Requesting more FA: strategy

If you are offered aid from a school but its not enough to be able to afford to attend what should you say when asking for more? Do you say you are our first choice and we need X to afford it? Do you say that other schools have offered more? (it is true for what its worth) Do you call or email? Any thoughts appreciated.

We did all of the above and got more. It depends on the school and how badly they want your kid, I would guess. It also helped that our estimates when we filed the SSS form back in October were higher than reality (the vagaries of self-employment, essentially).

Yep, call first & ask what you need to do. Be prepared to show the FA award from the other school. Make your case that they are your number one for sure, but that you just can’t afford it. The situation is not unheard of, so be ready to follow their steps promptly.

I’d go for the revisit day first to make sure it’s your absolute first choice. Just know if you ask for more money and they give it to you, you need to be ready to sign your acceptance letter. While they can’t make you sign, it’s frowned upon if you don’t. And yes, you will need to be able to show award from other school.

Agree with southernboyzmama. Go to revisit before asking for a match/increase in award.

In our experience, it depended on the school. One school matched another without blinking, but another said “Sorry, no can do.”