ED and merit $

[Lindagaf]

Please read this thread:

Early decision, merit money

Can someone explain the ED process to me? We’re visiting some colleges next week that have ED with S23. If he were to apply ED and be accepted, would he be obligated to accept even with no merit aide? We will have no demonstrated financial need, but accepting an offer with some merit is a different animal than accepting with a 70k annual price tag. We would spend full boat if it were truly his best option, but are we locked into that with an ED contract? MODERATOR NOTE The TL; DR- From @kelsmom , who has worked at higher ed institutions and has knowledge of how Financial Aid works: “I suspect that a student is less likely to receive merit if they apply ED, simply because merit is often used as a tool to achieve enrollment. A student who applies ED has signaled a strong desire to enroll if accepted. I agree that merit offered to an ED student is most likely offered because the student has financial need. Some scholarships are targeted for students with financial need, so a college m…

This question has been asked repeatedly in the last few days. You will find links in that thread to other threads discussing the same topic.

The short answer is that, typically, ED students don’t receive merit awards. There is no incentive for them to lure an ED student with cash. Run the NPC to see what it says about what you will pay. And merit awards are often then used against whatever FA you might be awarded. So the award will be part of your FA.