Merit Scholarships at T20

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit aid is rare at the top schools. This information is (usually) easy to find. Google the name of the university and "common data set." Once you get the most recent CDS, go to section H, line H2A-N and O. This will tell you the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who had no financial need and who were awarded merit aid (excluding athletic awards), and the average amount of merit aid given.

Top 20 universities according to USNWR, and their published amount of merit aid for freshmen entering in the fall of 2020:
Princeton--0
Columbia--0
Harvard--0
MIT--0
Yale--0
Stanford--0
Chicago--doesn't have recent CDS readily available on their website, which actually is illegal
Penn--0
Cal Tech--0
Duke--11 freshmen got merit awards, average of $72k
Johns Hopkins--no recent CDS available
Northwestern--92 freshmen got merit awards, average of $4k
Dartmouth--0
Brown--0
Vanderbilt--154 freshmen, $19k
Wash U--40 freshmen, $30k
Cornell--0
Rice--32 freshmen, $19k
Notre Dame--49 freshmen, 18k
UCLA--no easy way to determine for OOS students


Top 21 colleges according to USNWR (there was a tie for 20th)
Williams--0
Amherst--0
Swarthmore--4 freshmen, $54k
Pomona--0
Wellesley--0 freshmen, but 6 upperclassmen had merit aid averaging $40k. Not sure if Wellesley awarded it previously but has stopped?
Bowdoin--12 freshmen, $1k
Annapolis--n/a
Claremont McKenna--22 freshmen, $14k
Carleton--6 freshmen, $2k
Middlebury--2 freshmen, $10k
West Point--n/a
W&L--23 freshmen, $48k
Davidson--15 freshmen, $40k
Grinnell--no recent CDS available
Hamilton--0
Haverford--0
Barnard--0
Colby--no recent CDS available
Colgate--0
Smith--20 freshmen, $20k
Wesleyan--3 freshmen, $60k

Thanks PP. This is a great data compilation and should put to rest most of the fiction about Top 20 merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit aid is rare at the top schools. This information is (usually) easy to find. Google the name of the university and "common data set." Once you get the most recent CDS, go to section H, line H2A-N and O. This will tell you the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who had no financial need and who were awarded merit aid (excluding athletic awards), and the average amount of merit aid given.

Top 20 universities according to USNWR, and their published amount of merit aid for freshmen entering in the fall of 2020:
Princeton--0
Columbia--0
Harvard--0
MIT--0
Yale--0
Stanford--0
Chicago--doesn't have recent CDS readily available on their website, which actually is illegal
Penn--0
Cal Tech--0
Duke--11 freshmen got merit awards, average of $72k
Johns Hopkins--no recent CDS available
Northwestern--92 freshmen got merit awards, average of $4k
Dartmouth--0
Brown--0
Vanderbilt--154 freshmen, $19k
Wash U--40 freshmen, $30k
Cornell--0
Rice--32 freshmen, $19k
Notre Dame--49 freshmen, 18k
UCLA--no easy way to determine for OOS students


Top 21 colleges according to USNWR (there was a tie for 20th)
Williams--0
Amherst--0
Swarthmore--4 freshmen, $54k
Pomona--0
Wellesley--0 freshmen, but 6 upperclassmen had merit aid averaging $40k. Not sure if Wellesley awarded it previously but has stopped?
Bowdoin--12 freshmen, $1k
Annapolis--n/a
Claremont McKenna--22 freshmen, $14k
Carleton--6 freshmen, $2k
Middlebury--2 freshmen, $10k
West Point--n/a
W&L--23 freshmen, $48k
Davidson--15 freshmen, $40k
Grinnell--no recent CDS available
Hamilton--0
Haverford--0
Barnard--0
Colby--no recent CDS available
Colgate--0
Smith--20 freshmen, $20k
Wesleyan--3 freshmen, $60k

Wow. Thank you!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a "backdoor" way to save $80k at few more Top 20s if you have good AP test scores.

Apply to schools that accept a large number of AP credits toward graduation. My kid is getting his degree from Cornell in 3 years due to Cornell accepting his AP scores in language, math, chem and English (saving me $80k).

