Countering a financial aid offer?

[Spaced Out]

does anyone have any experience asking for or countering a financial aid offer?

[Spaced Out]

I have been thinking about this a little bit and noticed this coversation was brought up on a different thread so I thought I would start a new one.

@Copperdoes anyone have any experience countering a financial aid offer?

@ littlenova I'm thinking the counter offer you make should probably be aid offered from a similarly ranked or esteemed institution. I can't see myself asking MICA for a full ride, because Maine College of Art offered it to me. But, if VCU had offered something hefty...I might have had more leverage. I probably would have said something like...

I am really having a hard time deciding between two programs...Does your institution match offers, because unfortunately my decision may come down to funding. I was offered X...

I'm curious to hear what other people have to say about this, too. I may find myself in a similar position.

Edited March 22, 2010 by Spaced Out

[Artist1]

This is something I was thinking about as well.

Let's say I was accepted to Yale and another school. I could mention that I was accepted to Yale and whatever aid I received to possibly get more funding from t he other school? or would it really make no difference. Are the funds (scholarships, grants, TAs) set in stone or some flexibility if the school really wants you there?

[grad_wannabe]

This is something I was thinking about as well.

Let's say I was accepted to Yale and another school. I could mention that I was accepted to Yale and whatever aid I received to possibly get more funding from t he other school? or would it really make no difference. Are the funds (scholarships, grants, TAs) set in stone or some flexibility if the school really wants you there?

The money is always negotiable. This exact scenario happened with another GradCafe poster, MNChick. She just wrote on another thread the following (MN I hope it's cool If I post this here!):

saic called [after offering a 50% ride] and when i told them that i was accepted to yale, they offer to bump up the scholarship.

The funds are not set in stone. Schools CAN and DO compete with each other for the best students.

After I had received 2 acceptances (to CalArts and MIT), a third school (USC) offered a full-ride TAship. My mentor told me to call the first two schools immediately and let them know, and "see what they could do about their packages." (MIT ended up giving me a full-ride fellowship plus a stipend, but that was before they knew about USC's offer.)

Edited July 9, 2010 by grad_wannabe

[PennyChrome]

interesting thread.