Once you receive an award letter you have moved up the financial aid ladder one rung. You have moved from financial aid applicant to financial aid recipient. The award letter, or letters if you have applied to more than one school, can and should be used as a critical tool in your decision about where to attend school. More and more students are waiting for their award letters before they make their intentions known by the national day of intent deadline of May 1. This strategy has not gone unnoticed by financial aid offices around the nation. We all strive to get our letters out, especially to incoming freshman prospects, as soon as possible.
Why this is a good strategy is evident when you look at more than one award letter. Awards among schools can vary by thousands of dollars even to the same student. And, as any one can attest, there is an intensely persuasive quality to waving money in front of someone’s face. For students who have the ability and resources to apply to more than one school, most financial aid advisors would strongly suggest you do. People in financial aid offices call this strategy “getting to yes.” Once the institution has accepted you and you have received an award offer, you hold all the cards. Now, with a stacked hand, you can decide what institution you wish to attend and you also have the ability to use your award letter from a competitor’s institution to ask whether your school of choice can sweeten the pot to keep you from “jumping ship.”
» Read more: Student Financial Aid Award Letters
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