Can I use a scholarship as leverage?

[Crocognar]

Hey all,

I recently got a hefty scholarship from a school I was admitted to. Although this school is great, it’s not my number one choice.

Can I use this scholarship as leverage to get money from other schools that I would admittedly rather attend?

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[Isoval]

I wouldn’t.

I think this will have the same effect as submitting a letter of intent to a school you would rather attend while using another acceptance as leverage.

The question becomes “hey, are we even at the top of Crocognar’s list? He may just dump us too if he gets a better scholarship somewhere else”

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

As has been said here before yes you can and it happens more than people think.

 

[UnassumingToad]

I am in a similar position. I was told I would be stupid not to leverage the offer I have. Obviously be honest, polite, and judicious. If you have a great financial offer one place, it doesn't make logical sense to go 200-300k into debt to go to your top choice, even if you love the place. I think that is reasonable logic that a school should be able to understand and relate to.

 

[Crocognar]

I wouldn’t.

I think this will have the same effect as submitting a letter of intent to a school you would rather attend while using another acceptance as leverage.

The question becomes “hey, are we even at the top of Crocognar’s list? He may just dump us too if he gets a better scholarship somewhere else”

I mean they already promised me the scholarship. Obviously, though, if no other schools bite then I’ll just go to the scholarship school.

 

[Crocognar]

As has been said here before yes you can and it happens more than people think.

So, how? I was thinking of contacting schools B and C and basically saying something along the lines of,

“School A gave me $$, can you do the same? If not, I’ll go to school A.” More politely tho

 

[bonedoc5576]

No harm in trying assuming you have already been accepted to the other schools, particularly if the school(s) you would rather attend is(are) ranked lower and is(are) also known to provide merit aid.

 

[vernhart]

I wouldn’t.

I think this will have the same effect as submitting a letter of intent to a school you would rather attend while using another acceptance as leverage.

The question becomes “hey, are we even at the top of Crocognar’s list? He may just dump us too if he gets a better scholarship somewhere else”

I HIGHLY doubt they rescind an acceptance just because someone asked for a scholarship. If OP approaches it professionally, the worst they will do is say is no.

 

[Crocognar]

No harm in trying assuming you have already been accepted to the other schools, particularly if the school(s) you would rather attend is(are) ranked lower and is(are) also known to provide merit aid.

Yeah I’m leaning towards giving it a shot. The scholarship school is lower ranked than the others, but not by much.

 

[Goro]

Hey all,

I recently got a hefty scholarship from a school I was admitted to. Although this school is great, it’s not my number one choice.

Can I use this scholarship as leverage to get money from other schools that I would admittedly rather attend?

If the accept is from Yale and you want to go to Drexel, Drexel will probably want to talk.

If the accept is from Yale and you want to go to Harvard, Harvard will probably want to talk.

If the accept is from Drexel and you want to go to Yale, Yale will probably say "Have fun at Drexel".

If the accept is from Drexel and you want to go to Albany, Albany will probably say "Have fun at Drexel".

See the pattern?

 

[vernhart]

So, how? I was thinking of contacting schools B and C and basically saying something along the lines of,

“School A gave me $$, can you do the same? If not, I’ll go to school A.” More politely tho

I'd go something more along the lines of "I was really impressed with your institution and I would love to attend. However, I have been offered a substantial scholarship (let them know how much and be honest) to attend another school. As I contemplate this decision, I am emailing to politely ask about the possibility of receiving the same or similar offer from your school." Obviously I am just going off the top of my head right now and you can mess with the wording, but I wouldn't frame it as "they are giving me money, pony up or else." Make it seem like a decision in progress rather than an ultimatum.

 

[Crocognar]

If the accept is from Yale and you want to go to Drexel, Drexel will probably want to talk.

If the accept is from Yale and you want to go to Harvard, Harvard will probably want to talk.

If the accept is from Drexel and you want to go to Yale, Yale will probably say "Have fun at Drexel".

If the accept is from Drexel and you want to go to Albany, Albany will probably say "Have fun at Drexel".

See the pattern?

yeah this helps. Scholarship school is like ~50-60 in usn report rankings, schools I like better are ~40-50 and ~20-30.

Still gonna try though. Can’t hurt.

 

[Crocognar]

I'd go something more along the lines of "I was really impressed with your institution and I would love to attend. However, I have been offered a substantial scholarship (let them know how much and be honest) to attend another school. As I contemplate this decision, I am emailing to politely ask about the possibility of receiving the same or similar offer from your school." Obviously I am just going off the top of my head right now and you can mess with the wording, but I wouldn't frame it as "they are giving me money, pony up or else." Make it seem like a decision in progress rather than an ultimatum.

Great advice. Thank you!

 

[aldol16]

You can try anything you want - but whether it works will be a function of how much the other school wants you to begin with. If they really want you, they might try to match your scholarship or at least throw more money at you. If they didn't want you to begin with, then they're gonna tell you to go take a hike. They'll also likely try to gauge how likely it is you'll go to the other school. If you're calling up Harvard about a full ride you got to a school in the Caribbean, they're probably not gonna be super receptive to that.

 

[Deleted member 750603]

What do you have to lose by simply asking them?

You’re already accepted.

The worst is likely they will say “no” in some nice way. Then you’re back to your original posting knowing they won’t match the offer.

“Hello, I was accepted at school Y and I received a financial package which covers a fair amount of my tuition. I was wondering what financial options exist for me at school Z”.

Something like that.