<p>I'm unsure if I'll be able to get much financial aid because </p>
<p>My GPA is 3.5, my SAT is 2200, and I'm in the middle rank of my class (because my school is highly competitive)
Household Income is roughly $320,000
The only honors I have are AP Scholar and National Merit Commended, which I'm not sure even matter</p>
<p>Since my household income clearly disqualifies me from any need-based aid, and my academics aren't stellar or anything, do you think I could qualify for any merit-based financial aid? Or is it hopeless? </p>
<p>Yes, you can. But your best bet is at schools that offer them. Your chances at say, the Ivy League schools are zip, because they don’t give ANY merit awards to ANYONE. You find the schools that have awards and you apply to them along with any outside scholarships for which you may qualify. </p>
<p>Basically the higher up you are in your test scores and grades for a school, the better are your chances in getting an award from them. So getting merit money, especially sizeable amounts, means applying to schools where you are one of their top prospects.</p>
<p>This sticky thread at the top of this forum section:
<a href=“Links to Popular Threads on Scholarships and Lower-Cost Colleges - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html</a>
points to various lists of merit scholarships. Your stats will probably qualify you for some automatic full ride and automatic full tuition scholarships, and put you in a position to compete for some competitive full ride and full tuition scholarships.</p>