<p>okay i got accepted to both dartmouth and duke; dartmouth's package is brilliant, Dukes' includes loans, which i dont want to take. Is it possible to compare offers at the Duke financial aid office?</p>
<p>yes. write them a letter saying that you seriously need aid and have difficult financial circumstances and then tell them about dartmouths offer and how it suits your financial situation better, and ask the duke people to make their offer more comparable to dartmouth's</p>
<p>i ve heard thats possible in similar scenarios but i might be wrong, lets see what others have to say</p>
<p>I have no experience in this arena, but as a general rule I think you might be able to spin it more gently.</p>
<p>I like the first few components of hass's hypothetical letter:
1.) Difficult financial circumstances, need the aid.
2.) Dartmouth's offer suits your financial situation better
3.) While you'rd prefer to attend Duke, the reality is that relative to Dartmouth you simply can't afford it at this time.
4.) You would appreciate any ability to help close the gap
5.) You hope to see them next year</p>
<p>*Make sure that everything you're telling them is truthful. In particular, if you ask them to improve the aid package, and they match Dartmouth's, and you don't attend, that's very poor form indeed.</p>