<p>Although this list is a good starting point, many of the figures on this page are no longer accurate. Many schools have reduced or eliminated the amount of money they are giving to students without need. Many of the remaining awards are for very specific students: ie, talent awards, Seiman’s winners, National Merit finalists, etc. If you are interested in a school, it is very important to call a school directly to get info for the current year. For example, Brandeis is listed as awarding 25% of those without need merit awards. That number has been reduced to near zero in the last year.</p>
<p>uskoolfish–You are absolutely right; many colleges have reduced the number of merit scholarships they offer. U.Va. was one that eliminated merit aid in the past several years. Sometimes the most recent Common Data Set that is available is several years old.</p>
<p>If you know of specific colleges that have changed their policies, feel free to let me know, and I’ll be glad to update the list (or you can update the list by copying it, changing the information, and pasting it).</p>
<p>I’m adding Claremont McKenna, Georgetwon College, Georgetown University, Pitzer and Pomona. </p>
<p>Legend:
School… non-need kids with awards %; $ average non-need award / total COA 2011/2012–OOS if it applies and I had time to look it up (# non-need awards / # non-need freshman)</p>
<p>American (DC)…36%; $16,086 (367/1027)
Brandeis (MA)
…25%; $17,940 (128/513)
Brown (RI)…0%; $0 (0/863)
Bucknell ¶…6%; $11,126 (30/465)
Carleton (MN)…12%; $2,990 (33/265)
Case Western (OH)
…71%; $20,329 (189/265)
Claremont McKenna (CA) …3%; $5,216 (6/183)
Colorado College (CO)…11%; $10,416/$51,316 (39/342)
Covenant College (GA) …64%; $10,307/$35,676 (61/95)
Dartmouth (NH)…1%; $450 (4/562)
Davidson (NC)…21%;$19,079/$49,029 (57/269)
Delaware (DE)…28%; $6,073 (654/2342)
Dickinson ¶…9%; $10,571 (31/331)
Duke (NC)…3%; $36,009 (30/1025)
Elon (NC)…34%; $5,670 (282/835)
Emory (GA)
…22%; $13,094 (217/995)
Franklin and Marshall ¶
.39%; $12,844 (129/335)
Fairfield (CT)…11%; $18,232 (43/401)
Fordham (NY)…47%; $9,259 (489/1032)
Furman (SC)…50%;$16,230/$49,660 (154/307)
Georgetown College (KY)…70%; $15,509 (33/47)
Georgetown University (DC)…0%; CDC not available
Gettysburg ¶…30%; $10,665 (103/346)
Goucher (MD)…40%; $13,951 (117/294)
Grinnell (IA) …46%; $9,269 (50/108)
GW (DC)…27%; $22,632 (441/1624)
Hobart and William Smith …24%/$15,029/$51,050 (116/478)
JHU (MD)…2%; $27,471 (14/621)
Kenyon (OH)…17%; $10,403 (45/258)
Lafayette ¶…24%; $12,894 (56/229)
Lewis and Clark (OR)…26%; $11,010 (56/214)
Manhattan (NY)
…48%; $8,443 (226/466)
Maryland (MD)…30%; $5,441 (695/2298)
Muhlenberg ¶…41%; $10,585 (171/418)
Northeastern (MA)
…72%; $13,970 (876/1224)
NYU (NY)…9%; $7,250 (327/3456)
Pitt ¶…18%; $14,678 (279/1583)
Pitzer (CA) …19%; $5,000 (28/150)
Pomona (CA)…0%; $0 (0/191)
Princeton (NJ)…0%; $0/$52,180 (0/559)
Rhodes (TN)…75%; $13,060/$44,080 (200/265)
Rice (TX)…26%; $16,083/$49,821 (144/554)
Richmond (VA)…11%; $29,539 (61/571)
Rochester (NY)…73%; $9,620 (388/529)
RPI (NY)…94%; $14,085 (436/464)
Sewanee-U of S (TN)
…53%; $13,735 (117/220)
Smith (MA)…13%; $8,973 (35/272)
St. Joseph ¶…28%; $9,885 (13/46)
Syracuse (NY)…27%; $9,440 (390/688)
TCNJ (NJ)…47%; $6,386 (320/688)
UCONN (CT)…22%; $6,866 (322/1448)
UNC-CH (NC)…31%;$4,646 (820/2634)
Ursinus ¶…36%; $12,381 (60/169)
USC (CA)
…30%; $13,757 (706/2381)
U South Carolina (SC)
84%; $6160 (1884/2237)
- UVA (VA) …17%; $9,871 (385/2252)
Vandy (TN)…23%; $12,879 (223/982)
Villanova ¶…10%; $8,972 (96/991)
Wake Forest (NC) …8%; $12,427/$51,910 (66/815)
Washington College (MD) …49%; $12,211 (94/190)
WashUSL (MO)…25%; $9,460 (242/969)
Wheaton (IL) …31%; $4,940/$37,996 (86/279)
Willamette (OR)…87%; $13,072/$47,301 (585/676)
William & Mary (VA) …3%; $7,396 (32/993)
WPI (MA)…87%; $12,288 (158/181)</p>
<p>*During the 2010-2011 school year, UVA announced in information sessions and in an admitted students session (for Echols Scholars) that it would no longer give merit aid. I heard it myself in the admitted students session. However, the 2011-2012 CDS shows that merit aid actually increased, from 15% to 17%, over the previous school year. I have no explanation for this.</p>
