<p>Financial aid everywhere should factor in the total cost of attendance - they usually add an amount for travel and supplies too. If your merit aid award is inadequate, you should receive additional financial aid - hopefully enough so that you can attend. I agree with bowman that you should try to negotiate for more aid if you need it.</p>
<p>Beware of letters that say “you have 20K in a such and such scholarship!” Read the next sentence where it specifies that that is for a total of four years so it’s really 5K per year. It’s a typical move by most schools today to notify you that way and I guess if you take an extra semester to graduate, you need to take into consideration that your scholarship may need to be negotiated for.</p>