Good that Cornell allows this. I know many other schools do not permit three-year degrees. They want your four years of tuition money, no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Many merit scholarships listed in this thread have certain diversity (not just racial) preferences that are clearly listed on the websites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit aid is rare at the top schools. This information is (usually) easy to find. Google the name of the university and "common data set." Once you get the most recent CDS, go to section H, line H2A-N and O. This will tell you the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who had no financial need and who were awarded merit aid (excluding athletic awards), and the average amount of merit aid given.

Top 20 universities according to USNWR, and their published amount of merit aid for freshmen entering in the fall of 2020:
Princeton--0
Columbia--0
Harvard--0
MIT--0
Yale--0
Stanford--0
Chicago--doesn't have recent CDS readily available on their website, which actually is illegal
Penn--0
Cal Tech--0
Duke--11 freshmen got merit awards, average of $72k
Johns Hopkins--no recent CDS available
Northwestern--92 freshmen got merit awards, average of $4k
Dartmouth--0
Brown--0
Vanderbilt--154 freshmen, $19k
Wash U--40 freshmen, $30k
Cornell--0
Rice--32 freshmen, $19k
Notre Dame--49 freshmen, 18k
UCLA--no easy way to determine for OOS students


Top 21 colleges according to USNWR (there was a tie for 20th)
Williams--0
Amherst--0
Swarthmore--4 freshmen, $54k
Pomona--0
Wellesley--0 freshmen, but 6 upperclassmen had merit aid averaging $40k. Not sure if Wellesley awarded it previously but has stopped?
Bowdoin--12 freshmen, $1k
Annapolis--n/a
Claremont McKenna--22 freshmen, $14k
Carleton--6 freshmen, $2k
Middlebury--2 freshmen, $10k
West Point--n/a
W&L--23 freshmen, $48k
Davidson--15 freshmen, $40k
Grinnell--no recent CDS available
Hamilton--0
Haverford--0
Barnard--0
Colby--no recent CDS available
Colgate--0
Smith--20 freshmen, $20k
Wesleyan--3 freshmen, $60k

Great work, OP!

[Anonymous]

Unlike most expensive things in life, it serves you better to be poor to be able to afford T20, more middle class you get, less affordable they become. Obviously for wealthy, cost is never an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike most expensive things in life, it serves you better to be poor to be able to afford T20, more middle class you get, less affordable they become. Obviously for wealthy, cost is never an issue.

Is their a built in bias against upper middle class like there is against Asians?

[Anonymous]

For Johns Hopkins, approximately 20 freshmen receive 2/3 tuition: https://apply.jhu.edu/hodson-scholars/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Merit aid is rare at the top schools. This information is (usually) easy to find. Google the name of the university and "common data set." Once you get the most recent CDS, go to section H, line H2A-N and O. This will tell you the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who had no financial need and who were awarded merit aid (excluding athletic awards), and the average amount of merit aid given.

Top 20 universities according to USNWR, and their published amount of merit aid for freshmen entering in the fall of 2020:
Princeton--0
Columbia--0
Harvard--0
MIT--0
Yale--0
Stanford--0
Chicago--doesn't have recent CDS readily available on their website, which actually is illegal
Penn--0
Cal Tech--0
Duke--11 freshmen got merit awards, average of $72k
Johns Hopkins--no recent CDS available
Northwestern--92 freshmen got merit awards, average of $4k
Dartmouth--0
Brown--0
Vanderbilt--154 freshmen, $19k
Wash U--40 freshmen, $30k
Cornell--0
Rice--32 freshmen, $19k
Notre Dame--49 freshmen, 18k
UCLA--no easy way to determine for OOS students


Top 21 colleges according to USNWR (there was a tie for 20th)
Williams--0
Amherst--0
Swarthmore--4 freshmen, $54k
Pomona--0
Wellesley--0 freshmen, but 6 upperclassmen had merit aid averaging $40k. Not sure if Wellesley awarded it previously but has stopped?
Bowdoin--12 freshmen, $1k
Annapolis--n/a
Claremont McKenna--22 freshmen, $14k
Carleton--6 freshmen, $2k
Middlebury--2 freshmen, $10k
West Point--n/a
W&L--23 freshmen, $48k
Davidson--15 freshmen, $40k
Grinnell--no recent CDS available
Hamilton--0
Haverford--0
Barnard--0
Colby--no recent CDS available
Colgate--0
Smith--20 freshmen, $20k
Wesleyan--3 freshmen, $60k

I'm not 100% on this but doesn't line H2-G also include some non- need merit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike most expensive things in life, it serves you better to be poor to be able to afford T20, more middle class you get, less affordable they become. Obviously for wealthy, cost is never an issue.

