<p>Why do some schools have an option to accept or decline the financial aid award? Is this separate from accepting the admissions offer-- as in, should I just accept all the awards I'm satisfied with, or should I wait until I know what school I'm going to?</p>
<p>Wait until you know which college you are going to attend in the fall and have paid your deposit. Then - you can indicate to that college - usually it is on-line - which pieces of the FA package you want. Obviously you always want gift aid - things like grants and scholarships. But sometimes they include a private loan or an unsubsidized loan in the package that you don’t want - and you can just decline that piece of the package.</p>