Appeals at CSSW

The School of Social Work offers several opportunities for students to appeal their financial aid package if they have unmet financial need, emergency expenses, Covid-related expenses, have exceeded their financial aid budget or have been denied a federal education loan. Applicants may be enrolled full-time or part-time. International students are eligible for appeals on a case by case basis.

Applicants will be reviewed for financial need based on their FAFSA data and may provide supplemental documentation if applicable. Most appeals are awarded on a one-time basis and are non-renewable. We recognize that our limited funding cannot meet all need. We recommend reviewing the resources on Columbia’s iGrad Coronavirus page as well as outside scholarships and competitive scholarships.

A committee determines all appeal recipients. Appeal decisions are dependent upon the availability of funding. CSSW may adjust funding if needed.

Appeal Policies

The deadline to apply for these funds for the 2022-2023 academic year varies.

Incoming Student Appeal

Incoming students who have received their financial aid award letter for the 2022-2023 academic year may appeal their financial aid package through the Incoming Student Appeal in the link below. Please include a summary of financial need in the appeal, and attach any supporting materials, including scholarship offers from another program. Applicants must be enrolled in at least 10.5 credits, including Practicum Learning, in order to remain eligible for scholarship.

More Information

Applications are open through September 22, 2023

Current Student Appeal

Currently enrolled students who have received their financial aid award letter for the 2022-2023 academic year may appeal their financial aid package through the Current Student Appeal in the link below. This funding may be used to replace debt if a student has met their Cost of Attendance or at the discretion of the appeal committee. Please describe your financial circumstances in the appeal, and attach any supporting documents.

More Information

Applications are open to current students through May 5, 2023

Emergency Fund Appeal

Currently enrolled students who are experiencing an immediate financial hardship or emergency may appeal for funding through the Emergency Fund in the link below. In the appeal, please specify the nature of your financial hardship (medical expenses, food, rent, moving expenses) and include any supporting documents you wish Financial Aid to review when considering your application.

More Information

Applications are open for currently enrolled students through May 5, 2023.

Budget Appeal

Students who have exhausted their Cost of Attendance budget for financial aid may be eligible for an increase through a Budget Appeal. Please see the link below for a list of expenses that may be considered for a Budget Appeal, as well as required documentation to prove expenses.

Please submit the form linked below along with supporting documents to swfinaid@columbia.edu.

More Information

Applications are open to current students through May 2, 2023

HEERF (Cares Act) Appeal

October 29, 2021

As we previously announced, Columbia is entering the next phase of disbursement to students of federal funds provided through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) program. Two processes will be utilized to distribute funds.

Any student currently enrolled at CSSW in the fall 2021 term who has incurred costs due to the coronavirus pandemic or other education related expenses, such as tuition, food, housing, healthcare (including mental health care) or child care, may submit the certification form to the CSSW Office of Financial Aid through the submission form for review and processing. These funds will be processed in the amount of $1,000 per student until funding is exhausted.

Through a separate process, the University’s neediest students who are enrolled full time in schools or programs that do not already have a “meet need / no loan” or “fully funded“ financial aid policy will receive $1,500 per student. CSSW is working with the University’s Student Financial Services (SFS) to determine student eligibility for this portion of the program. If selected, these one-time grants to eligible students may be used for costs that arise due to the coronavirus pandemic or other education related expenses, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or child care. Selected students will be contacted by SFS and will be required to complete an online certification form to receive these funds.

We expect the University to begin making distributions on Monday, November 8 to selected students.

Alternative Funding Appeal

Students who have been denied a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan or a private education loan may appeal for Alternative Funding using the link below. In order to be eligible, students must have appealed the loan credit decision and made all reasonable attempts to clear up any credit report or to secure a co-signer, but are still unable to get approval for either type of loan.

More Information

Applications are open to current students on a first come first serve basis until funding is no longer available.