Can I call a university and ask for more merit aid?
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Anonymous
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DS is hesitating between two universities that are the same price - 65K a year. Uni A already gave him an award to bring down annual COA to 65K, and that's where he'd prefer to go to. Uni B did not give him aid, 65K is the sticker price, and he likes it a little less.
Can I call Uni A, explain the situation, and request they consider a slight increase in merit aid? Or is that totally cringeworthy? |
Anonymous
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FYI - the Uni A's yearly guaranteed award is 20K.
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Anonymous
| You can’t. Your DS could contact the admissions office via email. |
Anonymous
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Explain what situation?
That said, if you kid like A, sure, call and appeal the award. They might say no and document your call in their file. They might say yes, and more $ is added to your package. Is your kid a top flight student at school A? |
Anonymous
| You kid absolutely should. For a school that offers merit, everything is negotiable unless the are a state school offering according to a set rubric |
Anonymous
+1 this needs to be something your kid does, not you |
Anonymous
| Either one of you could call or email. While the kid should contact the school for other issues, it is acceptable for the parent to ask for more aid. Check out Paying for College 101 on Facebook and do a search on merit appeal or aid appeal. There has been much discussion and many people are successful. Some are not. |
Anonymous
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If they are equal in price, I don't think he has much leverage so I'd be surprised if they would offer more. But, if yield isn't coming in where they want it this close to May 1, it couldn't hurt.
He should email the admissions officer and financial aid, explain this is his first choice and is it possible to be considered for additional aid. If he had a peer school that came in less expensive, he could share that info but an equal price school wouldn't be meaningful. |
Anonymous
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Ummm... my brother did this for his daughter. And he got the more expensive one to match the price of the less expensive one. However, a big university is going to have less motivation to appease you b/c they probably have PLENTY of students willing to take your kid's spot. There's nothing wrong with asking. But, have some info to make your case.
It doesn't have to be the kid who does the asking. |
Anonymous
For financial issues, it is totally reasonable for the parent to write but I'd still have it come from my student, cc'ing me. |
Anonymous
Don't ever mention the other school. Just have him tell them how much they love the school and how much they'd love to attend, but that you just can afford it at the current price |
Anonymous
| Agree the student needs to make the call. If the school needs more students, they might offer more money. If the class is full or almost full, they won't. Your request is more likely to be approved at a private college that needs more students. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Actually all his other options are less expensive than these two! He wasn't actually considering any of them, though. What would you consider to be a peer school? Can it be his state flagship if the acceptance rate is lower than at Uni A? Can it be a Canadian school (McGill) that's less expensive than Uni A? |
Anonymous
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OP again. Yes, Uni A is a private university. Considering his stats and the acceptance rate, I'd say he was a top student for this school. |
Anonymous
| YOU shouldn't be doing anything. Your child should be doing it. This is his education, not yours. He is an adult now. He does it. |