<p>Dear Schokolade,</p>
<p>Can I request: Swarthmore, Haverford, Northwestern, Wellesley, and U Michigan?</p>
<p>Austinpop, you can find that info through Google. Here is the link for Swarthmore’s CDS: [Swarthmore</a> College :: Institutional Research :: Common Data Set](<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/institutional-research/common-data-set.xml]Swarthmore”>Common Data Set :: Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Assessment :: Swarthmore College)</p>
<p>OK thanks, but I’m not sure I’m doing this right.</p>
<p>Using 2011-2012 CDS</p>
<p>Swarthmore ¶………0%; $0 (0/386)</p>
<p>But I went back and checked USC, and I’m getting a very different number than the table. Using the CDS at <a href=“Institutional Research, Assessment, and Analytics - Institutional Research, Assessment, and Analytics | University of South Carolina”>Institutional Research, Assessment, and Analytics - Institutional Research, Assessment, and Analytics | University of South Carolina;
<p>H2a = 4361
H2c = 2177
H2n = 1668
H2o = $5380</p>
<p>Accordingly, I get:
USC (CA)………76%; $5380 (1668/2184)</p>
<p>This is very different from the table entry
USC (CA)………30%; $13,757 (706/2381)</p>
<p>What am I missing?</p>
<p>Some more:</p>
<p>Emory (GA)………8%; $18,813 (72/923)
Haverford ¶………0%
Wellesley (MA)………0%
Northwestern (IL)………11%; $2,785 (116/1080)
U Michigan (MI)………87%; $5,450 (2992/3430)
Rice (TX)………26%; $16,083 (144/554)
UTexas Austin (TX)………2%; $4,465 (68/3699)</p>
<p>Swarthmore actually does have merit aid. It’s little known but it does exist.</p>
<p>^ True. 9 students were awarded an average of $38K. Section H2A</p>
<p>OK - let’s be clear. I thought this thread was focusing on the merit awards to Freshmen. </p>
<p>The number you are referring to is in the column for Full-time Undergrad (Incl. Fresh)</p>
<p>The First-time Full-time Freshmen number is 0. For me, that’s the key number, although both columns, and indeed the whole data set, are interesting.</p>
<p>You’re right Austinpop. I shouldn’t have brought general merit $ into it. </p>
<p>As far as what you are missing, you probably just have more recent numbers than Schokolade. The student body can vary from year to year. If you look at the total merit $ pool (average award x number of awards) it’s similar in those two USC numbers - right about $9M.</p>
<p>Yup, agree. And thanks again to this collective group for this info. I guess the caveat for all of us is to use the tables as indicators, but double check the ones you are interested in with the most recent CDS data.</p>
<p>This is funny: I came to this thread because my S (rising senior) asked me just now what kind of merit aid USC gives, and I told him I would check.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad and Austinpop: You are right; you used more recent numbers than I used. I checked the most recent USC CDS and the math, and I got 76% as well. Most of the computations that I made were done during the 2010 - 2011 school year, when my D was a senior, and some computations were done by others. I have also found that colleges release their CDS information at widely-varying times, so I could have had data that was old even when I used it.</p>
<p>I view this thread as a first step in gauging the likelihood that a student could receive merit aid. My son will not be applying to any colleges that never give merit aid, with the possible exception of UVa., whose merit aid policies are unclear.</p>
<p>Austinpop’s advice to double-check the CDSs of colleges in which you’re interested is good advice; it is also important to check the college websites for any announced changes. Some colleges give scholarships that are restricted to instate students, so that could also be a factor.</p>
<p>This is a very helpful, sortable website that lists the percentages of freshmen getting merit aid in 2011 - 2012: [Colleges</a> and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Colleges and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com”>Colleges and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com)</p>