Request for Scholarship/Financial Aid Appeal

Appeal for Additional Merit Scholarships and/or Need-Based Financial Aid

UPDATE - 04/15/25 -- Due to the large volume of appeal requests received by our office, we are unable to guarantee new appeals will be resolved prior to the May 6 deposit deadline. While we will make every effort to resolve the appeal in a timely manner, we are extending the deposit deadline for any students submitting new appeals to10 days after the appeal decision is reached. Please contact the Office of Admission at 1-800-252-3166 with any questions.

Congratulations again on your acceptance to Southwestern University. This form is used by the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid to determine if you can receive an increase to your merit-based scholarship and/or need-based financial aid (if applicable).

Before you submit this form, we strongly suggest you review our Appeal FAQ document, so you can be aware of Southwestern's policies and procedures with regard to financial aid/scholarship appeals.

Once you submit this form, it will be forwarded to the Appeals Committee for review. Depending on the information you provide, we may contact you for additional documentation. We typically respond to appeals within two weeks of receiving a completed appeal form.

Please contact us at (512)-863-1200 or 1-800-252-3166 with any questions.

Student Information

Name of person completing form and relationship to student.
If you are the student completing this form yourself, please type "Myself".

I have been admitted to Southwestern as a (select one):

First-Year Student

Transfer Student

Have you submitted your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to Southwestern?

Yes

Student First Name (as listed on admission application)

Student Middle Name (as listed on admission application)

Student Last Name (as listed on admission application)

Student's Southwestern University ID number
This number can be found in the top right-hand corner of a student's merit- or need-based award letter.

Student Email Address (not parent email)

Student Daytime Phone Number

Do you wish the Financial Aid Office to contact parent(s)/guardian(s) regarding this appeal?
If "no" is selected, communication will be solely with the student.

Yes

By selecting "no", you have indicated you wish any & all communication regarding this appeal to be sent solely to the student.

Parent/Guardian Contact Information

Parent/Guardian 1 First Name

Parent/Guardian 1 Last Name

Parent/Guardian 1 Email Address

Parent/Guardian 1 Daytime Telephone Number

Parent/Guardian 2 First Name

Parent/Guardian 2 Last Name

Parent/Guardian 2 Email Address

Parent/Guardian 2 Daytime Telephone Number

Type of Appeal

I am appealing Southwestern's current award of my (select as many as apply):

Merit-Based Scholarship

Need-Based Financial Aid

Need-Based Financial Aid Appeal

Please select as many of the following circumstances that apply to your individual situation.
If your circumstance/situation is not listed below, please click "Other special circumstances".

Loss of income (at least 12 consecutive weeks)

Loss of untaxed income or benefit

Divorce or legal separation

High medical/dental expenses

Other special circumstances

Loss of Income

Please submit a written statement along with at least one of the following supporting documents. (Include start/end dates & the amount of unemployment or severance pay, if applicable.)

A copy of the termination notice from former employer
A copy of the last paycheck stub
A copy of the letter from the state agency providing unemployment benefits

Please provide your written statement here. Alternately, you may upload your statement in Word or PDF document using the upload tool below, along with your supporting document(s).

Provide the period of unemployment from ___ to ___

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

You may use these upload tools to provide your supporting document. You may also use this tool to upload your written statement. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

Loss of Untaxed Income or Benefit

Please submit a written statement along with the following supporting document(s), as applicable:

Social Security: a copy of the Social Security Administration's Notification of Termination of Benefits
Child Support/Alimony: a copy of the court document stating the termination of benefits
Worker's Compensation: a letter from the Bureau of Worker's Compensation stating the date of the termination of benefits
Military Benefits: a letter from the Veterans' Office explaining why the benefit has changed and/or been discontinued

Please provide your written statement here. Alternately, you may upload your statement in a Word or PDF document using the upload tool below.

