Anonymous
Post 05/13/2024 13:17     Subject: Re:Merit?
Anonymous wrote:Look at undergrads w/out need column:

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/merit-aid


That list really explains a lot of the admissions choices I've seen at our school. Merit aid works, and it's the smart move for most kids.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2024 13:13     Subject: Merit?
Grinnell. Very generous with both merit and need based aid. Run the NPC. Anyone truly middle class will qualify for need based aid.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2024 21:55     Subject: Re:Merit?
Anonymous wrote:Top 25. None.

Kid had perfect ACT, perfect uw 4.0, rigor and impressive ECs.

Got into 2 T10s, a very selective SLAC (5%), and 2 T20s and zero merit aid. We don't qualify for needs-based aid.

None at in-state schools either--though got the honors/scholar things.

Full-pay at $86k next year. Ouch


Yeah. No merit aid is giving T10s/T20s- it’s rare, no matter how impressive.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2024 15:37     Subject: Re:Merit?
Top 25. None.

Kid had perfect ACT, perfect uw 4.0, rigor and impressive ECs.

Got into 2 T10s, a very selective SLAC (5%), and 2 T20s and zero merit aid. We don't qualify for needs-based aid.

None at in-state schools either--though got the honors/scholar things.

Full-pay at $86k next year. Ouch
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2024 12:35     Subject: Merit?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Last year, DS from FCPS was accepted and received merit from the following, resulting in the estimated annual COA: BU ($60k), CWRU ($56k) and Lehigh ($51k). Much easier to get below $50k with OOS publics: UMD ($46k), Ohio St ($44k), UMN ($30k) and nothing from Pitt ($57k).

Yeah, OP needs to be a little more flexible and go 60k vs. 50k. Huge difference in potential school quality.

Private certainly dominates top 25 but beyond that, MANY publics appear favorable.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 20:54     Subject: Merit?
Anonymous wrote:Last year, DS from FCPS was accepted and received merit from the following, resulting in the estimated annual COA: BU ($60k), CWRU ($56k) and Lehigh ($51k). Much easier to get below $50k with OOS publics: UMD ($46k), Ohio St ($44k), UMN ($30k) and nothing from Pitt ($57k).

Yeah, OP needs to be a little more flexible and go 60k vs. 50k. Huge difference in potential school quality.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 20:47     Subject: Merit?
Last year, DS from FCPS was accepted and received merit from the following, resulting in the estimated annual COA: BU ($60k), CWRU ($56k) and Lehigh ($51k). Much easier to get below $50k with OOS publics: UMD ($46k), Ohio St ($44k), UMN ($30k) and nothing from Pitt ($57k).
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 20:35     Subject: Merit?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You are not middle class if you can afford $50k. You’d get financial aid if you were.



a) this discussion isn't about class;
b) there are many families who are MC and UMC and cannot afford $50 k gor a myriad of reasons
c) 50k is in after tax dollars. The family needs to make 70k or more to pay $50k
d) your statement that "you'd (sic) get financial aid if you were" shows a profound ignorance of how FAFSA and CSS works


No, a family need to make way more than $70K as they have living expenses and two other kids. So, there is no way they are MC or they would have gotten financial aid. Or, are you pretending MS make $300K a year. Middle class don't have savings, let alone $200K for each child (3) for college.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 19:27     Subject: Merit?
Anonymous wrote:You are not middle class if you can afford $50k. You’d get financial aid if you were.



a) this discussion isn't about class;
b) there are many families who are MC and UMC and cannot afford $50 k gor a myriad of reasons
c) 50k is in after tax dollars. The family needs to make 70k or more to pay $50k
d) your statement that "you'd (sic) get financial aid if you were" shows a profound ignorance of how FAFSA and CSS works
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 19:17     Subject: Merit?
Carnegie Mellon doesn't offer merit for most of its programs. School of Music and School of Drama do have funds set aside to match offers for those they would like to attract. You can call those merit $$ or just institutional aid.

Anonymous
Post 05/11/2024 19:06     Subject: Merit?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For any school you are interested in, look at the CDS. Will give you numbers on admitted freshman with merit (although it does not give the amount.)
Yes, totally doable at $50k, but you need to apply widely and have a lot of safeties, since a place that is a safety for admission is not necessarily a safety in terms of getting enough merit to afford it. Also recommend applying in-state in case it doesn't work out.

Or just use above link, which has done it all for you and is searchable by school.
But to save the suspense: Wake and Richmond are promising, BC is not, and Holy Cross is somewhere in between.


Per their own websites, Wake gives merit aid to less than 3% of first-year applicants and Richmond gives merit aid to 10% of incoming freshman, so not particularly promising.

Go to the CDS for any real data, though the link provided above is based on that data and pretty accurate (but double check).

Proportion you want is not total applicants, or even actual students; it is the proportion of enrolled students with no financial need who get merit.