Clear guidance for financial aid decisions
Financial Aid Editorial Team 
Financial aid appeal still pending — that message hit me like a slow-motion punch because it was so quiet. No denial. No approval. No “we need more info.” Just pending, sitting there like the portal was daring me to refresh again. I didn’t even realize how much I’d been holding my breath until I saw … Read more
School says financial aid is correct but I disagree The email was short enough to feel final. “We reviewed your file. Your financial aid is correct.” No attachment. No breakdown. No “here’s what we used.” Just a neat ending to a conversation I didn’t feel was finished. I opened the portal again, then the bill, … Read more
Financial aid not disbursed I didn’t realize something was wrong until I saw the same tuition balance staring back at me—unchanged. The portal showed my award like it was “there,” but the billing page acted like nothing existed. No credit posted. No activity line. Just a due date creeping closer. I refreshed the page like … Read more
Financial aid reduced after parent remarriage — you usually notice it the same way: you open your portal expecting routine updates, and the number is smaller than before. You don’t get a clear explanation. You don’t see a big red alert. The award just quietly changes, and suddenly your plan for the semester doesn’t fit … Read more
Financial aid pending registration hold — you usually notice it at the worst possible moment: right when you’re trying to register, add a class, or confirm your schedule. The screen doesn’t care that you’ve been checking your portal every day. It doesn’t care that you already submitted forms, uploaded documents, or got an email saying … Read more
Financial aid recalculated correctly but unaffordable. You don’t type that calmly. It usually happens right after the email or phone call you were waiting for. You expected a fix. You expected the number to move. Instead you heard the line that ends the argument: “We reviewed it. The recalculation is correct.” That’s the moment your … Read more
Financial aid refund delayed. That phrase usually appears after the same routine: you check your student account, you see a credit balance, you expect the refund—then your bank account stays unchanged. It’s not “curiosity” that brings you here. It’s the gap between what the portal implies and what real life demands. When the refund doesn’t … Read more
Financial aid reduced after custody change — you don’t read that phrase in a calm mindset. You read it when the numbers changed and the timeline didn’t. You updated custody because the system asked you to. You did what you thought was “correct.” Then the new award letter hits, and the gap is not small. … Read more
Financial aid pending but tuition due — that’s the exact combination that makes families panic, even if they did everything “right.” The portal says “pending.” The bill says “due.” And the system behaves like your aid doesn’t exist. This is the moment where parents don’t need motivation — they need a plan that protects enrollment … Read more
Financial aid reduced after transfer was not something I expected to see when I logged into the new student portal. I wasn’t even looking for a problem—I was checking the tuition due date, then clicked “Awards,” and the total snapped my attention. It looked like the same categories as before, but the numbers were clearly … Read more