Appeal Procedures for GW MD Program Institutional Aid Eligibility

There are two separate types of appeals of GW MD Program aid eligibility. Type 1 below deals with the absence of parental financial information and Type 2 concerns situations where a student is dissatisfied with his/her financial aid offer. Students are encouraged to carefully read the information and submit the necessary documentation promptly and by priority deadlines: March 1, 2023, for incoming students and May 1, 2023, for returning students. For Type 2 appeals, students must submit a Type 2 Appeal Form, an appeal letter and corresponding documentation within two weeks of the MD Program Office of Financial Aid emailing the student their financial aid offer notification. 

Type 1

In order to be considered for GW institutional aid, it is a standard requirement for ALL medical students to provide financial information from BOTH natural or adoptive parents on the FAFSA and submit federal tax documents (including all schedules) to the MD Program Office of Financial Aid.

For ANY case in which the student is unable to provide financial information for one or both parents (assuming both parents are living), he/she must use the following procedures to prepare an APPEAL to the Director of Financial Aid and the Financial Aid Advisory Committee (FAAC). An appealing applicant must provide ALL of the information requested in the procedures below. Failure to do so will result in a substantial delay in reviewing the appeal:

  • If a natural/adoptive parent's information* cannot be provided, the student must:
  1. Provide a detailed personal letter describing the situation (i.e., why the parent(s) cannot or will not supply the financial information). If the situation involves a "break" in relationship between student and parent, the student should be very clear about the time frame and reason(s) for the change in relationship.
  2. Provide two supporting letters and/or documentation from appropriate professionals (professional counselor [not lawyer], social worker, clergy, etc.), on organization letterhead, describing the situation (i.e., why the parent cannot or will not provide financial information). 
  3. Provide a letter/response (including the address) from the parent whose financial information will not be available, if the student knows where to contact the parent(s). IF CONTACT WITH THE PARENT(S) IS COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE, the student must clearly outline the reason(s) in his/her personal letter.
  4. Once all of the documentation listed above is available, the student must submit all together the documentation in a sealed envelope to the attention of the Director of Financial Aid.

*Step-parent information CANNOT be substituted for a natural/adoptive parent's financial information.

  • Once the appeal has been submitted, your personal information (name, etc.) will be deleted and the director will present it anonymously to the members of the Financial Aid Advisory Committee for review. The appeal will be reviewed and a decision will be made as soon as possible (but no later than September). If the Committee approves the appeal, the director will review the student's file and calculate eligibility for institutional aid. Notification of eligibility or denial will be sent to the student. The appeal decision will be carried over for all years of enrollment in the SMHS MD Program.

Type 2

The standard screening process requires the director to review the financial information from all students equally using base year information. (This is where information from the prior prior year tax filing is used to determine institutional aid eligibility.) If a student feels this yields an unfair assessment, the following procedure should be followed:

  1. The student should document carefully and completely his/her reasoning why the financial aid file should be handled in a different manner. The student is encouraged to be thorough and complete in his/her letter to the FAAC. Likewise, any documentation that supports the student’s claim(s) should be included. The key is to build as strong a case as possible for justification purposes. (All information should be submitted to the director in a single packet.) The appeal must be submitted to the MD Program Office of Financial Aid within two weeks of the date the MD Office of Financial Aid emailed the student their financial aid offer notification.
  2. Once the appeal has been submitted, your personal information (name, etc.) will be deleted and the director will present it anonymously to the members of the Financial Aid Advisory Committee for review. The appeal will be reviewed and a decision will be made as soon as possible (but no later than September). If the Committee approves the appeal, the director will review the student's file based upon the committee’s recommendation and calculate eligibility for institutional aid. Notification of eligibility or denial will be sent to the student.