<p>Let's say I apply to a safety school next year and get a substantial merit scholarship. If I were then accepted to MIT, would MIT increase its fin aid offer to match the safety school's scholarship?
Would any school do this?</p>
<p>MIT doesn’t match financial aid. MIT financial aid is need-base. You can appeal if what MIT gives you isn’t enough or there’s a big difference between MIT and another school.</p>
<p>MIT won’t although schools of similar selectivity to the safety school might be more willing to match the other school’s offer.</p>
<p>Dang and UMTYMP are correct. No top-level school will match the merit aid of a lower-tier/safety school. Merit aid is designed to entice you because you could likely get into a higher-level and “more attractive” school, whereas MIT and ivies don’t need to entice you and will meet only your full need.</p>
<p>You got your answer. On three different threads. Please stop asking the same question</p>
<p>I think you should get in first before considering your options.</p>
<p>It actually goes further than that. Not only will MIT (or Harvard, or Princeton, or Yale, etc.) not match the merit aid of a safety school, they also will not match the aid given by another top-level school. This is not how these schools compete with each other.</p>
<p>If you need aid in the eyes of MIT, you receive aid… assuming you apply for it.</p>
<p>… and assuming that your parents provide detailed financial information about themselves.
If they refuse to do so, well then… let’s just say that I ended up being billed for the full tuition, because my mom refused to give out her social security number and financial history to anyone. She is super paranoid about privacy.</p>