Financial Aid Award Letter Guide

2024 HSF Scholar Program

HSF.net
 Document Upload Form – Financial Aid Award Letter

What is a Financial Aid Award Letter?

A Financial Aid Award Letter (FAAL), also known as College Financing Plan, Student Aid Package or School
Aid Offer, is a letter from the college/university that details the student’s financial aid package.

Instructions:
To ensure that you complete the Document Upload form correctly by the deadline, please read the following
instructions.

On the document upload form, you will be asked the following question: “Will you be receiving financial aid
in the 2024-2025 academic year?”

If yes, select “Yes” and follow the instructions that appear, to upload your financial aid award letter.
Please note financial aid includes need-based aid, merit-based aid, work study and loans. Please
review the information on the next page to ensure you provide the correct document.

• If you expect to receive aid, but your financial aid award letter is not available, select “Yes, but my
financial aid award letter will not be ready before the deadline”, and download and complete the
Financial Aid Award Letter Issues Form. Once complete, upload the form.

• If you will not be receiving any financial aid (this includes loans, merit, or need-based aid), select “No”.
Please upload proof (e.g., an official letter from your financial aid office or a financial aid award letter
that shows that you received no aid) for the 2024-2025 school year.

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 Document Upload – Financial Aid Award Letter Guide

To complete the Document Upload Form, applicants must provide a document that contains their current
Financial Aid Breakdown for the 2024 – 2025 Academic Year.

Please read the instructions below to successfully submit your Financial Aid Award Letter. This document is
also referred to as a “College Financing Plan” or “Shopping Sheet”.

The document a student submits must contain the following:

• Student Name
a. Must match what the student reported on the application

• Name of Institution
a. Must be from the institution the student plans to attend in the fall of 2024.
i. Institution name must be clear on the document.

• Academic Year
a. Document must be for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

• Award Amount Breakdown

a. Must clearly list the Cost of Attendance and financial aid offered for the full academic year,
including but not limited to grants, scholarships, loans, work study
b. Must include total dollar amount for entire academic year

• Cost of Attendance (if included in your award letter)

a. If available, the award letter should state the Cost of Attendance for full academic year. (See
examples below for more information)
b. Graduate Students ONLY:
i. Please contact your institution’s Financial Aid Office for assistance in locating your Cost
of Attendance for the full academic year. Please submit your financial aid award letter
along with a copy of the Cost of Attendance for your program.

Document types that are accepted:

• Financial Aid Award Letter from institution
• Shopping Sheet or College Financing Plan
• Clear and legible screenshot of your financial aid details from your institutional portal (please ensure
the screenshot captures all the information requested above)
• Letter from your financial aid office that confirms that you will not receive financial aid
Document types that are NOT accepted:
• FAFSA Submission Summaries
• Multiple screenshots of your award letter. If you must take multiple screenshots of your award letter,
you can insert clear and legible screenshots into a Word Document, save the file as a PDF, and upload
the PDF as one file.

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 Examples: Accepted Financial Aid Documents

Below are acceptable FAAL examples. Please note, the document you submit must be for the 2024-2025
academic year.

Example 1:

John Doe

Institution
Student Name
Name

Academic
Year

Cost of
Attendance

Financial
Aid
Breakdown

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Example 2:

John Doe

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Example 3:

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Example 4:

John Doe