@leolions2016, I believe you are correct. It used to be that all of the merit aid was soaked up by the applicants to the STEM programs, since these are the hardest to get into at Purdue and so they typically attracted the higher stats applicants…leaving applicants to the other colleges (with typically lower stats) little hope of scholarships. Therefore, the merit aid was supposedly distributed more proportionately to all of the colleges.
It also used to be that Purdue offered automatic merit aid that was scaled to gpa/test scores (using a system similar to Alabama, though not as generous). However, Purdue switched to a “holistic” method, which gives Purdue the ability to give nothing to a 4.0/36 (who would get top merit in the old, “automatic” days), yet on the other hand perhaps give some merit aid to a 31/3.7 if the application appeals to them.
If you really like Purdue, and it is indeed a wonderful university, go ahead and apply. You never know what aid you might get. Just don’t set your heart on it, and be prepared to pay full fare.