Do schools ever offer merit aid later in the admission process? I was accepted to Purdue and already paid deposit. Should we have waited to see if they would offer merit aid? I was so worried about getting the housing I want that we went ahead and paid the deposit. Purdue says right on their website that they do not allow appeals for merit aid.
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Merit awards went out with acceptances. There will be small departmental awards that you can try for next year.
For others reading, Purdue housing is NOT first come first serve so there is no rush. You have until mid April this year.
When I called Purdue, one person said it is not first come first serve but the woman in housing said she highly recommended that I go ahead and sign the housing contract because things were being done differently this year. I know Purdue is my number one choice, so I paid the deposit. However, someone had posted that some schools offer more merit when they see you have not accepted. I am thinking Purdue is not a school that would be doing that with so many applications. I had also read that Purdue does not allow appeals for merit.
Historically I haven’t heard about merit coming later.
I would not worry about that!
Boiler up!
Interesting about what you were told by housing. I haven’t heard or read that other than shifting from may 5th to mid April.
The FAQ in the housing portal goes further to say that between April 15 and May 5th students can still get into the Purdue apartments. After 5/5 it’s wait list for housing.
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This is something I’ve seen, and our son experienced, from private schools where the price is much higher in the first place. I would expect the number you saw from Purdue to be the final one you would have seen. Congrats, and enjoy the journey!
My son got into Purdue 3 years ago and merit came with the offer - but honestly we were surprised it came at all given most everything we read said for engineering at least, the merit awards were minimal in quantity.
My daughter goes to another public and got merit with admission. She then got more merit via the Honors College - after she accepted -but this was in the form of endowed scholarships and she had to participate in an interview weekend to get them.
Congrats on your admission to Purdue - assume you are full pay (but they’re a wonderful “value” - and enjoy your four years) - and as others say, keep an eye open each year for what is offered to returning students via academic and other departments.
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Have you tried other Scholarships through your school or other avenues.
My son ended up with $8500 through his high school and other organizations.
You would not believe how few people even try to get these Scholarships.
You have to have a bag of essays already if you have been filling out College Apps. 
Good idea! Definitely, going to have him look after midterms this week.