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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm the 9.09 poster and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the empathetic posts.  DS is still a couple of years away from applying so we have not done a ton of detailed research about merit aid packages at top universities.  It sounds like a couple of you were able to find some at non-Ivy top tier schools.  May I ask how you conducted this research?  Did you have to look at individual universities and colleges or was there a resource that summarized the information for you?  
Thanks in advance.[/quote]

The first thing to do is identify colleges and universities that offer merit aid. This information is reported by all colleges and universities on the Common Data Set. Every college and university has this information on its website (some have made it easier to find than others) but if you type "common data" into the search engine of each college's website, you can usually find it quickly. (You can also use this website to access most of the Common Data Set items for each school, but the merit aid info you are looking for isn't included here: http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ )

You want to go to the financial aid section of the Common Data Set. For example, here is a link to the Common Data Set of Washington University in St. Louis for 2012-13:

http://wustl.edu/policies/assets/pdfs/wustl%20cds%202012-2013.pdf

Scroll down to page 20. You are looking for "H2A. Number of Enrolled Students Awarded Non-need-based Scholarships and Grants." Here on line n you can see that Wash U awarded 229 freshman non-need based scholarships, and on line o you can see that the average amount of those scholarships was $10,143. You can also see that the average amount of non-need-based scholarships for upper class man (next column) is $6072, which suggests that students don't get as much merit money in subsequent years as they do freshman year (something to keep in mind when you evaluate awards from different schools).

Now, the next thing you need to know is whether or not your student has a shot at getting that money. For that, check to see what the SAT score is at the 75th percentile for the school. That information for Wash U is on page 9. "C9. Percent and number of first-time, first-year (freshman) students enrolled in Fall 2012 who submitted national standardized (SAT/ACT) test scores." Here you can see that the 75th percentile for Wash U SAT scores is 770. IOW, your kid needs a near perfect SAT score to distinguish themselves from the pack at Wash U. But if your kid has that score (and other attributes as well no doubt), he/she might get some merit aid, and possibly a lot of merit aid, depending on the school.

I recommend making a spreadsheet, but believe it or not some enterprising person has built one for you, and you can buy it if you want:

http://diycollegerankings.com/

Generally, you are looking for colleges and universities where your child has an SAT score that places him/her at or above the 75% score...but keeping in mind you want a challenging academic environment, not TOO far above the middle 50%. A kid with a 700 SAT score likely will not find enough challenge at a college where the middle 50% of scores ranges from, say, 450-550. However, a school with a middle 50% ranges from, say, 600-700 can fit the bill nicely.

Also on the CDS you can see how important other things are for admission: interview, ranking, etc.

Last, note the dates: when the new admission year's application opens, but especially the Early Action (EA) dates. Make sure you understand the distinctions between the nonbinding EA and SCEA (Single Choice Early Action), ED (Early Decision, binding), and rolling admission.

Another important set of dates are those related to financial aid applications and any for scholarships. Many private schools require the CSS form, which I believe becomes available October 1. I think it's handy to note which are FAFSA schools and which are CSS schools, and get both ready to submit. Some privates also have their own financial aid forms. Even if you don't think you will qualify for financial aid, some schools require that you apply if you want to be considered for merit aid. And: many colleges give out merit aid early, so prepare to apply Early Action (not Early Decision, which may have the same deadlines as EA, but is binding).

This website is a font of information, and I highly recommend the book as well.

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/

I also highly recommend the Fiske Guide to Colleges--synopses of the many colleges and universities with ratings but not rankings. It gives a great sense of the culture and flavor of different schools, and uses a star rating system for academics, social life, and overall quality of life. Very helpful. And I like the book Colleges That Change Lives--a great write-up of relatively little-known but well-respected (in the higher educational community) liberal arts colleges. This author is a bit of a shill, but still it is really great to read about colleges far outside the USNWR top 20 that have great track records of sending grads to top med schools, grad programs, etc. It can help you reframe your thinking.[/quote]

One of the best posts EVER!  This should be a syndicated column.  I have learned a lot about the process over the past few years and read tons of material, but this is by far and away the best on this subject!

[img]http://stridingthroughlife.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/whos_awesome.jpg[/img][/quote]

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