It's been a while since I was in college, but...

A financial aid package is a formal offer, typically with funding from several sources. These sources can include grants/scholarships and loans. Some are from the school. Some are from the state. Some are private sources. Some are from the Federal government.

The package does not always include scholarships and other funding sources that you've acquired on your own.

Bottom line is that it's a dollar figure. It's never "whatever the expenses may be." While tuition is typically known and fixed, at least for an academic year, there are many expenses which are estimated. Books, materials, and "fees" being the key ones.

What's happened to you (as far as I can tell) isn't all that uncommon. Too many students assume that they won't need to open their wallet, and then are surprised when the cost of books/materials exceeds the estimate (it always does!). And where there are fees that were never mentioned.

Now, given that you're at an online university, it SHOULD be easier to get a good estimate of the total costs. However, if you financial aid package didn't take into consideration that you'd be taking an online course that required extra materials, for example, that's where you can end up needing to open your wallet.

This $1750: what did they tell you it was for? A shortfall between your aid package and tuition? Books and materials? A hidden fee? Surely, they can provide you with a breakdown of your "bill." Being able to look at that will help you determine if the problem is a tuition increase, extra materials, or a fee they neglected to mention.

I, for one, would be interested in hearing back from you about how this went. And, specifically, what your itemized bill and official aid package look like.