Family Income is Key Like colleges, grad schools negotiate. A good talker can get the school to increase its initial offer. There are no government regulations preventing this. All schools have unregulated money. Many institutions expect you to negotiate and do not give their best offers first.
Grad schools look at tax returns in granting aid, as does the federal government.
Vanessa might negotiate employee benefits, like free parking and transportation, in lieu of a pay raise. She can borrow against appreciated assets. She shouldn't sell and incur a capital gain in the base year. And she should pay taxes and other deductible items, like medical bills, in the base year. Financial-aid forms don't recognize credit card debt.