<p>Let's say I apply to a safety school next year and get a substantial merit scholarship. If I were then accepted by a need-based school like Duke, UPenn, Stanford, and the like, would they increase they fin aid offers to match the safety school's scholarship?
Would any school do this?</p>
<p>IMO you are comparing apples to oranges, I have not heard of need based schools matching merit schools.</p>
<p>Doesn’t Duke give out scholarships to a select few students?</p>
<p>Yes but Duke’s merit scholarships are extraordinarily competitive.</p>
<p>When you have all of your aid packages on the table, it is perfectly fine to contact your favorite institution, let them know that they are your number 1 dream college/university, but that their aid is less favorable than at other institutions, and then ask them if they could possibly review your aid application and reconsider the aid package that they have offered you. </p>
<p>Some places are quite willing to reconsider their aid packages. Others aren’t and what you were offered the first time is all that you will get. If you ask them to reconsider in the hope that they will match a particular offer, your chances of getting a better aid package is most likely if you are asking them to come up with a package similar to one from an institution that they consider to be a peer.</p>
<p>*Financial aid offer?
Let’s say I apply to a safety school next year and get a substantial merit scholarship. If I were then accepted by a need-based school like Duke, UPenn, Stanford, and the like, would they increase they fin aid offers to match the safety school’s scholarship?
Would any school do this?
*</p>
<p>Not likely.</p>
<p>Top schools know that their students can get large merit at many safeties. If they were going to match those offers, then all their students (even those w/o need) would be given large awards.</p>