funding info in admission letters is not clear

[dimpleangel]

In all of my acceptance letters, they only state the minimum amount of funding that I can receive. On the website of my top choice, they clearly break down the funding from all sources ( GTA+ RA+ department f..) in details and the difference between the published number and the minimum is 10K!!! Now can I email the admission committee to ask for a clarification? Would that affect my admission status ( i know I'm such a worry-wart but since the school is my top choice, I don't want my admission decision to be rescinded or anything!)

And from your experience, do you generally receive more than the min amount that is stated in the admission letter? ( some schools do not publish the financial aid details thus making it impossible for me to make a fair comparison of funding from schools to school.

Edited March 10, 2011 by dimpleangel

[eep]

To me it seems perfectly reasonable to ask for clarification about funding if they can give any. But I think in a lot of cases the admissions committee actually doesn't have much control over what kind of funding you get, they just recommend you for funding to some other body that makes the finance decisions. Even if the committee can't tell you exactly how much funding you'd get, they may be able to tell you whether you have a good or bad chance of getting a number above the minimum.

[precious1]

I got an admission letter, but it did not say anything about finaicial information.

I sent the graduate secretary an email asking about it and she said that she would let me know in a couple of weeks.

Should I say "hello" to my professor (mentor)? Is it OK for me to ask about financial information directly?

[NadaJ]

Your offer letter should list the name and contact information for the department administrator or someone that can answer your questions about funding. As someone that has crafted multi-year funding letters, it can be hard for us to make the information clear, and we encourage you to contact us so that you understand your funding.

[Sharka]

You can certainly ask for clarification on that. For my MA fellowship, I got the minimum amount for my first year. For the second year, I applied for an increase due to increased cost of living and was awarded an additional $2000/year.

[dimpleangel]

Thank you all for your replies.

I just sent the graduate coordinator an email asking for a clarification. We'll see in a week after she gets back from her vacation!!!