A number of these top schools are now low cost or even free if you are low income and even into lower middle income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unlike most expensive things in life, it serves you better to be poor to be able to afford T20, more middle class you get, less affordable they become. Obviously for wealthy, cost is never an issue.

Is their a built in bias against upper middle class like there is against Asians?

It isn't a built-in bias. It is simple math. The largest group of students by far will be from upper middle class. The schools will have to fund themselves through these students. It is similar to the tax revenue in that regard. It can't be done solely on the backs of the rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Merit aid is rare at the top schools. This information is (usually) easy to find. Google the name of the university and "common data set." Once you get the most recent CDS, go to section H, line H2A-N and O. This will tell you the number of freshmen and upperclassmen who had no financial need and who were awarded merit aid (excluding athletic awards), and the average amount of merit aid given.

Top 20 universities according to USNWR, and their published amount of merit aid for freshmen entering in the fall of 2020:
Princeton--0
Columbia--0
Harvard--0
MIT--0
Yale--0
Stanford--0
Chicago--doesn't have recent CDS readily available on their website, which actually is illegal
Penn--0
Cal Tech--0
Duke--11 freshmen got merit awards, average of $72k
Johns Hopkins--no recent CDS available
Northwestern--92 freshmen got merit awards, average of $4k
Dartmouth--0
Brown--0
Vanderbilt--154 freshmen, $19k
Wash U--40 freshmen, $30k
Cornell--0
Rice--32 freshmen, $19k
Notre Dame--49 freshmen, 18k
UCLA--no easy way to determine for OOS students


Top 21 colleges according to USNWR (there was a tie for 20th)
Williams--0
Amherst--0
Swarthmore--4 freshmen, $54k
Pomona--0
Wellesley--0 freshmen, but 6 upperclassmen had merit aid averaging $40k. Not sure if Wellesley awarded it previously but has stopped?
Bowdoin--12 freshmen, $1k
Annapolis--n/a
Claremont McKenna--22 freshmen, $14k
Carleton--6 freshmen, $2k
Middlebury--2 freshmen, $10k
West Point--n/a
W&L--23 freshmen, $48k
Davidson--15 freshmen, $40k
Grinnell--no recent CDS available
Hamilton--0
Haverford--0
Barnard--0
Colby--no recent CDS available
Colgate--0
Smith--20 freshmen, $20k
Wesleyan--3 freshmen, $60k

Great work, OP!

There are very few merit spots at top schools. It doesn't really start in general until you get to the schools that are trying to attract Ivy League + caliber students (UVA Jefferson, etc.)

There is generally great financial aid for lower to lower middle class students. If you are a lower income student in Virginia and you were lucky enough to be admitted to Princeton, it would be less expensive (near free) than any Virginia public or private college. Those schools would also have to offer merit to be on equal cost basis.



https://tamingthehighcostofcollege.com/net-price-of-virginia-colleges-by-income/

https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/princeton-university/paying-for-college/net-price/

[Anonymous]

Its worse for doughnut hole upper middle class families where students can't afford $80k COA but not able for financial aid due to parental income. Unless parent has been saving or investing well and doesn't have other obligations or looming retirement, its out of question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nephew lives in Texas and ended up at Rice with a $100k. He is an outstanding student and had acceptations from Columbia, U Chicago and Princeton with $0 financial aid. He had a full ride offer from his state's non-flagship school.

And this is why you don't apply ED.

You forgot to add “to a school that is not your first choice”.

No, I didn't. Had that kid gotten into Columbia ED, for example, he'd be paying full price instead of going to Rice for peanuts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the recent CDS from Grinnell.

http://web.grinnell.edu/institutionalresearch/webdocs/GC_CDS_1920.pdf

Seems like almost all students who aren’t eligible for need based aid receive merit aid. The merit aid is an average of over 18k/year.

Believe that Grinnell awards a minimum $10K merit award to all students, then scales up from there.