<p>2College, our experience was similar. Some schools, even very good schools, do practice preferential packaging, even if they do not advertise it. I’ve read over and over on this forum that preferential packaging at 100% need met schools is in the amount of loans awarded, and the total package will be the same, but that just doesn’t explain what we saw. I think sometimes a kid just hits the sweet spot at a school, and if that school is one which uses this type of packaging, you can get very lucky. (And I mean that literally … there is certainly luck involved, since the school isn’t advertising what it’s looking for).</p>