tkovac, thanks for your reply. I really appreciate your feedback. As difficult as it is, I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge at AU. No funding at all is still hard to stomach but i have no choice. Good luck!
HandsomeNerd, I've been in contact with the AU financial aid office and they seemed pretty set on not negotiating when it comes to awards. I received a half tuition award from Brandeis and tried to leverage that but they weren't buying any of it. I guess it doesn't hurt to try again.