to obtain a special form for appeals from the financial aid office to complete and attach to the letter. Also, a letter of reference from a faculty member joining you in your appeal for reinstatement of financial aid would be helpful. Include your student identification number on the letter and state your case concisely in the body of the letter.

Sample

There are a number of reasons students can fall behind in college, and this financial aid suspension appeal letter is from a student who endured a family crisis. The student’s older brother was killed in a rock climbing accident leaving her unable to focus on her classes due to her grief. She has since begun counseling and believes she will be able to pull herself together and bring her grades up the next semester if given another chance.

Dear Dr. Bridges and Esteemed Committee Members,

My name is Mandy Stone and I am writing to appeal for reinstatement of my financial aid which was revoked due to my poor grades this past semester. I take full responsibility for the drastic decline in my level of academic performance in recent months, but believe I have a plan to get back on track. I appeal to the committee for a second chance.

I lost my brother, Robert, on February 10, 2014 in a rock climbing accident in Arizona. I am part of a family of avid rock climbers and we were on a climb at Granite Mountain when one of my brother’s clamps failed and he plunged to his death. I and my entire family quite literally fell apart, and I was unable to pull myself together enough to attend class, study or even eat. In spite of urging from sympathetic professors to obtain counseling, take a leave of absence or get some other form of help, I simply chose to sleep all the time and try to forget the tragic incident.

Fortunately my parents began recovering from their grief, realized I was in trouble and helped me come out of my depression. I have a plan to attend counseling sessions over the summer and focus on getting myself back on track in school this fall. ABC College is the only school in Colorado that has my major and I truly hate to have to leave. I am appealing to you to reinstate my financial aid, and I pledge to get help immediately if I begin slipping into depression again. I have attached a note from my counselor as well as a letter from my psychology professor, Dr. Joseph Stevens.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Respectfully,

Mandy Stone