@user_464168 what email did you send your appeal to?
@noothername Go to the Syracuse website and look up “Contact Financial Aid” and it’ll take you to a page to fill out. It will ask you for your SUID and there’s an option for “Appeal” in the subject box. Doing it this way will make sure it gets sent to your specific counselor asap.
Also want to mention I originally got 21k a year in aid and they bumped it to over 40, make sure if you are losing money in any way cuz of COVID or have parent(s) in Healthcare to mention that, i believe that’s what helped me.
@user_464168 I’m sorry for all the questions. How long did it take to contact you for any additional info, if they did? How long until your aid package changed?
@noothername In your appeal, as @user_464168 said, make sure you mention any adverse affect the pandemic has had (or you expect it to have, even if it hasn’t transpired yet - possibility of losing job, less hours, lost or declining revenue if your parents own a business, etc.). They have extra money allocated right now specifically for hardships caused by the pandemic. Also be sure to tell them specifically how much aid you need to make Syracuse affordable for your family, and why. Be as specific as possible, don’t leave it open-ended. For example, if what they offered you made your COA (cost of attendance) say $40K, and you the only way you would be able to attend is if your COA was $30K, tell them that so they know exactly what it would take. Be as honest as possible, and also mention things about you and your family and finances that don’t necessarily show up on the FA forms they look at (maybe your family will need a new car soon, or your house needs a new roof or major repairs, or someone is extremely ill and your insurance is awful).
Try to reach out to your FA counselor first by phone to establish that personal connection. Tell them that Syracuse is your absolute top choice and dream school, but you can’t afford it with your current FA package. Ask them why the aid was lower than what you expected, and what factors they used to calculate the aid. You then know what factors you should try to dispute in the appeal. Also, if you have decent college alternatives who have offered you more money, let them know that in your appeal as well.
In this uncertain environment I believe you have a better shot than ever at negotiating more aid since they want to make sure they have as many seats full in fall as possible (just because deposits were paid does not necessarily mean everyone will show up). Even if a seat is “discounted” by aid, in the eyes of the university less tuition is better than none at the moment. If they know you are sincere and really want to go to Syracuse, I believe they will do their best to make it happen. Best of luck!
I haven’t been accepted yet from the waitlist but my financial aid changed from nothing on the page to showing me 2021 with no award. Is this a good sign?