Carleton students and/or their families have the right to request a review of any financial aid decision made by the Student Financial Services Office. We assume that this action will be taken only after an Initial Aid Award has been made and the student/family has reviewed it carefully. Our overall goal in making any aid award is to respond to the financial situation a family is facing, in light of sending a student to Carleton. We do this as objectively as possible using information provided on the student’s CSS Profile Form. In addition, we try to treat each individual situation separately, but within the context of providing equitable treatment to all financial aid applicants.

Most successful appeals relate to corrections or significant changes to a family’s financial condition for the upcoming year. In general, this usually involves a change in number of children in college or a major change in family income or resources from one year to the next. However, there are other reasons students and families determine an aid award may be inadequate. Note that we will respond to specific reasons that appear to invalidate our initial aid decision. We will not respond to generalized requests simply for more funding.

Before submitting any appeal, please note the following:

• Carefully review the Aid Award sent to you so that you understand it fully.
• Make sure the figures provided on your Profile and FAFSA are accurate. You should receive written confirmations of the data used on both these forms.
• Students also are expected to contribute toward their college expenses. The minimum expectation for returning students is $2,100 for the year and for incoming students the minimum expectation is $2,000.
• Student employment earnings are paid directly to the student. Arrangements can be made to credit earnings to the student’s account.
• Most revisions made in response to appeals result in additional loan funding or student employment authorization.

The appeal process requires a written statement or letter that should contain the following components:

• Request for a review of a particular student’s aid award.
• Rationale for the request, which might detail reasons our analysis or assumptions are not accurate or appropriate.
• Specific data that supports the request (provide dollar amounts, dates, names, etc., if appropriate).
• Any documentation that further verifies the request.

Appeals should be submitted to the Director of Student Financial Services and sent to Student Financial Services, Henry House, Carleton College, One North College Street, Northfield, MN, 55057. E-mail (financialaid@carleton.edu) and faxed (507-222-4269) requests are acceptable.

To help with your appeal, you may wish to review and use the following worksheets. The Household Budget Worksheet may allow you to better describe the expenses you and your family are facing while paying for Carleton. It will also allow us more detailed information about your household cash flow. The Estimated Income Worksheet can be used if you anticipate significant changes in your income for the coming year. Please note that the basis for our aid award is usually the previous year income. Please note that you do not need to use these worksheets, but they are available for your convenience. These worksheets and any other additional documents should be forwarded to us with your letter of appeal.