“Merit” is already somewhat built in with Elon tuition costs already less than peer schools. Some “sticker” at 70k and then “offer” 25k per year “merit” etc. Aid amount seems bigger but price ultimately the same…
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I’m curious as to what schools Elon views as peer schools. My son was accepted (no merit) but Elon is $20K per year higher than the other 3 schools he has been accepted to with merit aid. We knew if he got merit aid from Elon it would be minimal. We really liked Elon but the cost difference can’t be ignored. A 9% increase in tuition for this year, other schools are in the 2 -3% range.
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If it deters enough people from enrolling, maybe they will offer some later.
My daughter has stats (1500 SATs, 1st in the class) that are even a bit better and no merit
Son accepted w/ Presidential scholarship ($7.5k/yr).
4.0uw/5.1w, 9 APs
1490
Varsity basketball, NHS
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Same boat here. My son is in the top 1% of his class, 1520 SAT, 4.0 unweighted GPA with 13 AP’s (counting this year’s–9 through jr. year) tons of extracurriculars with leadership positions and awards, varsity starter athlete, and zero merit money from Elon. Very confusing, given that the website says that merit scholarships are based on high school performance.
Don’t worry, pretty sure it’s all just random. You have amazing options.
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That’s insane! I can understand why my daughter didn’t get any but your son seems like he deserved some.
Appreciate the support. This is my third time around with the college app process and it never ceases to be frustrating and inexplicable. I know it’s hard for all of us parents to see our kids stress themselves out to do everything right and still not get the results they hoped for. But I think it does all work out eventually–at least I hope so! 
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Maybe it’s because they think your child is unlikely to attend with such outstanding qualifications. I am not saying I agree with that approach, but maybe they focus their efforts on students they think are likely to attend based upon their student profiles.
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I think this could be. My daughter is in the 3.7 uw/4.1 weighted. Nice but not phenomenal ACT (30). Great writer, interesting quirky activities that aren’t all that impressive to anyone but us (her only leadership is that she founded and leads the school’s D&D club–4 years there). She got a nice merit award (Presidential) and it was suggested that she apply for the fellows program. I think Guilford College, while less competitive for admissions, may be a better fit for her. But Elon will get serious consideration now because of the merit award and I think that is what they are trying to do with those awards. She’s not a contender for the other schools in that sweet spot (for her) of around an hour from home. UNC-Asheville is a great match for her in many ways, but too far away.
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My daughter has same stats as yours. No merit.
Wondering who else got into the new 4-year direct admit Elon nursing program. My daughter was just accepted, early action, which means we are now on the hunt for as much information as possible in re: to how the new Elon 4-year BSN program compares to longer standing direct admit 4-year BSN programs to which our daughter has already been accepted. Happy to share what we learn and would love to benefit from the research of others!
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@Mom270 @BlueCoffee Thank you. I think that’s a good point and probably does explain it. My son probably will end up elsewhere (so I guess they’re not wrong), but this was his first response so just derailed us a bit. He is very interested in communications so Elon is a great fit for him in that respect. Best of luck to your kids with their decisions!
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Decent point and probably part of it. I do know people with similar or stronger stats who got Presidential and some with lower. My daughter did show a lot of interest as Elon was her early favorite, so that surprised me a bit. It’s possible they have a demographic or niche that they’re trying to fill as well. Initial sting has worn off, my daughter does have some good options, and her interest had waned in the last couple of months so it will probably all work out as it should. Momma just wanted her closer to home than many other options!! Best of luck to all - I hope all of your kids find “their” place.
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From one of the numerous mailings we’ve gotten, Elon lists its peer universities as:
Boston College
Wake Forest
Bucknell
Vanderbilt
Villanova
Lehigh
Georgetown
Santa Clara
University of Richmond
Emory
Davidson
Rollins
Loyola University Maryland
Furman
Rice
Ithaca
Butler
Creighton
I’m not sure what index they use for determining what makes each of these a “peer” institution, but in my mind this list is a big stretch.
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Accepted:)
No mention of merit:(
Click to view: Peer Institution & Programmatic Aspirant lists - provided by Elon on the Elon website
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My daughter’s scores aren’t even close your daughters. I looked up her merit and it was based off her application essay.
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My daughter was admitted ED with presidential scholarship (found out on Dec 1)- today she said she got a form added that says “School of nursing intent to enroll” so we are super excited about the direct entry B.S.N and she has applied to two scholars programs to try to get in with one of those special cohorts.
ACT superscore 29
SAT 1280 - I mean, they say it’s test optional and that was the only time she took the SAT. She explained her challenges in her admission essay.
IB diploma candidate
Weighted GPA somewhere around 4.5, ranked 39/400+
Good essay (and did answers to 4 supplemental questions on Elon App instead of Common App)
No teacher recommendations, only counselor letter
Did in-person tour and a couple other online info sessions and feel she really showed interest and put in her application as soon as it opened.
Activities - ballet, NHS, summer online programs during pandemic for pre-nursing/pre-med
Intended study: BSN, dance minor
Colleges applied to (2): Loyola Chicago (got in with predidential scholarship) and Elon Early decision
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