<p>I had read that CMU matches aid offers from peer institutions, the type of aid, however, was not specified. Upon further search, some have said that CMU does not match merit aid from peer institutions. With that said, I just wondered if anyone had a definitive answer, does CMU match merit offers from peer institutions or need-based aid only?</p>
Resurrecting an old thread… does anyone know the answer?
@Pepper17 CMU matches need-based aid from peer institutions only.
Thanks @MandomeLife , I was hoping they would match merit! My DD got a great merit scholarship to RPI.
@Pepper17 I don’t think there would be any harm in calling up the Office of Undergrad at CMU and checking up with them. They’re open until 5 on weekdays.
@Pepper17 Hi. So it seems I got my information wrong. Carnegie Mellon DOES match merit in the event that your DD’s need-based grant(s) at another (peer) institution does not match her need-based grant from CMU. In the financial aid letter you should receive a form that you can send to CMU’s office of financial aid regarding matching financial awards.
I apologize for giving you the wrong information initially!
I am confused by mandomeLife’s answer. I think pepper17 was talking about MERIT only, so a student with no financial aid, a purely merit based scholarship. Will CMU match it? Also I would assume that RPI is not considered a peer institution since it has a lower rank? CMU considers MIT a peer. MIT offers no merit, so my sense is CMU will not match an award from RPI, but its always good to ask. Merit awards at RPI or Case Western may be VERY generous for some students with good stats, so up to $30,000 per year for four years, I feel pretty certain CMU would laugh about matching that, but if they do match it I am sure many students will be overjoyed and calling up for their matching grant. CMU is not known to be as generous at RPI or Case Western for purely merit based aid. What would constitute Merit at a school like CMU Computer science is also way beyond what might constitute merit at Case Western. RPI and Case Western take siblings and legacy into account when awarding “merit” money. Its always complicated to understand merit awards, and even division 3 sports participation may sweeten the so called “merit” award, we have heard.
CMU does consider RPI peer. https://www.cmu.edu/ira/infox/external/peer.html
RPI is considered a peer institution. And I’ve seen awards at RPI as high as $45,000. I guess we won’t know until we try.
Any word on this? My daughter also got a lot of merit from RPI.
I have always heard that the little merit CMU provides is actually geared toward students who just barely miss qualifying for financial aid. And they definitely won’t match RPI 's high merit awards.
@Pepper17 Did CMU match the RPI award? While we moved on from a CMU wait list, I am still curious to understand how CMU offers merit and if they would match RPI merit. I tend to think there is no way they will, as RPI offers so much merit and CMU would be going bankrupt if they matched it all. (RPI has a low financial rating if you look at Forbes). Thanks for your help.
She did not pursue it. She has committed to Tufts.
@desie1 We have zero financial need, and CMU offered merit money to my D. After I discussed she may be going to an Ivy League school, they increased the amount a little bit as well. During a presentation in CMU, the financial aid person said they use “game theory” to calculate how much scholarship they will offer. Another source shows that CMU uses a “proprietary statistical system” to determine that as well. The finance person clearly indicated the ceiling is 12,000 dollars, and the typical aid offer review is 6,700 dollars – and that about half of the requests are approved So, the closer you may ask to a 6000 dollars review, it is more likely to happen, IMHO