asking for money from a school?

[ekm86]

hey all! just looking for some opinions/suggestions... basically, i am 90% certain about where i will be attending this fall. that school currently has not offered me a scholarship. i did, however, receive a pretty hefty scholarship offer from a school a tier lower. should i try to use this to leverage some money from the school i will likely be attending come august? how would i go about doing this? regardless of if they offer me money or not, i will still attend (obviously i would like to avoid having to disclose that fact should i try to negotiate some scholarship funds). it'd just be nice to get a little bit of financial help, of course thanks in advance! any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated!

[mm1405]

I was awarded a small scholarship to one school, but wanted more of course So I wrote the admissions office an email along the lines of "I was wondering if the initial scholarship offer is usually the final offer or if there is a chance more scholarship money will be distributed after deposits are in, etc"  The Dean wrote me back and extended my deposit deadline 2 weeks to give me time to see if i'd be offered more money! Needless to say, I didnt get more money... but I thought it was an easy way to ask, without being rude in any way.

[Maddie]

It's ALWAYS worth it to ask for more money.  I would just say that the school will remain one of your top choices either way, but some additional scholarship funds would go a long way toward helping you with your decision, and outline what your other options are.

I did this with similarly ranked schools and it worked wonderfully.  I'm not sure about with a lower ranked school, but ultimately they want you and you never know what they'll be willing to shell out to keep you.    GOOD LUCK!!!

[Martin Prince, Jr.]

It's ALWAYS worth it to ask for more money.  I would just say that the school will remain one of your top choices either way, but some additional scholarship funds would go a long way toward helping you with your decision, and outline what your other options are.

I did this with similarly ranked schools and it worked wonderfully.  I'm not sure about with a lower ranked school, but ultimately they want you and you never know what they'll be willing to shell out to keep you.    GOOD LUCK!!!

Bingo. I managed to increase an offer from a higher ranked school based on a lower ranked school's offer, so it can be done. It never never hurts to ask (assuming you do it in a polite, respectful way).

[resipsaloquitur]

Write a sincere letter about your interest in the school and your goals.  Include the other scholarship info if you think it will help, but it should just be one factor, not the only factor, for them to consider in for a scholarship increase.  Call them and talk to them about it too.

I increased my scholarship offer with no other scholarships to leverage. 

[hurley325]

I was able to negotiate a small scholarship (after originally getting nothing) by using an offer from a school ranked about 20 spots lower.  I was fairly certain I would be there anyway, but some money is a nice incentive.

I basically just talked about how school X was my top choice and talked about some things I liked about the school.  I then said that although I really liked it I had to consider other factors and money was the most important on that list.  I then talked about how school Y offered me money and combined with the ease of gaining in-state tuition, it was making my decision very difficult and asked if there was anything they could do to help offset the difference.

[raider1984]

tag

[Team Awesome]

do you lose leverage once you've sent your 1st deposit? I have been emailing with a dean about increasing my award. I sent in my first deposit and it feels like 've lost my bargaining power since I'm on my way to comitting.

[dancingnancy]

I'm in the same boat: both schools are top-ranked, but the slightly lower one offered me money, while the other (the one I REALLY want to go to) hasn't given me any. My question is: is it better to call the school or to write an email??

[Clayton]

Send a email, the worst thing they can say is "No".

It's not like they will rescind your acceptance for asking.