ED Merit Aid Offer to Parents -- Normal for LACs?

[Anonymous]

A friend just told me they (the parents) received an email from a LAC offering $25K in merit aid should DC apply ED (has a late deadline, I suppose).

Is this a thing? I've heard Grinell offers guaranteed merit to all who apply early. Are individual merit offers contingent on ED normal?

So many games and pressure with this process. . . .

[Anonymous]

Yes I had similar experiences with a few LACs. I appreciate their offers.

[Anonymous]

I think St Olaf does this too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend just told me they (the parents) received an email from a LAC offering $25K in merit aid should DC apply ED (has a late deadline, I suppose).

Is this a thing? I've heard Grinell offers guaranteed merit to all who apply early. Are individual merit offers contingent on ED normal?

So many games and pressure with this process. . . .

I got one from a different LAC to which DD had applied EA, asking if she wanted to switch to ED2 and letting her know that they've reviewed her application and if she gets in she will get a $36,000 merit offer. I think the objective is partly to inform parents that they don't need to "shop" for merit; they can get it even if the kid applies ED. But my understanding is that DD will get the same aid offer if she is accepted EA. DD likes the school and is basically a shoo-in in terms of her grades/scores/Scoir data, and has demonstrated her interest in multiple ways, but if she doesn't get into her ED I think she wants to weigh all her options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think St Olaf does this too

I'm the PP. Above I wasn't talking about St. Olaf, but I think St. Olaf also did this, via actual mail. But I didn't view it as making the award contingent on applying ED. Just a financial pre-read, basically, and letting us know that she could switch from EA to ED. Again, I think it's at least partially because these schools want to indicate that applying ED--and thus giving up your leverage--will not prevent you from getting merit aid. They message this to both the kids and the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think St Olaf does this too

I'm the PP. Above I wasn't talking about St. Olaf, but I think St. Olaf also did this, via actual mail. But I didn't view it as making the award contingent on applying ED. Just a financial pre-read, basically, and letting us know that she could switch from EA to ED. Again, I think it's at least partially because these schools want to indicate that applying ED--and thus giving up your leverage--will not prevent you from getting merit aid. They message this to both the kids and the parents.

Please share the name of the LAC ? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I know of schools that did pre-read and guaranteed merit based on pre-read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think St Olaf does this too

I'm the PP. Above I wasn't talking about St. Olaf, but I think St. Olaf also did this, via actual mail. But I didn't view it as making the award contingent on applying ED. Just a financial pre-read, basically, and letting us know that she could switch from EA to ED. Again, I think it's at least partially because these schools want to indicate that applying ED--and thus giving up your leverage--will not prevent you from getting merit aid. They message this to both the kids and the parents.

Please share the name of the LAC ? Thanks.

I don’t want to say because I listed the amount and I don’t know if that makes us identifiable. But it was a school ranked in the 40-60 range in USNews.

[Anonymous]

DD had a pre-read with Grinnell and they guaranteed a certain amount of merit if she ED’d (beyond the $20K discount available to all ED kids there). We don’t qualify for FA so that was key. Without that info she would not have ED’d there but having it let us go ahead and do that.

Honestly she may have considered other LACs longer if she had similar early merit estimates from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know of schools that did pre-read and guaranteed merit based on pre-read.

Do you mind sharing the names of these schools? Would love to know for next year!

[Anonymous]

I can confirm that Connecticut College gives merit awards to ED applicants. DS got 30k/year.

[Anonymous]

Grinnell does this. Oxy does this ($15K only). Whitman does this. Others too.

[Anonymous]

All the LACs that give out substantial merit aid should guarantee such aid to ED acceptances (like Grinnell does). Otherwise why bother having ED as there is a disincentive to apply ED.

[Anonymous]

Yes, as the PP mentioned, Oxy does a guaranteed $15k per year for anyone who is accepted ED1 or ED1. They mention that you may get more than that, but the 15K is standard:

https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/first-year/early-decision/scholarship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, as the PP mentioned, Oxy does a guaranteed $15k per year for anyone who is accepted ED1 or ED1. They mention that you may get more than that, but the 15K is standard:

https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/first-year/early-decision/scholarship

But you must take these offers in context of the school’s health and what they are trying to do to market themselves. ED serves the school to boost yield rates which, in turn, are reported to the rankings services. The schools aren’t making these ED merit offers because they want your particular kid. They are trying to boost yield numbers. Oxy suffered a 15% decline in this fall’s incoming class so the school is doing whatever it can to bolster admissions for next year. https://theoccidentalnews.com/news/2025/11/05/college-adjusts-spending-and-admissions-tactics-in-the-wake-of-enrollment-decline/2916071