My DS got merit aid at schools that were basically his safety or matches or were otherwise he was above average on the statistics. For most schools, there isn't a formula and you just get whatever the school offers.

I remember Miami of Ohio sent a postcard that said what scores got you what amount of aid, but most schools you just have to wait and see later.

So, make sure to apply to some safety schools that your kid would be happy to attend.

Anonymous wrote:So, you apply to the school first THEN find out about merit aid? That makes no sense. No one is willing to walk me through it?

Some schools have clear formulas for merit aid and you'll find that on the website. Like this: https://admissions.wvu.edu/cost-and-aid/scholarship-chart

But, for most schools merit is flexible and depends on how much they want your particular kid and what their models say they need to offer to encourage that kid to enroll so they can make their needed yield. So, you have to apply to the school first and then you get the offer.

So, you apply to the school first THEN find out about merit aid? That makes no sense. No one is willing to walk me through it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the best way to find merit aid? Do you have to go by each individual school (their site), or is their a better way?

There are some consolidated databases regarding merit aid. Google will locate them. But most are not current and schools change their merit programs, amounts, qualifications, deadlines, etc. regularly -- so you always need to confirm preceise details on the school website which will have the latest info.

This is what I have found, and why I am asking.

OP - if you are really dependent on the merit aid, I'd read the fine print on requirements to keep it.

Some schools require a really high GPA to maintain it, and it might not happen. Even if your child is very talented, things go wrong (health, a poor choice of field, transition issues... you never know).

Read the fine print.

We had our child apply widely.

And he worked very hard on the essays. He came off like a really sweet person committed to his niche thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply widely

In many cases there is no way to anticipate

That’s what we did. We were surprised in a number of cases both way - more than we thought and less than we thought. And then we played the offers off against each other.

Does that mean you were able to go to school A and say that school B offered X amount and ask if they could match it? Did it work?

Yes. We did it. We appealed merit aid at my kid’s first choice and sent a merit aid letter from a school they considered a peer. You aren’t likely to go from 0 to 25k or 20k to 40k. But we got a 5k a year bump, which is 20k total.

Anonymous wrote:Is it safe to think that only kids above the 75th percentile get merit aid?

Not at all. Most schools are just discounting to try to get some percentage

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply widely

In many cases there is no way to anticipate

That’s what we did. We were surprised in a number of cases both way - more than we thought and less than we thought. And then we played the offers off against each other.

Does that mean you were able to go to school A and say that school B offered X amount and ask if they could match it? Did it work?

Yes. But, they should be schools that consider themselves peers. My DD got a better offer from School B, but really wanted to go to School A, so she wrote a letter to admissions to tell them how much she wanted to go there, but School B has made it more affordable and asked if there was anything else that School A could do. She treated it as almost another essay and addressed specifically why she saw herself at School A, reminded them that she visited twice, and how she would contribute to the school.

It may depend on the school and what their merit caps are and how close you are to it and how much they want you, but in our case, it definitely worked. And, again, peer schools are important. Honestly, it's even worth it to apply to peer schools that you may not be interested in, but that have a reputation for good merit, to potentially use it as leverage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply widely

In many cases there is no way to anticipate

That’s what we did. We were surprised in a number of cases both way - more than we thought and less than we thought. And then we played the offers off against each other.

Does that mean you were able to go to school A and say that school B offered X amount and ask if they could match it? Did it work?

Is it safe to think that only kids above the 75th percentile get merit aid?

Anonymous wrote:Apply widely

In many cases there is no way to anticipate

That’s what we did. We were surprised in a number of cases both way - more than we thought and less than we thought. And then we played the offers off against each other.

Apply widely

In many cases there is no way to anticipate

Anonymous wrote:What is the best way to find merit aid? Do you have to go by each individual school (their site), or is their a better way?

There are some consolidated databases regarding merit aid. Google will locate them. But most are not current and schools change their merit programs, amounts, qualifications, deadlines, etc. regularly -- so you always need to confirm preceise details on the school website which will have the latest info.

What is the best way to find merit aid? Do you have to go by each individual school (their site), or is their a better way?