“‘Not enough students know you can appeal the financial aid you've been offered,’ explains Abigail Seldin, who founded a free tool called SwiftStudent that helps students through the process of asking for additional funds. The application form for federal student aid, known as the FAFSA, relies on tax data from two years ago. A lot can change in that time — especially today, with high unemployment and a tanked economy.

“‘Because of this, most schools have built-in an appeals process, but it's complicated and happens at the school level. ‘So much of our financial aid process is a formal process,’ says Seldin. ‘Students who may not feel comfortable asking for help, who are first-generation, are less likely to go reach out and ask for more resources, let alone resources that they don't even know exist.’

“She says she's hoping the SwiftStudent tool will make the process more transparent, especially as families struggle with job losses, reduced hours and pay cuts and even evictions related to the pandemic.”

View the full article in NPR.

“Abigail Seldin, along with a company called FormSwift, has created a free offering called SwiftStudent that helps users draft a formal financial aid appeal letter and coaches them through writing one efficiently and effectively.”

View the full article in The New York Times.

“A new online tool, SwiftStudent, offers financial aid offices’ advice for students appealing for financial aid, said Abigail Seldin, CEO of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, which created the tool.

“‘Our goal is to give students the information they need to advocate for themselves,’ she said.”

View the full article in Bloomberg.

“A non-profit foundation today is releasing a new online tool that helps college students petition their institutions for additional financial aid based on changes to their circumstances such as a job loss or medical crisis.

The new website, SwiftStudent, will guide college students on how to file appeals of their financial aid awards using more than a dozen different types of templates.

The tool was developed by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation with the backing of a range of groups involved in college financial aid issues, including the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators, the National College Attainment Network and Reach Higher, the higher education initiative started by former first lady Michelle Obama.”

View the full article in Politico Pro.

“Financial-aid awards land with the thud of finality. Any student peering at a screen full of jargon and financial figures might wonder how to even go about asking a college to reconsider its offer.

“A new online tool called SwiftStudent was designed to help them do that. The free service, available to any student receiving federal aid, leads users through the ins and outs of requesting aid adjustments. The website provides appeal-letter templates for various situations. Say, a student loses housing. Or a medical crisis hits. Or a parent gets laid off. Many families are experiencing such hardships because of the Covid-19 crisis.

“The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation created the tool with help from students, financial-aid officers, and college counselors, as well as from experts at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the National College Attainment Network, and the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, among several other organizations.”

View the full article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Whether they’ve just been accepted or are heading into another year, college students may soon have trouble paying for school, as the novel coronavirus takes a toll on family finances. Colleges and universities can adjust financial aid awards, but few students are aware of the option, and the process can be daunting.

A digital platform unveiled Wednesday by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation aims to take the guesswork out of financial aid appeals. The free tool, dubbed SwiftStudent, guides students through requesting more funding, explaining eligibility, the documents applicants need and the kinds of appeals. It provides templates, powered by software company FormSwift, that let users plug in their information to generate a letter for submission to their school’s financial aid office.

“Students are going to be receiving financial aid offers from schools based on pre-pandemic data. It’s hard to imagine that data reflect their current financial situation,” said Abigail Seldin, who heads the foundation. “There’s a process in place to go back to the school and say, ‘I’m a single parent and lost my job, but I want to continue next semester. How can you help me?’ We’re trying to make it easier.”

By now, most students have already filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which the government and colleges use to determine need-based and some merit-based aid. But a lot could have changed since they submitted the form, which relies on tax data from two years ago.

Read more in The Washington Post.

Whether they’ve just been accepted or are heading into another year, college students may soon have trouble paying for school, as the novel coronavirus takes a toll on family finances. Colleges and universities can adjust financial aid awards, but few students are aware of the option, and the process can be daunting.

A digital platform unveiled Wednesday by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation aims to take the guesswork out of financial aid appeals. The free tool, dubbed SwiftStudent, guides students through requesting more funding, explaining eligibility, the documents applicants need and the kinds of appeals. It provides templates, powered by software company FormSwift, that let users plug in their information to generate a letter for submission to their school’s financial aid office.

“Students are going to be receiving financial aid offers from schools based on pre-pandemic data. It’s hard to imagine that data reflect their current financial situation,” said Abigail Seldin, who heads the foundation. “There’s a process in place to go back to the school and say, ‘I’m a single parent and lost my job, but I want to continue next semester. How can you help me?’ We’re trying to make it easier.”

By now, most students have already filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which the government and colleges use to determine need-based and some merit-based aid. But a lot could have changed since they submitted the form, which relies on tax data from two years ago.

Read more in The Washington Post.