You may use this upload tool to provide your supporting document. You may also use this tool to upload your written statement. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Divorce or Legal Separation

Please submit a written statement from the custodial parent, along with the following supporting document. In cases of joint custody, the custodial parent is defined as the parent with whom the student spends more than 50% of the time. (Include the non-custodial parent's name, mailing address, and phone number.)

A copy of the legal separation paperwork or divorce decree with the date of separation/divorce

Please provide your written statement here. Alternately, you may upload your statement in a Word or PDF document using the upload tool below.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

You may use this upload tool to provide your supporting document. You may also use this tool to upload your written statement. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

High or Unexpected Medical/Dental Expenses

Please submit a written statement along with one of the following supporting documents. (Include the dollar figure for out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance or other party.)

A copy of the 2022 (and, if available, the 2023) Federal Tax Return Form 1040, Schedule A
A copy of receipts and/or recurring bill statements

Please provide your written statement here. Alternately, you may upload your statement in a Word or PDF document using the upload tool below.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

You may use this upload tool to provide your supporting document. You may also use this tool to upload your written statement. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Other Special Circumstances

Please submit a written statement along with the following supporting documents that correspond to your special circumstances. Some of the most common special circumstances are listed below.

Private School Tuition (Pre-School, Elementary, and Secondary Schools ONLY):

Provide name(s) and age(s) of child(ren), relationship(s) to the student, and monthly/annual cost.
A letter from the private school confirming tuition costs
A copy of the tuition bill statement

Dependent or Elder Care Expense:

Provide name(s) and age(s) of dependent(s), relationship(s) to the student, and monthly/annual cost

Support to Extended Family:

Provide name(s) and age(s) of recipient(s), relationship(s) to student, and monthly/annual cost

Other Special Circumstances/Expenses:

Provide documentation of monthly/annual costs

Please provide your written statement here. Alternately, you may upload your statement in a Word or PDF document using the upload tool below.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

You may use this upload tool to provide your supporting document. You may also use this tool to upload your written statement. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Current Year & Projected Income

Because of the type of appeal you are requesting, we ask that you provide some additional information about your current-year income. Please provide the best possible estimates/projections of your projected gross income for the periods indicated. Please be aware the Financial Aid Office may still request additional documentation, depending on your individual circumstances.

Note: A response is required to all questions in this section. If you do not have any income from a particular source, please write "$0.00" or "n/a" in the response box(es).

Income from Work

Please indicate the amount of income earned from work from January 1, 2024 through today's date.

1a) Parent 1 income

1b) Parent 2 income

Please project the amount of income you anticipate earning from work from today's date through December 31, 2024.

1c) Parent 1 projected income

1d) Parent 2 projected income

Other Taxable Income

Do you have (or project) any taxable income from other sources, such as interest-bearing accounts, pensions, unemployment compensation, severance, etc.)?

Yes

Please enter the amount of taxable income earned from these sources from January 1, 2024 through today's date.

2a) Amount of taxable income earned

2b) List source(s) of taxable income:

Please project the amount of taxable income you anticipate earning from these sources from today's date through December 31, 2024.

2c) Amount of taxable income projected

2d) List source(s) of taxable income:

Untaxed Income

Do you have (or project) any untaxed income from other sources, such as child support, Social Security, welfare, worker's compensation, cash received, etc.?

Yes

Please enter the untaxed income earned from these sources from January 1, 2024 through today's date.

3a) Amount of untaxed income earned

3b) List source(s) of untaxed income:

Please project the amount of untaxed income you anticipate earning from these sources from today's date through December 31, 2024.

3c) Amount of untaxed income projected

3d) List source(s) of untaxed income:

Merit-Based Scholarship Appeal

Please select as many of the following circumstances that apply to your individual situation. (Hold Control to select multiple options.)

Significant Increase in SAT/ACT Scores

Congratulations on your increase in test scores. While not every increase in a student's SAT or ACT performance may affect a scholarship award, significant increases can be very solid grounds for a scholarship appeal.

