My DS did it for Macalaster and Dickinson in 2024. It was very helpful.

Wooster does it for ED

Kenyon. In connection w/ athletic pre-read but they offer to anyone seeking to apply ED.

Gettysburg said they did it when we visited earlier this year.

Most privates that give merit don’t have EA. Rhodes gave us an estimate and so did Grinnell but DC is talking with coaches at both.

Macalester does it for ED

Op here - I'm asking if there are schools that do this BEFORE a student even applies, not at EA acceptance.

Every school my DS applied to EA gave him merit aid with the acceptances. The first acceptances came in mid December and the other few were in mid January.

Anonymous wrote:above poster- don’t remember when Furman released the full financial aid package

Thanks!

above poster- don’t remember when Furman released the full financial aid package

For example, this is what we got from Muhlenberg:

Thank you for your interest in Muhlenberg College and request for an Early Scholarship and Aid Review.

The Admissions Committee has reviewed the materials that you provided on 09/20/2025. After careful review, we are pleased to let you know you are a competitive applicant for admission for the class of 2030. We are also pleased to share the below estimated merit scholarship:

Fall 2026 Spring 2027 Total
Merit Scholarship $17,000 $17,000 $34,000
Early Decision Grant* $1,000 $1,000 $2,000
Muhlenberg College FAFSA Grant** $1,000 $1,000 $2,000
Total Grant(s) $19,000 $19,000 $38,000

Furman indicates merit aid in its EA acceptance letter

In a different post, someone shared that their student got early financial aid reviews at Muhlenberg, Whitman and Trinity U (SA). I'm assuming these were for merit aid since my student also did this at Muhlenberg and it was contingent on applying ED. Regardless, seems like a good way to help chase merit (DS had to submit upload transcript).

What other schools offer this? Sounds like an excellent way to compare offers.