@PepperJo Texas, born and raised. 
The only mentioned reason for the merit award is “based on impressive academic accomplishments and intellectual potential.”
In common parlance, that’s called “fluff” (or ruder words)
Maybe they changed up the system this year, but I just received my EA merit aid award
I have repeatedly asked if anyone admitted ED1 or ED2 was offered any merit aid (other than the minimal National Merit of about $2000), and I have yet to have anyone say yes. I think HydeSnark is right: it’s strictly utilitarian. If you want the ED admissions chance bump, you have to sacrifice merit aid probably.
I agree with @Lea111 I don’t think you should depend on “Merit” if you are ED. Now you may be able to negotiate some “merit” if you feel your FA award is not enough to make it possible and you were accepted ED, but I think the chance of getting it out of the shoot as an ED1 is going to be a 'dream." I know it was for my son.
^ Probably true in general and certainly consistent with other schools offering ED vs. non-binding. However, the first-gen scholarship of $20,000, to cite just one example, may not be restricted to EA-admits. Someone who will automaticallly qualify for that award can apply EDI or EDII in order to signal a very strong commitment to UChicago. Same with the National Police and Fire Scholarship which is a full-tuition, four year scholarship. Wouldn’t the existence of these sizable awards be attracting those groups to apply in the first place? If UChicago is their #1, are they gambling by applying ED, or can they depend on merit in this case? (the awards are listed on the merit page, after all)
@lookingforward has been pointing out many times that the key is not what you want, it is what the colleges want.
So what do colleges want? Money is near the top of the list. Students with money are at the front of the line. Pricing models are constructed to maximize revenue. Financial aid served institutional goals (not students’ goals). Your debt is school’s profit margin. It is like in the airport to get on the plane, the first class/business class customers get to get on the plane first. It is the sad fact but it is the truth. Colleges talk about wanting affordable access, talk about wanting everyone to be able to attend. Those beneficence/generosity talks are to serve institutional interests. So why give merit awards to those who are required to attend? Check last year’s thread you will see those who got big merit award have other choices. If your application is strong enough to get multiple acceptances to top schools, you can let the school help you choose. They are usually very helpful under that circumstance. It serves their institutional goals. Schools want top students.
Schools don’t admit students merely by what they have done in the past. Rather, admission is a bet on how well students will do after they graduate. The assumption is that past performance indicates future success. When they are reading your application, they are asking "do you have the energy/drive/motivation/curiosity/leadership capability to be a successful alumnus. How can you add to the prestige of the school is what they are asking when they are reading your application. If you have the money and you have the potential to add to the prestige of the school in the future, you are their prime target.
Since I’m named, though I have no stake in UChi, I’ll say I disagree with nrtlax33 that it’s all money or what you do post grad. It starts with the four year experience, what you gain, as well as what you contribute that the whole gains from.
My D applied ED. She qualified for an “automatic” non need based scholarship that is listed on their website. When she got her acceptance offer there was no mention. After a few emails were sent, her scholarship was added to her profile. Your AO will be your best starting point. However, merit is awarded by committee selection from what I’ve been told. Good luck!!
It would seem to me that the kids most likely to benefit from significant merit awards (ones greater than $3,000 or so) are probably those like @SincererLove 's kid: they would otherwise be full pay or nearly full pay at Chicago but have obtained a larger merit offer from a peer school. I suspect they also have some quality that makes Chicago really really want this kid and some indication from the kid that he/she would really really prefer Chicago - if only a significant financial differential with the rival school can be eliminated. Those are circumstances that seem compelling and legitimate to me. I can’t help noticing that the logic cuts the opposite way from the received wisdom on this board in that it suggests a reason why a kid with high-income parents might favor an EA or RD route to admissions. The sort of leverage gained from multiple acceptances seems fair enough when you would otherwise be paying the full freight. Certainly it doesn’t disadvantage the middle-income ED-admitted kid who will have received substantial needs-based financial aid. Some might think it unfair to high-income ED admittees, but they traded off the chance of getting merit awards (which their families did not require anyhow) for a better crack at admission. They are not in too much pain, and they have given up something in order to get something.
I have been a diligent reader of discussions of this topic on this board over the years. I do not recall seeing any statistic or even anecdote (as against bare assertions) supporting the proposition that applying ED significantly disadvantages the kid from a middle-income family who wants to go to Chicago. That kid if accepted will get an f.a. package sufficient to attend the University of Chicago without hardship. All the process asks him to give up is a shot at a “stacked” merit award of a few thousands. If that’s going to make the difference, then that’s a kid and his family for whom the priority is not coming to Chicago but simply making a marginally best deal among a stable of peer schools. I see no reason for the University to make any concession to those motivations.
A pretty accurate calculation of expected financial aid can be made before application. If a kid really wants to go to Chicago, the parents and kid should make that calculation and decide whether the school is worth it. Perhaps applying for a free ride to a State U will be preferable. But having decided that Chicago is where you want to be, I see no reason for this middling-income family not to apply ED. The perception seems to be otherwise, but perhaps an inclination to dig beneath perceptions is a good screen for U of C applicants.
^ This (post #28) is a good example of how UChicago isn’t trying to be like other nations on this topic (sorry to get biblical but when it comes to mammon people start invoking God LOL). They are trying to get a certain diversity in the undergrad program and using money to do so. Why would a family who qualifies for such NOT apply ED? Seems rational to me. This is not the typical merit package, however, and given the history with the NM funds getting unexpectedly curtailed, those who qualify for a special award and considering ED as a result should definitely be speaking to their AO and even possibly amending the ED agreement to accommodate the timing of the award. You don’t want to pull apps. or be stuck having to respond before you understand your true financial obligation. Guess Fin. Aid. (and applying for such) needs to be part of the conversation too. After all, these awards might not be need-based but the school IS attempting to attract groups who typically don’t apply to colleges with a $74 K COA. Both need and merit are legitimate considerations from all sides in order for the family to be best informed while deciding the appropriate admission plan.
Here’s the link the current policy. One would certainly hope it would not be changed DURING the application season. But given how they changed the National Merit Scholarship policy mid-season, who knows?
https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/merit-scholarships
I’m still trying to see if anyone reports applying ED and getting a merit scholarship that is NOT listed specifically on this page (police, firefighters, first generation, Chicago Public Schools, etc.). Certainly no one should rely on a merit scholarship unless it’s one of the specifically listed ones. And if you read posts a few years back, sometimes students would report getting $20,000 merit scholarships (University Scholarship??). Now the web site is saying only $5,000 to $10,000, and that doesn’t appear to stack with other merit scholarships. Not saying that $20,000 to $40,000 total couldn’t change someone’s mind about attending. But it would be a smaller drop in the bucket, especially if that number is coming off of $320,000 full cost.
Also, Chicago’s total cost is higher than many universities’ (maybe because of room and board costs). Like most of the Ivies, I think.
My daughter received the email (probably it was posted in her UChicago account) announcing her merit scholarship in February. $15.000/year. She did not apply to it. She was accepted in EA 2016 (class 2021). it was a total surprise.
My apologizes for poor writing in #32. Meant to indicate that I think Chicago’s total cost is higher than many universities, including most of the Ivies.