<p>I don't qualify for "need based" aid. People tell my parents yearly college costs are negotiable and even without a financial need they should not expect to pay 100% of the advertised prices. 3.8 GPA, Sat 1380, numerous sports and vol. activity. I consider myself a good candidate for "non-need" based aid (merit) .. but does that really exist??? Are my parents really looking at 40K a year for a good private college? What's the real story?</p>
<p>There are many, many threads on this, but the bottom line is that you can get merit aid by applying to schools where your stats are at the VERY top of their heap. Top 5% to be fairly safe, 10 or 15% if you have something special they want.</p>
<p>This means that you will go to a school considerably below (in rank, status, prestige) what you could get into if you didn't need the merit aid. If that works for you, there are many colleges where you can get merit aid.</p>
<p>In addition, there are a few schools that spread smaller need awards among larger groups of students. You don't have to be in the top 5-10% of applicants for these awards.</p>