<p>The problem with all of the assurances is that merit aid is not given by formula most of the time but holistically. Admissions Officers have insisted and insisted that there are no advantages to applying EA or ED in many cases and that the favorable accept stats for early apps is just due to the higher caliber of the early crowd. When that was analyzed in depth, it was found that is was largely untruel.</p>
<p>Admissions foks are human just like all of us and subject to the same foibles and feelings. When you are trying to fill up a large space full of people, and your job depends on getting full house, you will be alot more generous when that room is empty and you know you gotta come up with thousands of commitments. Also, early on, things are still fresh. Gee, a state champion violinist, and all those AP test scores look really good, and yes, the Physics department is on your case, so lets get those Physics majors in there. But then, later on with the more selective schools, it becomes clear that unless the process in not flitered further, some truly great kids are not going to make the cut. Can’t turn back the accepts, so yes, later on, it gets more difficult to get accepted. That’s pretty clear when one looks at rolling acceptances. Penn State readily admits that the date of your applications is a major factor as to whether you are accepted or not. At the end of the process with just a few seats left, admissions will want to hold back and look at all the apps left to make sure they go to the best.</p>
<p>So it is with merit money. It may not be a conscious thing, but when an admisisons director gets phone calls from kids saying, “You’re my top choice, but need some $$s” and they are top choices on the Admissions list, it’s a factor, though they may say it isn’t. Looking at the kids who are already committed, and then looking at the crowd who still have to make the decision, what do you think these very human Admissions folks are going to do when dealing out the merit awards to get the kids they most want? It’s not as though it’s an easy process either. More deserving kids out there wanting, needing the money than there are funds. We negoitiated merit and got more. DIdn’t take a whole lot, and wouldn’t even call it negotiating. If he were an ED kid that did not have another school that was less expensive in the picture, that gave more merit, say, Would my son have gotten more money? I don’t think so. Every Fin aid office and admisions person will want to look at competing offers from schools that they regard rivals. YEs, it makes a difference when an Ivy or other highly selective school is a contender and a few more dollars can make a commitment. </p>
<p>I’ve yet to see stats on this. WOuld love to see the % of merit dollars going per ED accepted student vs RD accepted at given schools. That’s really the only way to tell.</p>