Negotiating scholarships works!!!!! Forum

[vkgarrett]

So I sent out an email to San Diego after their initial scholarship offer of $23,000 a year asking for an increased amount. Today, I just got a letter saying I am receiving the Dean's Honor Scholarship which covers full tuition ($39,000) and a gives me a living stipend! This pretty much just made my decision.

When did you get your scholly info from USD?

[dolfan0516]

So I sent out an email to San Diego after their initial scholarship offer of $23,000 a year asking for an increased amount. Today, I just got a letter saying I am receiving the Dean's Honor Scholarship which covers full tuition ($39,000) and a gives me a living stipend! This pretty much just made my decision.

When did you get your scholly info from USD?

Just about 4 years ago.

"PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:54 pm"

[hurricane12345]

Lol

[vkgarrett]

So I sent out an email to San Diego after their initial scholarship offer of $23,000 a year asking for an increased amount. Today, I just got a letter saying I am receiving the Dean's Honor Scholarship which covers full tuition ($39,000) and a gives me a living stipend! This pretty much just made my decision.

When did you get your scholly info from USD?

Just about 4 years ago.

"PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:54 pm"

doh.

hahahahoops.

[iowalum]

Anyone have tips on negotiating when you don't have any peer schools to leverage with (i.e. - if you only applied to one school)?

[Unagi]

There is a person on page 11 that negotiated a lot of times with UCLA.
I think each school is diferent.
I have contacted Michigan and they told me "If you receive a scholarship from another institution, you may submit a copy of that award to us, and our Financial Aid office will consider whether we can make a competing scholarship offer. Please keep in mind that we are only able to review applicants once under this process, so I would recommend waiting until you’ve heard from all the schools to which you are admitted. Typically, this process occurs between February and April."

[KibblesnBitts]

Whoever bumped this back up for 2012, thank you so much.

[Opie]

I know it's still really early in the cycle for scholarship negotiating, but I think this is one area where the drop in applicants this year could REALLY pay off (and I do mean that expression quite literally!).

When do you think would be appropriate to begin negotiating? Should we wait until all schools have given decisions, or start as soon as we get offers from peer schools?

I think it is fine to start when you are able (i.e. have offers from peer schools), but I think it's a one time deal. You can't say to C, "NYU gave me 25% so you should too," only to come back a month later and say "well, I know I said I'd go to your school if you matched NYU's 25%, but I got into HLS and I think I need a full ride to keep considering you."

I've looked at many threads on TLS with examples of people negotiating and re-negotiating, not so sure it is a one time deal? Especially if something subsequently changes (i.e. another school upped their scholarship offer, you were accepted off a waitlist, higher LSAT score).

Anyone from previous cycles able to speak to this?

I hadn't seen that. Apologies.

I still think it's not optimum. And it's a little tacky. But if you have what you think is the best offer you're likely to get, then by all means start.

[Cornelius]

Whoever bumped this back up for 2012, thank you so much.

I'm all kinds of awesome.

[ACGator2012]

Would any one be willing to review my letter for me?

[Beachbum89]

ddddddddd

[wamanda]

It is most definitely not a one time deal. I went back and forth with my current school about eight times over a period of three months. I started out with 60k; now, I have a full ride. As long as you are respectful, have a new offer every time you ask for an increase, and aren't actually promising "If you match X offer, I will withdraw from all other schools," multiple negotiations are fine. In fact, they are necessary.

My rule of thumb was to keep negotiating either until I got a full ride or until I got two no's in a row--which means, just because you get a no along the way does not mean you are done negotiating. I probably got about three no's mixed in with my five yeses.

[llachans]

I understand the negotiation process; however, I'm a bit confused at what happens afterwards. If the college agrees to increase your scholarship amount, what happens next? Do they send you a hardcopy agreement stating the new scholarship amount? Pretty much, how do you insure that they guarantee the scholarship?

[wamanda]

They generally send you an updated scholarship letter. If they don't do this automatically, you can certainly request it. If you are negotiating via email, you already have the written offer. If you are doing it over the phone, simply ask them to email it to you so you have it in writing. No sweat.

[Beeg12]

I apologize in advance if the answer to this question has already been posted, but do I direct e-mails to request further consideration for scholarships to financial aid or admissions? Thanks.

[llachans]

They generally send you an updated scholarship letter. If they don't do this automatically, you can certainly request it. If you are negotiating via email, you already have the written offer. If you are doing it over the phone, simply ask them to email it to you so you have it in writing. No sweat.

Alright. Thank you!

[llachans]

I apologize in advance if the answer to this question has already been posted, but do I direct e-mails to request further consideration for scholarships to financial aid or admissions? Thanks.

Earlier, posters suggested CCing the e-mail to both.

[puremorning]

On a similar note (and thanks to the person that resurrected this thread) is it possible to negotiate stips? I know it's possible for scholarship amounts, but DePaul is up there on my list but has horrendous stipulations. It pretty much makes me not want to go there. If I'm not sure whether I'd be able to keep the scholarship all three years, why the hell would I sign on to that?

[soitgoes9]

On a similar note (and thanks to the person that resurrected this thread) is it possible to negotiate stips? I know it's possible for scholarship amounts, but DePaul is up there on my list but has horrendous stipulations. It pretty much makes me not want to go there. If I'm not sure whether I'd be able to keep the scholarship all three years, why the hell would I sign on to that?

Many places will.

[puremorning]

On a similar note (and thanks to the person that resurrected this thread) is it possible to negotiate stips? I know it's possible for scholarship amounts, but DePaul is up there on my list but has horrendous stipulations. It pretty much makes me not want to go there. If I'm not sure whether I'd be able to keep the scholarship all three years, why the hell would I sign on to that?

Many places will.

Good. Thanks. I didn't want to try to negotiate without there being a chance.

[lfrawley1101]

I recently was accepted to UVA with a scholarship and I was hoping to negotiate for one at Georgetown seeing as I would rather be in DC. However, I'm not exactly sure how to start the process and an appropriate way to word something like this. Any tips and recomendations would be really helpful.

[houng89]

so helpful thanks!

[shroeder]

Awesome thread. I'm gonna use this

[splitbrain]

For those that will be negotiating, please post results as the cycle continues and as it concludes

[thelaststraw05]

I recently was accepted to UVA with a scholarship and I was hoping to negotiate for one at Georgetown seeing as I would rather be in DC. However, I'm not exactly sure how to start the process and an appropriate way to word something like this. Any tips and recomendations would be really helpful.

I don't remember enough of the process (blocked it out) to give specific advice. But Georgetown isn't too friendly to negotiation. I had 15k from Michigan and Gtown wouldn't give me anything. Nada. I really did want to go to Gtown so that I could stay in the same place as my wife.

Fuckers.