Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:55     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.


Only for URM and first generation
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:54     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.


Exactly. Lots of so called merit aid/President's Scholars, etc. is a form of need-aware merit.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:53     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.


There is, but not for these kinds of kids. The big merit awards that take need into account are generally targeted at low income kids.

Exactly. Son applied to a mix of schools-publuc and private. Only applied for FA with the privates and did not receive any need based aid. Income was just over $200k/yr. However MERIT (based on stats) for the privates:
BU: $25K/yr
CWRU: $30k/yr
Lehigh: 50% tuition each year
Publics (no financial aid application)
UMN: $25k/yr
Ohio St. $16.5k/yr
UMD: $10k/yr
WM (in state):$0
Pitt: $0


Is it for class of 2030? Pitt 0?
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:49     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.


There is, but not for these kinds of kids. The big merit awards that take need into account are generally targeted at low income kids.

Exactly. Son applied to a mix of schools-publuc and private. Only applied for FA with the privates and did not receive any need based aid. Income was just over $200k/yr. However MERIT (based on stats) for the privates:
BU: $25K/yr
CWRU: $30k/yr
Lehigh: 50% tuition each year
Publics (no financial aid application)
UMN: $25k/yr
Ohio St. $16.5k/yr
UMD: $10k/yr
WM (in state):$0
Pitt: $0
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:45     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.
There is, but not for these kinds of kids. The big merit awards that take need into account are generally targeted at low income kids.
Right, that’s why OP specified HHI when asking about merit awards.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:40     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.


There is, but not for these kinds of kids. The big merit awards that take need into account are generally targeted at low income kids.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:39     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For families making $200k to $400k (of which there are a lot in the dmv. Two parents each making $150k, etc). If you have a senior going to college, what kind of merit aid are you seeing?

We were at ~$280k for 2024 (the tax year colleges review for current HS seniors). DS has strong-ish stats like so many others (4.0 w, 1400 (not submitted except to safeties), deep ec's including 4 years volunteer, robotics, debate, and varsity athlete- not playing in college).

We received $20k merit from two T50 private universities, $40k from two SLACs, and $70k/yr from a target liberal arts school where we expressed extreme interest. $1.3m house w/$950k mortgage and virtually all savings in retirement funds.

What merit aid are others in this income range seeing?


Out of curiosity, how much do you have saved for retirement? Also, which liberal arts school offered $70k/yr?


This sounds too good to be true...
OP, would you be willing to share which schools? Thanks!


This matches the experience of most of the kids I know who were "chasing merit". My kid with stats that were good but not spectacular has plenty of options where merit brought it below the list price of our instate schools, although he also got offered merit in state that brought it lower than some of the offers.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:36     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For families making $200k to $400k (of which there are a lot in the dmv. Two parents each making $150k, etc). If you have a senior going to college, what kind of merit aid are you seeing?

We were at ~$280k for 2024 (the tax year colleges review for current HS seniors). DS has strong-ish stats like so many others (4.0 w, 1400 (not submitted except to safeties), deep ec's including 4 years volunteer, robotics, debate, and varsity athlete- not playing in college).

We received $20k merit from two T50 private universities, $40k from two SLACs, and $70k/yr from a target liberal arts school where we expressed extreme interest. $1.3m house w/$950k mortgage and virtually all savings in retirement funds.

What merit aid are others in this income range seeing?


Out of curiosity, how much do you have saved for retirement? Also, which liberal arts school offered $70k/yr?


This sounds too good to be true...
OP, would you be willing to share which schools? Thanks!
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:33     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:For families making $200k to $400k (of which there are a lot in the dmv. Two parents each making $150k, etc). If you have a senior going to college, what kind of merit aid are you seeing?

We were at ~$280k for 2024 (the tax year colleges review for current HS seniors). DS has strong-ish stats like so many others (4.0 w, 1400 (not submitted except to safeties), deep ec's including 4 years volunteer, robotics, debate, and varsity athlete- not playing in college).

We received $20k merit from two T50 private universities, $40k from two SLACs, and $70k/yr from a target liberal arts school where we expressed extreme interest. $1.3m house w/$950k mortgage and virtually all savings in retirement funds.

What merit aid are others in this income range seeing?


Out of curiosity, how much do you have saved for retirement? Also, which liberal arts school offered $70k/yr?
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:32     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
There’s a lot of need-aware merit aid out there.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:32     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Anonymous wrote:Are those figures per year, or over four years?


Per year
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:31     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Merit aid looks at merit, not HHI/assets
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:30     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
This would be a more useful discussion if people shared the schools and the stats.
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:30     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
Are those figures per year, or over four years?
Anonymous
Post 01/19/2026 15:28     Subject: Families making $200k - $400k
For families making $200k to $400k (of which there are a lot in the dmv. Two parents each making $150k, etc). If you have a senior going to college, what kind of merit aid are you seeing?

We were at ~$280k for 2024 (the tax year colleges review for current HS seniors). DS has strong-ish stats like so many others (4.0 w, 1400 (not submitted except to safeties), deep ec's including 4 years volunteer, robotics, debate, and varsity athlete- not playing in college).

We received $20k merit from two T50 private universities, $40k from two SLACs, and $70k/yr from a target liberal arts school where we expressed extreme interest. $1.3m house w/$950k mortgage and virtually all savings in retirement funds.

What merit aid are others in this income range seeing?