Hello! Can someone please clarify if merit award notifications are in the initial acceptance letter, or are in the same letter confirming any financial aid? We have not received any financial info from Miami. Thank you! 
@mkm1964 Our merit scholarship information was in the original acceptance letter. Were you expecting merit based upon the scholarship grid they post on their website?
@2manycollegequestions4me Your D has some great options! My S is looking at a couple of those and is also accepted in Lewis Honors. Kentucky has the most students but I believe, acreage wise is actually smaller than all that you mentioned in your post. The campus blends in with the city seamlessly. And, with such a great offer, I would hate for you to rule it out when the campus itself isn’t as big as Miami, for example. Good luck!
@EDHDAD my D was right on the cusp - thank you for your response, I guess it was not meant to be.
@mkm1964 S was accepted in December and received his merit notification about 10 days later. The “official” financial letter was received about 3-4 weeks ago. Not sure when your acceptance was received. Give their office a call.
@mkm1964 Granted it was two years ago and things may have changed, but my D’s merit award came a week or so after her acceptance letter. Then I think her UASP acceptance and award came after that.
@BreakfastClub1 and @Bubblewrap666 do you mind sharing if your sons’ SAT or ACT scores matched the grid on the Scholarship website? D’s superscore came in slightly below but her GPA was way higher, and the website indicates holistic review. Thank you!
My D was accepted in December. Merit aid came about a week after, then we got the full financial aid package a few weeks ago (maybe mid-Feb?). She got $26,000 merit which included $2000 scholars scholarship. We are OOS.
@mkm1964 Instate. My S was admitted in December, DA into Farmer. No honors. 4.25W GPA and 30 ACT Super. $6000/yr. My S (last yr) had 3.9+W GPA and 32 ACT Super and received $7500/yr. IMO and what I have read, it seems like students need to be in the charge range. I think the ACT/SAT are pretty important.
@BreakfastClub1That’s really interesting to know!! Are you attending any of the merit weekends at Kentucky? We are signed up (will cancel if she wins the Kenyon lottery) but I am a realist and have a hotel set up, paid the fees etc. We have not seen UKY’s campus yet, but “smaller” is definitely a word she’d be happy to hear. She’s a really good kid— completely open to either Miami or UKY if that is what we can afford. Which of course makes me want to give her the moon (ie her dream school… Kenyon.) 
Will know in a week if that door needs to close, and then will spend the weekend at UKY’s merit weekend and the next at Make it Miami.
@mkm1964 Sure. Her ACT was in the upper end of her grid (35) Her award was $26K, including the $2K UASP scholarship, which would have gone a little further then than it would have today – I believe it was about 80% of OOS tuition at the time. Given the broad range of awards they post, I imagine there must be a holistic element at play. Wishing you the best of luck!
@mkm1964 There have been quite a few parents on cc that have posted that their children had test scores that should have provided merit aid based on the grid, but their grades were not not representative of the test scores so they did not receive any or that they received less than they hoped. Based upon the merit amounts people have reported receiving the last few months, when Miami says the review is “holistic” I think what they are really saying is in order to get the amount you are hoping for then you better have the grades, the scores, the class rank, the AP scores, the complete package.
@mkm1964 S is going to Make it Miami Saturday and UK Merit Weekend on 3/23-3/24. UK is a smaller feel campus, awesome rooms (not typical dorm rooms) and right in the city, although it does not feel like that. I had never visited and was surprised.
Thank you all - it appears since at least one of D’s criteria fell short, we won’t be receiving merit. Miami has so many applicants so this is certainly understandable. Good luck to everyone in making final decisions!
@2manycollegequestions4me Post #172 was for you, sorry!
@BreakfastClub1 Haha I figured! Maybe will see you at merit weekend!
Does Merit aid come in the acceptance email?
@ilikefootball36 my D received it about a week later.
I received an interesting table of merit scholarship awards for Univ of Arizona. I know it is a different school, but the logic behind the awards may be analogous. the Arizona tales is a combination of SAT/ACT and GPA. For example, if you have an ACT of 30 to 31 your maximum merit is 30,000 with a GPA of over 4.00. If you have over a 3.75 you get 25,000; if you have over 3.5 you get 18,000; if you have over 3.25 you get 16,000. Alternatively, you can also get an 18,000 if you had an ACT of 26 to 27 but over a 4.0.
@ilikefootball36 I don’t know how/when you applied. S was EA and was admitted in December. About 10 days letter got his merit award letter by mail. The chart they have posted online seems fairly accurate. I found the awards for my two sons to be on the lower range of what they “qualified” for based on their stats. If you were admitted awhile ago, I would suggest calling Miami.