@EarlVanDorn - The Altman is a very unique program with very specific course sequences, summer requirements, year+ abroad, established fluency in another language, etc, so it is unfortunate, but not surprising, that they are not able to be flexible with it, and/or combine it with a separate, 5 year program.
Its also disappointing when the separate application/full tuition (and full ride) scholarships are awarded to others, but as you know, that is the next step at Tulane past the top automatic merit, which your son was fortunate to be offered. I have not heard this year of students getting additional automatic merit money beyond what was initially offered. In past years, some students were sometimes able to get their automatic merit $ upped from a lower to a higher amount if their standardized test scores and/or GPA significantly increased, but this year, perhaps with the presence of a new Dean of Enrollment Management, it didn’t sound like that happened.
So whether it is Tulane or any other school, everyone decides for themselves whether the out of pocket cost of attendance is worth it, and whether the student is (as in @oldfort’s case) or is not (as in your s’s case) willing to contribute financially to their education. The PROFILE schools expect the student to contribute something to their education. This is not unreasonable, IMO.