I was accepted to my top choice IS school, where I heavily align with their mission and a particular pathway program that is very hard to find. They have not released their financial aid packages yet.

I was also accepted to another private IS school, and they recently offered me a full-tuition scholarship (still cannot comprehend this tbh), but I would still have to get loans for housing/food costs, as it is over an hour from my hometown-- not complaining at all the ~$20-30k/year in loans is a huge blessing to >100k. This school is newer and does not have the same established home residency programs, etc., but still seems like a very nice, close-knit school.

I want to maximize my chances at getting financial aid at my original top choice school, and was wondering when/if/how one goes about asking for aid/negotiating with another school's offer. I was thinking of waiting until they release aid packages (last year on sdn they were released in very late April), so I don't come across the wrong way as expecting aid, but at the same time, I do not want to wait until after, and all the aid/scholarships are already given away.

Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated!

p.s. I truly hope this does not come across as ungrateful for the scholarship I have received-- I just know that the other school could provide a pathway that is tailored to my future goals/patient population, but currently, it is not financially feasible