Some schools will go to the bargaining table

The admission letters are in, stacked next to the financial aid offers. And the school that tops your "Want to go to" list is at the bottom of your "Can afford" list.

Can you negotiate for a better deal?

Maybe, say specialists, especially if other schools have come through with better offers.

"A lot of schools will not admit it, but they're influenced by another school's offer," said Coy Howe, director of College Funding Solutions, based in Port Angeles, Wash.

Even without a competing offer, most schools will give your financial aid package a second look if there have been serious changes in your financial situation.

Loss of a job or an extended illness, whether they occur before the student starts school or midway through his or her career, count as extenuating circumstances, and the school financial aid office should be informed right away.

Parents can also request a "professional judgment" review if they feel that their aid package did not take into account a key factor, such as a dependent elderly grandparent or a divorce.

But what about an aid package that just does not seem to measure up?

Before attempting to wheel and deal, it pays to do some research.

Schools whose endowments are not as large as others may traditionally offer less generous awards, Howe says.

So it helps to know not just the numbers on your offer, but what type of offers the schools have made in the past.

Also keep in mind that state schools do not have as much money to dole out as do many private schools, says Greg Phillips, head of Phillips Financial Aid Services in Pittsburgh.

Phillips does the numbers analysis before he drafts a missive to the school, enclosing the other offer and politely asking them to rethink the award.

"We want to find a valid reason for asking for more money without sounding like we're whining," he said. "Even schools that say we don't negotiate, we write the letter."

A copy of the letter should go to the admissions office and any other college official who has expressed interest in that student, such as a coach or head of the art department, Phillips said.

Financial aid officers are concerned about money, but admissions officers, charged with creating a diverse student body, may be more willing to go to the wall to ensure that a specific student attends that school.

If the family lives nearby, a personal interview with school officials may also help, Phillips said. In one of his cases, a mother met with a financial aid officer, who said no.

Then she walked over to the admissions office and received an extra $2,000.

Still, there is no guarantee that the school will see it your way.

"You can negotiate for additional funding, but you have to make sure you're ready for the answer," Howe said. "If they don't want you that bad, their offer is their offer."

To get a sense of the chances of success, only 2 percent of colleges said they would change aid offers based on those made by other institutions, according to a 2001 survey conducted by the College Board and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Private two-year colleges are most likely to be amenable to such negotiation, the survey found -- and many schools are adamant that they don't.

Wellesley College spokeswoman Mary Ann Hill, whose school meets students' full demonstrated need, put it bluntly: "We don't barter with students," she said.