If you don’t like the financial aid package you've received, you aren't stuck with a bum deal. Many people don’t realize that you can often go back and negotiate a better financial aid package. Federal aid programs give financial aid officers authority to make adjustments. If you can’t afford to attend the school with the aid that you’ve been given, you should call a financial aid officer and say so. Sometimes this involves filing an appeal form that takes some time to process.

Just be polite but firm and draw attention to anything the school may have overlooked, like a death in the family, when examining your family finances for a particular year. Have documentation ready to prove any big change in circumstances.

You might be surprised how cooperative schools can get when they think they might lose you. Being honest and approaching the school directly is the smartest tactic and will keep your college plan on track. In fact, you can file an appeal every year that you’re in school if you feel you have been awarded too little. You have little to lose by trying.