<p>Hey guys, I've recently been accepted to my first-choice boarding school. They're happy to have me, and have given me a generous amount of financial aid. I'm extremely excited, but the amount of tuition we have to pay is still high from our situation. I've heard that it is normal to negotiate with colleges about financial aid, but I was wondering if boarding schools would take this offensively.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi BobtheCow (love your name, bovines are so cute) -
Had friends last year that did negotiate. Helped them get into a school that was #2 on their list. #1 came through too late - turns out they are so happy now they can’t imagine they even considered option #1. (BTW, Option #3 had offered full aid, but they were not sure about the curriculum and their child.)
Be polite, not threatening. Assure school of your strongest desire to attend.
Best of luck - and please let us now what happens!</p>
<p>@BobTheCow
I bargained for my D’s sch making it clear that they were her very top choice and also sending a more detailed listing our family expenses. They came through even while mentioning that they had more FA appeals this year than ever before. This tells me that it is not an uncommon occurrence. I say you don’t ask, you don’t get. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much. My parents and I are working on a letter to the school. :)</p>
<p>Bob, as others have said, yes, you should negotiate with a school that is your top choice. I have just completed doing so for my third boarding school child. I have had positive results, overall–not 100% success, but I can’t complain. Good luck!</p>
<p>As a complete newbie to this process, does anyone have any advise on how to approach these negotiations?</p>
<p>First, it must come from the parent, not the student. What the parent is going to say is “Thank you for your very generous offer, but . . . .” And then explain, in detail, what has changed in your family’s financial circumstances that now creates a problem or, if there has not been a change, explain what about your family’s circumstances makes the award insufficient.</p>
<p>Before doing any of this, you need to look at the “family report” that was generated by SSS and compare your family’s “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) with (1) what you can actually afford and (2) the award you were given. You need to consider whether the award you were given was consistent with the EFC from your family report. If it’s significantly less, that might mean the school simply doesn’t think it can afford any more (and you’ll need to make a convincing argument on behalf of your student) or it might mean there was a mistake in the calculation of the award.</p>
<p>If the award is consistent with the EFC, but the EFC is still more than you can afford, you need to first review your SSS financial statement carefully - did you make any error that might have skewed the result? If not, then you have to go to the school and explain why the award is insufficient. Explain your financial situation in as much detail as necessary to make your case.</p>
<p>So, it’s not as simple as just picking up the phone. You have to do your homework first and make sure your PFS was accurate and complete. If it was, you might want to write up a simple summary of the financial circumstances (changed or otherwise) that you think the school needs to know about.</p>
<p>If there’s a valid reason for an increase, and the school can afford it, they’ll certainly try to help you . . . but do your homework and state your case clearly.</p>
<p>Be honest and prepared with real numbers. You have to be willing to disclose your budget. Some salaries look good in paper but after deductions and unavoidable expenses, you don’t have a lot of extra money for the school. talk with them, they renegotiate all the time</p>