D23 has been accepted to a bunch of schools with some very nice merit offers. Her two favorite schools offered merit on the lower end. They are not the most competitive schools she applied to. I told her she needs to go back to her favorites and show them the more generous merit offers to see if she can get any increases. I would love to hear any advice on this, what to do or not to do! And if anyone has had success, please share as I’m stressing about it. An extra 5k at either school would make the final decision of where to attend MUCH easier.
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@poochie21 certainly she can ask. But keep in mind…different colleges have different bars to be met for merit aid awards…even if a college is less competitive that bar could be a different one.
What is her favorite of her acceptances? The best way is to reach out (in person, if possible) and say that this is her favorite choice, and she is prepared to commit to attending immediately if additional $5000 is forthcoming. If they come up with the money…give them the deposit check.
If she has any additional awards or something of that nature, that might help.
$5000 is a lot of money at some colleges…keep that in mind. We also don’t know the award she got, the college, or her stats going in.
And lastly…Keep in mind that some colleges absolutely won’t discuss any financial aid awards…need or merit based. They just don’t.
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In my experience the best approach is a very straightforward ask. The best outcome is that the offer improves. The worst is that it stays the same. No risk involved.
“Hello, College X is currently my first choice. I’m particularly interested in (something specific to the a school). Unfortunately right now it’s not a financial option for me. Is it possible to adjust the award to include an additional $xxxx? With that change, I could commit to College X!”
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I agree with the above advice. Adding that many parents do handle the calls (alone or with the student) asking AOs for more merit $ and/or asking Fin aid staff for more need based aid. Something to consider as some 17/18 year olds may not have the confidence and/or skill set to make these calls.
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Eliminate the word “negotiate” from your vocabulary.
You are asking the college to reconsider, adjust, discuss, review. Remember that the person you are speaking to is likely a mid-level financial aid/adcom, not someone earning 7 figures a year negotiating deals. Once a hint of gamesmanship enters the discussion, you will likely be on the losing end.
Good luck!
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When I asked the Admissions Director ar a small NE LAC who should engage Financial Aid in this discussion, she replied, “Who’s signing the check?” On one recent college tour, we were encouraged to discuss the financial award if it was not adequate. I think the colleges expect this.
This negotiation should be done by a parent, preferably the one who has some business experience if possible. I’ve seen this done successfully and I don’t think there is any special approach. I’d put my cards on the table, tell them that you can’t afford the cost at the price they’ve offered, that you’ve had a better offer at another school, but that your DD would love to come to. This college because it’s her first choice and she will come if they can match. Be specific about what the cost is at the competitor. You’re in a good position because the RD acceptances have not yet gone out. But they will be, so act soon. Don’t wait. They’ll tell you if they can match. If they can’t, move on.
Good luck.
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For this to work (and it can definitely work) the school must see the other school as a peer school, however they define that.
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And be prepared for those colleges who say “sorry…we don’t discuss changing our awards”.
We had an appointment with a finaid officer at a college, and when we asked this…she stated they don’t ever change awards. And then she walked out of the room…very abruptly. Of course, that college was dropped from consideration (not for financial reasons…but for other reasons).
Some colleges absolutely will not budge. But you don’t know if you don’t ask!
My son asked for more merit at one of our state flagships. They gave him another $3k or $5k. I don’t remember exactly. I gave him some general advice about making his case but didn’t know he was going to ask.
I think he approached one other school and they said all decisions were final. I think it was Fordham.
Temple was probably his first choice because it was pretty much free tuition. He got into GT RD after being deferred. It worked out.
You don’t know unless you ask.
Absolutely! Getting a “No” is good information to have. And you’re right, you wouldn’t know if you didn’t ask. Like the old lottery slogan, “You can’t win if you don’t play.”
I find that parents who do negotiations as part of their job are much better at this. They approach it with the attitude that everything is negotiable. Too many are intimidated because it’s “college” and they don’t want to offend anyone.
Sorry, in my experience these are the cases that backfire.
Parent is used to tough negotiations. Parent overplays their hand.
Going in with a level of humility is a much stronger approach. I’ve seen kids ask for an extra 3K “which is at the top of our budget” and walk out with 6K plus a departmental award for an extra thousand, renewable, plus the potential for a travel fellowship that summer.
You aren’t buying a used car.
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Yes, I’m in sales, I’m a good listener and I am used to hearing no. And I do think - if you don’t ask politely, you definitely don’t get anything! The school that was the most generous sent us an email requesting that we scan & send any offer letters that were better so they could compete. Does anyone have thoughts on sending the actual offer letters on to these other two schools that we hope will increase? They are all geographic peer schools. None are super-competitive. She has a lot of good, affordable choices. I might have her send the email/other offers and then I will follow up with a call. Still open to any advice/what worked for you all - I appreciate all your thoughts so far!
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A more selective school is unlikely to match better merit aid from a less selective school. Generally, the tactic only works if you’re asking schools at a similar level of selectivity to match another school’s offer.
For example, a student awarded a large scholarship at a school such as Quinnipiac and a small scholarship at a school such as Northeastern is most likely not going to see an extra penny from Northeastern.
Merit aid is an enticement. Quinnipiac needs to offer more to entice a student than Northeastern does.
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At a college fair, I actually had a school’s rep tell me, “You can always ask to negotiate if you need more aid—we’re just like used-car salesmen!”
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If they asked for them…send them!
What are people’s experiences with receiving or not receiving merit after being pulled from a waitlist? I’m assuming it’s unlikely to receive merit if not admitted during the early and regular admission process?
If the school is way below the target for their freshman class, they may still offer merit. Otherwise not likely.
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Some schools will reconsider if you present a compelling case. Has your income changed, life circumstances changed etc.? It depends on the school. I personally know someone whose child was accepted into a top school and the second kid is a cancer survivor who requires high end vigilance and care. No dice. Bottom line is a that a less competitive school looking to fill a spot might sweeten the deal a bit if you present your case wisely. Competitive schools will rarely do this.
I’d start the convo with “we were wondering if there are any additional scholarship opportunities that my daughter can avail of because she really wants to attend your wonderful school but it will be financially difficult for us.” Over the phone and then go from there.
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Thanks for the input! We just need to be pulled off the waitlist now. Good luck to all! It has been a nerve-racking year.
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Back in 2016, my daughter was offered merit after being accepted off a waitlist at a college with around a 30% acceptance rate. It wasn’t a huge award, but it wasn’t nothing either. She was actually offered a spot on May 2nd or 3rd, so not deep into summer. I think @TomSrOfBoston is probably right.
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