When to negotiate for $ Forum

[MAapplicant]

When should I begin negotiating for $? Have been accepted into Cornell, BC,and BU with only BU's admit package offering aid (around 30k per year).

[duckmoney]

I don't think there's any bad time to start negotiating for aid, although it probably won't be very effective until a school has already given you a formal offer.

Your best bet for negotiating is to pick your favorite school and then hold out until the last second on the acceptance deadline, and make sure you send the financial aid office several last minute notices of "I really want to go to this school for X Y and Z, but School B gave me this much money, and I just don't think I can afford the extra cost". I had my aid offer increased from nothing to $30k 2 days before the response deadline by doing this.

[landla]

I am waiting to get initial offers, unless I don't hear within a reasonable amount of time. If I don't hear from one school that accepted me around Dec. 22 (ish) in another week or two, I will give them a call. You don't want to be the first contact (might lowball yourself) but you also don't want to wait until they have exhausted their funds.

As an fyi, BC (based on past threads on TLS) doesn't negotiate based on other offers but does negotiate in general.