UPDATE: we wrote to the Director of Financial Aid at VT and asked for more money. Either thru work study, scholarships, etc. Told them that my son won an academic award last week (AP BIO) and is still in the Top Ten in his 408 person class. Also told them that VT is his first choice, which is true. They came back with an additional $16k scholarship ($4k per year)!!! We are close to having his dream realized. Thought this info might help other folks too. It never hurts to ask! We also had our son reach out with the same information to his Admissions Counselor before we wrote to the Financial Aid Dept. Good luck everyone!