Little piece of advice-
Don’t bother “negotiating” with the colleges that have offered a token amount. They use algorithms to maximize their merit aid budgets; there’s a reason some kids get 5 and others get 25. If your kid gets a 5 K award but would need 25K to make it work- if it were me, it would go off the list. If they give you a 50% increase (which is huge) to 7.5K-- it’s still not affordable, right? So save yourself time, aggravation, and let your D move on- take it off. EVEN if they discover your D is eligible for a special departmental award of $1500… I just can’t see investing the time and resources into a college which has shown it is unaffordable. For the hours you’d spend on the back and forth you could get a part-time job and earn just as much.
I am also of the belief that there is no more powerful negotiating tool than “if you increase the award by $6K we are prepared to send our enrollment deposit today”. So I honestly listen to these tales of parents negotiating with 10 schools simultaneously with a very big grain of salt. You just don’t have much leverage, it’s hard to maintain the narrative, and at some point, you’re chasing your tail.
Make sure you and your D have gone through the COA’s very carefully before starting a discussion with admissions. If the COA includes a 2K fee for student health, but your current health insurance qualifies you for a waiver- you’ve just saved 2 grand. If the COA includes the full meal plan, 21 meals a week, and your D hasn’t eaten breakfast since she was 6 years old- figure out the cost of a more modest meal plan. If the COA assumes lab fees but your D is studying early childhood Ed and won’t have lab fees-- etc. A lot of folks think they need more money off the sticker price but haven’t worked through sticker price to see what applies to them and what not.
Good luck.