<p>So far, I have been accepted to grad programs at two public universities. These programs are my top two, so I am really excited, but now I have a problem:</p>
<p>University A already contacted me and gave me two weeks to reply with my decision and a deposit. University B contacted me to let me know I am in, but didn't give me a cut-off date for my decision (not yet, anyway). B is also nominating me for a full-tuition fellowship, but I won't know if I got the fellowship until two months from now. Is there any way to postpone the decision deadline for University A? I would really like to hold off on my answer to either school until I know exactly how much money (if any) I will get from each. I feel like some kind of gold-digger, but I am poor and in debt, and the price tags are high. Obviously, a fellowship will have a huge impact on my quality of life in grad school and afterwards.</p>
<p>So far I have come up with calling A and explaining that I need more financial aid info from them until I can make my decision. Should I bring the potential fellowship from B into the conversation at all? I've heard of people bargaining down tuition for undergrad, but is this appropriate for grad school?</p>
<p>You probably want to take this question to the grad school forum. You can reach it by clicking on "Discussion Home" in the upper left of this screen, and then scrolling down.</p>
<p>Telling A that you need more financial aid information before you will be able to make a final decision is perfectly legitimate. Have they ponied up anything at all?</p>
<p>I was debating on where to locate this post, so if it's more appropriate for the grad forum, I have no problem with it being moved.</p>
<p>I haven't really heard about any financial aid yet - I just received my W2 in the mail today and will be filling out the tax and FAFSA paperwork ASAP.</p>
<p>There's no need to mention University B explicitly--just say you need financial aid information and you haven't had time to consider offers from other schools. Two weeks is kind of extreme--all my schools have given me until April 15 at least.</p>
<p>Is the school making the exploding offer a member of the Council of Graduate Schools? If it is, they're supposed to subscribe to the agreement regarding an April 15 reply date. </p>
<p>If this is the case, I suggest you call them and play the ignorance card, something along the lines of "I might be mistaken, but I thought the reply date was April 15th; is this not the case?" or simply ask if you might have more time to make a decision because, although they are a top choice, you need to consider a few things before you feel comfortable committing to anything, especially since finances are a big part of the picture for you.</p>
<p>Best of luck and congratulations on your acceptances! You are in a great place even if the decision is tough. :)</p>
<p>I would not recommend uttering undecided's sentence. ("I might be mistaken, but...") There is absolutely no reason to be coy.</p>
<p>Instead, contact the DGS of the department at University A. Telephoning is preferable in this case. Inform them that you have been nominated for a fellowship from University B. Provide the expected date of notification. Ask whether, in your case, the department at University A is able to extend your acceptance deadline.</p>
<p>This is commonly accepted practice. University A will almost certainly extend your deadline.</p>
<p>I checked on the Council of Graduate Schools website, and saw that University A is listed as a member. I will give the school a call on Monday, and if it doesn't work out I might need more help.</p>
<p>I applied to both schools using the earlier of the two given deadlines, but nowhere did it say that the deadlines were "early decision".</p>