<b>Q: I made a mistake while trying to select options from my financial aid package. I accidentally declined my unsubsidized loan when I wanted to accept it. I would really like to have that loan as part of my package to pay for college: what can I do?
Financial aid packages come in many different shapes and sizes. Some include grants and work study. Others contain work study and student loans. A few even come with all three.
So, what do you do once you’ve received your financial aid package? You may think that what you received is what you get. However, you can actually pick and choose which components of the package you would like to utilize to pay for college.
Unfortunately, mistakes happen when students are selecting which portions of the financial aid package they would like to keep and which they would rather forego. When you make that kind of mistake, is there any way to come back from it?
Fortunately, we have the answers.
If there is a portion of your financial aid package that you accidentally rejected, you must contact your college’s financial aid office to explain the situation. Generally, they will be able to add financial aid components back to your package.
In this case, if they can’t add your unsubsidized student loan back into your package, you’ll have to consider private student loans. The best place to start your search for the right private student loan is here on Fastweb. You can find options and guidance in our Student Loan Center.
For students that just received their financial aid award letter, it’s worth mentioning here that you don’t have to accept every component listed. Although this particular question points to a mistake that was made, you can see that they had the option to accept or reject parts of their financial aid package.
However, student loans that are not accepted will not be replaced with grants or work study. It will simply leave a gap between what you can pay, how much the college costs, and the financial help that you were awarded.
In addition to rejecting certain parts of your financial aid package, you can also appeal the offer as a whole. Colleges and universities are anticipating an increase in volume in the amount of financial aid appeals they receive this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If your family experienced financial hardship or a change in circumstances because of COVID, you should report this to your school. It could drastically affect your financial aid offer – for the better.
After all, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) only asked for financial information from 2019. Job loss, furlough, medical expenses, and caring for extended family, are circumstances that will make students eligible for more financial aid.
How Do I Get Student Loans in Aid Package after Rejecting?
What if you accidentally reject components of your financial aid? We share the solution.

Mistakes happen. Fortunately, you can fix your financial aid package error.