Getting Stanford to Match

<p>Hey I have my financial aid offers in and I am hyped! My two top choices (and cheapest choices!!!) are MIT and Stanford. Just today I got MITs offer which is amazing and I am so excited about it. My parents want me to commit to MIT hands down right away, and although I LOVE MIT I also was strongly considering Stanford before they gave less $$$. So I have two questions for you fine people:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Will Stanford negotiate? On their website it says they will "reevaluate" but NOT "match."</p></li>
<li><p>If yes, how should I go about doing it? I will be attending their Admit Weekend in a few weeks so I could drop by then, or do it over the phone. But it seems like it requires a lot of finesse and tactful wording so I want to be careful!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>At MIT I would pay $5,000, take a $3,000 loan, and my parents would pay $6,000. At Stanford, I would pay $5,000, take ZERO loans, and my parents would pay $19,000.</p>

<p>To make a short story long:</p>

<p>The Numbers (MIT/Stanford)
Total CoA: 59570/62024
Calculated Need: 51464/40940
- Grants: 45464/38140
- Student Contribution: 3000/2800
- Loans: 3000/0!
Family Cost: 8106/21084
- Parent Contribution: 6206/18872
- Summer Contribution: 1900/2212</p>

<p>Found this in their FAQ. Does it mean what I think it means? :D</p>

<p>“If you receive a need-based award significantly better than Stanford’s, the other university may have new information about your circumstances. In this case, you may consider submitting a Request for Revision (PDF) to our office.”</p>

<p>Stanford doesn’t award aid based on anything other than your finances. Call them up and ask them how they arrived at these figures.</p>

<p>What do you mean, “ask how they arrived at these figures”…? I thought, generally, that was pretty guarded information.</p>

<p>Wow…I wish my stanford aid was this good haha</p>

<p>There is nothing wrong in sending your offer from MIT along with whatever paperwork Stanford wants you to file since they have a process to contest. Do it quickly so you find out quick enough to make a decision.</p>

<p>Congrats on two awesome offers. It does sound like you have the situation referred to in the FAQ. Don’t wait until accepted day to start the process. Call or email now. Thank them for their offer and ask if they could review your offer based on MIT judging your need as more. Also, don’t forget to factor in travel expenses to these schools. Cross country airfare can add more to your yearly costs than you imagine.</p>

<p>Hi Uni, the advice I’ve seen is never use the word “negotiate.” Keep in mind that you are a supplicant rather than a negotiator. Ask them politely to reconsider and send along your offer from MIT. My observations is that Stanford has been and continues to be keenly aware of yield numbers. Good luck!</p>

<p>Ok thank you! I will send an email with their paperwork and mits offer tonight. Also, travel costs were included in cost of attendance for both schools. Thanks!</p>

OP, @unicameral2013 where did you end up? Why?

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