S25’s 1st choice is Ole Miss. As you know, Ole Miss and Bama publish merit scholarship tables. He got scholarship letters from both. Ole Miss’ matches their table, but Alabama offered him significantly more than the table indicated.
Do we have any chance of Ole Miss offering more if we appeal and share Alabama’s offer?
We are out of state for both and are full pay.
No - but you can ask.
The worst they can say is no.
But look at total cost of attendance - tuition, room and board.
How do they match up?
Alabama is $49,188 minus merit
Ole Miss has next year cost - $41,200 minus merit.
So Ole Miss is already $8K cheaper.
So if you build an argument - you should base on net cost.
And you should not expect a - sure - we’ll match if you’ll attend.
Bama feasts on out of state. Kids flocking from everywhere.
Ole Miss also draws out of state - but is far more regional - with surrounding states filling the bulk of the out of state.
Note what your student will add, note what the Bama price net is (assuming it’s lower than Ole Miss) and note you will commit if they hit x $$.
But expect a thanks, but no thanks.
Good luck.
Thanks!
Comparing the tuition, fees, room and board and the merit scholarships, Ole Miss is $1000/year more expensive. It’s not a lot, but every bit helps, right?
It’s worth a try, but I would only ask if you will go if they meet your terms. And I would say that in the request.
Thanks! He’s going either way. Just hoping for a bit more money.
Every bit helps.
He can check department scholarships of course - and sure, ask, make an argument.
You never know.
Congrats on his choice.
Thanks all. I’ll have him send an email.
$1,000 can be made up in hotel costs for parents’ weekend, fraternity dues, or food take out. My friends complain every year about what they have to pay for a hotel for parents’ weekend at southern state schools - easily over 1k for a weekend at a Hilton Garden Inn.
Our school and some other privates send dozens of kids to the Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss type schools and kids are one of two types - 1. NMF and they go to Alabama or 2. Full pay and parents don’t really care where they go or what it costs.
My point being, I wouldn’t quibble for a 1k difference in costs because the unknown costs are truly that - unknown and one could be thousands more than the other for costs you aren’t thinking about right now.
My kids did not go south- urban, Northeast schools. But we quickly learned that going the weekend BEFORE or AFTER parents weekend was the way to get el cheapo hotel rooms, no wait for a table at a restaurant, and tons of free parking!
There was nothing particularly special about the high prices and long lines of parents weekend if all you want to do is see your kid, take a few friends out for brunch, and see that your kid has- in fact- learned to do laundry and run a vacuum cleaner once they are out from under your roof!!!
This is so true! I know the southern schools make football games the center of parents weekend, but the hassle and headache is not worth it in my opinion.
You might look into potential to change residency at each school.
I agree with others that there is no downside to asking Ole Miss for more $. Your chances are better if you/your S communicate that he will attend if they get to $X in net COA.
I understand that there are many other costs. S25 isn’t my first. He is going to Ole Miss regardless. The money isn’t a consideration at this point. If there is an opportunity (and I understand that it’s unlikely) to get more money from Ole Miss, I’d like him to explore that. The worst that can happen is they’ll say no. The best that can happen is they’ll give him more merit money which means more money in my pocket to spend on the myriad of other college expenses.
We’ll explore residency down the road. Whether or not it’s a possibility will not affect his decision. FYI - Ole Miss is in Mississippi, not Missouri. 
Oops, my bad, reading too fast! I’ll edit my post
So after my daughter met a dead end on her merit and they said this is what we will give. We asked for a housing credit. They didn’t know what that was. So we explained for her to go there we still needed some help. They gave her $3,000 off housing Room/board. But it was a small school. So yea, never hurts to ask.
We just went through this with two of my son’s acceptances. One said a flat-out no, we don’t do that. The other came back with $4,000 more, and it is now affordable and tied for first on their list.
Private colleges are more apt to be able to say yes than public colleges. But you can try.
Would love to know how OM responded to your request! Looking to do the same.
Initially, they said no, that they don’t match other schools’ offers, but they came back several weeks later and offered more than double the initial offer! We accepted!
That’s awesome! Congratulations! I had my son send an email last night. We were told to first ask through his admissions counselor. Do you mind telling me who (office/title not name) your son emailed?