Financial Aid Appeal Form

Financial Hardship Requests

In the event that your family's financial situation has changed, Hamilton's financial aid team wants to hear from you, and we will do our best to assist you.

Please complete this form, using the text box to document your reasons for requesting reconsideration of aid eligibility, and submit the additional documentation requested to the Office of Financial Aid.

Please note that appeals will not be processed until all requested documentation has been received, and students have exhausted all resources available to them, including loans included in their financial aid offer. In most cases this will include tax returns and W2(s), if applicable, for the student and parent(s). Depending on the reason for your appeal, the Office of Financial Aid may request additional supporting documentation.

All appeal documentation should be sent as PDF attachments to finaid@hamilton.edu, or by fax to (315) 859-4962. Please remember to include the student's name with all documentation.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to review Hamilton's Financial Aid Appeal page for more information on the types of circumstances typically considered during the appeal process.

Appeal Submitted For

Please indicate the academic year that you are seeking assistance for, which may or may not be the current academic year.

Student Name

Hamilton ID # (if available)

Class Year

Appeal Submitted By

Preferred Email Address

Please Check Reason(s) for Appeal		Supporting Documentation
	Significant loss of income due to termination of employment Please note: We will only consider losses that have already occurred and cannot project lost income forward.	Copy of the last/most recent pay stub for both parents in household Termination notice or letter of explanation from employer Severance statement Copy of unemployment benefit eligibility from Dept. of Labor and recent statement of payments.
	Unexpected life event: Death of parent or other immediate family member	Documentation of medical and/or funeral expenses Documentation of expected Social Security benefits for all family members Documentation of other distributions from inheritance, assets, or other benefit sources including life insurance Last paycheck from deceased family member (if applicable)
	Unexpected life event: Divorce/Separation Please note: For divorced/separated families, we will continue to expect that both parents will contribute to the student's college education costs. For more information, please refer to Hamilton's website https://www.hamilton.edu/admission/finaid/policies/divorced-or-separated-family-situation	Documentation of second household expenses Listing of child support and/or alimony expected to be paid and/or received
	Correction to income or asset information reported	Detailed description of error Signed letter from an attorney or accountant (cannot be a family member) certifying the correction, including the correct amount
	High medical expenses	Signed letter from an attorney or accountant (cannot be a family member) documenting the unreimbursed medical bills paid during the prior tax year
	Other reason not listed Please note: We are unable to consider appeals based on circumstances that include but are not limited to: A parent's unwillingness to contribute A student's unwillingness to take the loan that is part of their award High consumer debt A sibling's private secondary school or graduate school costs Expenses that have not yet occurred	Detailed description of the basis of appeal and documentation supporting your request for reconsideration

Appeal Explanation

Please use the space provided to share with the Financial Aid Appeals Committee information you would like them to know in support of this appeal. Where applicable, please share dates and exact dollar figures.

Your selected reason(s) for appeal:

Sample list of documentation typically submitted in support of appeal:

Supporting Documentation

Please use the space provided to indicate what documentation you intend to submit in support of this appeal.

Please agree to the terms below. By checking this box, I:

affirm that the appeal information I have/will provide is true and complete to the best of my knowledge.
acknowledge that submission of an appeal does not guarantee an adjustment to the student's award.
recognize that submission of an appeal does not prevent the accrual of late fees.
understand that if any of the reasons for the appeal change, I am obligated to notify the Office of Financial Aid immediately.