Has anyone else experienced receiving scholarship funds that exceed their cost of attendance? My school’s financial aid department, which is notoriously unorganized, told me they can’t legally award scholarships beyond my cost of attendance and have even limited how much of my rent I can cover with these funds. All the scholarships I’ve received are from outside sources, none from my school. Unfortunately, the checks are made out to my school.
Is there any way to work around this or get more of my rent covered? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I faced a similar situation when I received scholarship funds that exceeded my school’s cost of attendance. My financial aid office initially told me they couldn’t award more than the cost of attendance and had limits on how the funds could be used. To navigate this, I reached out directly to the scholarship providers and explained the situation, asking if they could reissue the checks directly to me or adjust the payment method. Additionally, I worked with my school’s financial aid office to clarify their policies and explored options like applying for a refund or reallocating the excess funds. In my experience, clear communication with both the school and scholarship organizations was crucial for finding a workable solution.