The Office of Admission must receive a report of your updated scores before we can consider granting a scholarship increase. We will accept scores from the following sources as official reports:

Testing agency (score report from College Board/SAT or ACT Organization)
Official high school transcript
Scores reported to us directly by a school counselor
PDF of the Student Score Report

Also, please note that students who applied to Southwestern under the test-optional path may not use SAT or ACT scores as a basis for a scholarship appeal.

I am reporting an increase to my: (select as many as apply- hold Control to select multiple options)

While we wait for your official new SAT scores, please provide your self-reported new SAT score below. Include the highest score for each section, even if it was not from your most recent test.

Highest Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (new SAT) Or Highest Critical Reading (old SAT):

Highest Math Score:

While we wait for your official new ACT scores, please provide your self-reported new ACT composite score below.

Highest ACT Composite:

Significant Increase in Class Rank or Grades

Congratulations on your increase in academic performance. While not every increase in a student's rank/GPA may affect a scholarship award, significant increases can be very solid grounds for a scholarship appeal.

The Office of Admission must receive an updated official transcript, reflecting your increased performance before we can consider granting a scholarship increase. Please arrange with your counselor to have an updated transcript sent to our office as soon as possible.

I am reporting an increase to my: (select as many as apply- hold Control to select multiple options)

While we wait for your official transcript showing your increased rank, please provide your self-reported new rank below.

New Rank in Class (e.g., "10 out of 150 students")

While we wait for your official transcript showing your increased grades, please provide your self-reported new GPA below.

New GPA (e.g., "3.8 on a 4.0 weighted scale")

More Competitive Award from Other Institution(s)

Congratulations on your scholarship from another institution. While Southwestern does not "match" other schools' awards, we can consider the possibility of reviewing a student's award if s/he feels it is not as competitive. Please keep in mind that colleges/universities do award scholarships differently, based on the institutions' academic profiles, processes, and enrollment goals.

While not required, we highly encourage you to submit award letters you have received from other institutions. This information can be extremely helpful to the appeals committee, as we consider how our award may be potentially less competitive than what you have received elsewhere.

Please provide a written statement explaining how you feel Southwestern's award is less competitive than that of another institution. Alternately, you may upload your statement in a Word or PDF document using the upload tool below. We also highly encourage you to submit award letters you have received from other institutions. You may send those to us using the upload tools below.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

If you wish, you may upload a PDF copy of other schools' award letters using the upload tool below. While this is not required, this information can prove to be extremely helpful to the Appeals Committee when determining if an increase is possible.

Upload Supporting Documents/Statement

Other New Information/Circumstances (non-financial)

Please know most successful scholarship appeals tend to be based on the circumstances listed above. However, there may be other additional information that may influence a student's scholarship. If you feel you have such new information, (or other special circumstances), we would still be happy to reconsider your scholarship.

If your special circumstances are financial in nature, please do not complete this section. Instead, select "Need-Based Financial Aid" in the "Type of Appeal" section at the top of this form and follow the instructions there to explain your special financial circumstances.

Please provide a written statement explaining the details of your additional information or other special circumstances. We ask you be as specific as possible to give the committee a basis for your appeal. Alternately, you may upload your statement in Word or PDF document using the upload tool below, along with any supporting document(s).

Upload Statement/Supporting Documents

You may use this upload tool to provide your written statement. Should you wish to provide any supporting documents, you may do so using this tool. Please only upload documents in Word, PDF, or JPG format.

Acceptance of Southwestern's Appeal Policies

I have read the Appeal FAQ document and understand Southwestern's policies regarding financial aid/scholarship appeals. I understand that the Appeal Committee will not review this request until all information and requested documents have been received by the Admission/Financial Aid Offices. I furthermore agree that all information submitted on this form is correct and true, to the best of my knowledge.

Yes - I agree and accept