<p>I know merit is based on merit but can you not get one if your parents make too much money?</p>
<p>Merit is based on merit, as you say. I don't think these scholarships are need-based, because I don't think you file financial papers when you apply for these types of scholarships. Could be wrong though.</p>
<p>yeah Franglish is right. Merit is based on merit. Merit scholarships are given on your academic abilities. You won't get any money if you apply for need-based scholarships because the primary factor is family income... And your family makes alot!! </p>
<p>Hope I helped.</p>
<p>Yes. Your parents will almost certainly still need to file the FAFSA however, and perhaps the Profile too.</p>
<p>I got a full ride at the college I'm going to without releasing ANY financial information AKA no FAFSA or anything. For all they know I could be a billionaire, but I'm not...</p>
<p>There are merit scholarships that are based purely on merit. There are also merit scholarships that consider need as a criterion. Some schools will award merit scholarships without requiring students to file the FAFSA or PROFILE. There are also some schools that require the FAFSA (and sometimes the PROFILE, too) for even merit-only scholarships (probably for institutional data purposes - like "X% of scholarship recipients come from families with income above $Y"). If the FAFSA is required, the school will let you know.</p>
<p>In answer to the thread title, YES.</p>
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There are merit scholarships that are based purely on merit
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<p>Based on our experience, if you are a top student but not a tippy-top student, there are very few, if any, merit scholarships available that do not have a "need" component.</p>
<p>Btw, if anyone knows of any i did not find, please let me know for my next child. Thank you!</p>
<p>Bay, my d got merit scholarships at almost all of the schools to which she was admitted, and we did not qualify for need-based aid. Of course, you do have to qualify for the merit scholarship at a particular school, which generally means that your stats have to be in the 75% range or higher for the school.</p>
<p>Thanks, Chedva. D1 was admitted EA to an Ivy, so of course there were no school-based merit scholarships available.</p>
<p>lol that's my question, too. my family makes like 250k and i don't wanna ask for $ for college cuz that gets annoying. I wonder if i am a tippity top student that can get some merit scholarships!</p>
<p>There are a number of scholarships that are not need based at some schools. University of South Carolina has several merit based scholarships for OOS students (that also reduce the cost to instate tuition fees). The McNair is a full scholarship, including a laptop. The Cooper offers $4000 per year in aid, plus the reduction to the instate tuition rate. The McKissick offers $2000 per year plus instate tuition reduction. </p>
<p>With the McKissick, the cost of attendance for an OOS student is about $12,000 per year. With the Cooper it's about $10,000 per year. That includes tuition, room, and board costs. These are not need based at all.</p>
<p>Agree that there are purely merit scholarships out there for top students. Look at Emory, WUSTL, Vandy, U Chicago, USC, UVA, UNC-CH, BU, Tulane, Rice, Brandeis, UMichigan, Case, URochester and others.</p>
<p>There are purely merit based scholarships at many schools. D focused her search on school that offered these scholarships. She received scholarships from several schools simply based on her app (at some of them, she also was invited to apply for the top scholarships). There are merit scholarships available even for very-good-but-not-top students. While 2k, $5k, or $10k per year doesn't pay the bills at most schools, it would be a very welcome amount for a family that isn't eligible for need based aid!</p>
<p>Schools that offered my D scholarships on the basis of her app alone: Rhodes, Furman, Denison, DePauw, Centre, Hendrix. I know kids who have 27 ACTs who have received merit scholarships at schools like Albion, Alma, Ferris State in Michigan. I know a kid going to Wayne State who had a 26 & is a Presidential Scholar (full tuition). I am sure there are plenty of others!</p>
<p>KillerTree, check the threads stickied at the top of this forum, including this one:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html</a></p>
<p>These threads are about merit aid. There have been several great threads about "The Hunt" that I found helpful. We make $250K and my D got three merit scholarships ( nothing like a full ride though; she got one "half-ride"); unfortunately she did not choose to take advantage...sigh...</p>
<p>Drat . Chedva beat me to it!</p>
<p>This one is particularly encouraging...</p>
<p>I would also suggest reading curmudgeon's two threads about merit scholarships:</p>