<p>I'm a newly admitted student to Stanford's class of 2017. Are there any ways to negotiate my financial aid offers? I realize that there are no merit scholarships, and that financial aid is need-based. Should I apply to an Ivy League school (like Harvard), get a financial estimate from their school, and use that estimate to get a re-evaluation from Stanford? Or would all the Ivies estimate need to be about the same?</p>
<p>If you’re looking to negotiate with financial aid by saying that there is a better offer, they won’t change your estimate because each school is different when it comes to giving out money. However, it wouldn’t hurt to see what other schools are offering you, because I know that Harvard’s “need” standards are drastically different from Stanford’s. Once you’ve seen the estimates and know which schools you like, then you might be able to call financial aid. Remember though, aid is need-based, so you need to show them that their estimate won’t work for you. If you tell them you can’t attend because of price, they’ll probably try to work with you.</p>
<p>@littlebuilder, that is not absolutely true. I asked MIT to up my offer after I received Stanford’s and they did. (But I still went to Stanford ;)</p>
<p>@freebirds, I’m not sure how you could apply to an Ivy now. Isn’t it a bit late?</p>
<p>From what I understand, Stanford has one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. I would suggest you call the financial aid office and ask them why you got the numbers you did. They are super helpful.</p>
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<p>Hey freebirds!</p>
<p>At the risk of your never seeing this post, Stanford’s financial aid department is extremely generous and willing to negotiate. If you’re willing to call them several times. And may be e-mail, and just generally remind them that you haven’t forgotten, and you still need more financial aid.
They won’t up a financial aid offer just to give you more incentive to come. They often get more students matriculating than they anticipate, so there’s not a huge incentive for them to offer you more money. Aid is need-based, and they won’t re-evaluate your aid for any reason unrelated to need.
That said, if you <em>need</em> more financial aid to afford tuition, and this need for whatever reason doesn’t show up on your FAFSA (e.g., a parent just lost a job, you have to fly to the other side of the country every other week to take care of an ailing relative, you have to purchase medications, etc.), they are totally willing to adjust your aid. They’ll even cover your health insurance if you’re poor enough. Just call. And congratulations!</p>