<p>Although there are pobably some threads on this already, I'm looking for
recent advice for my D. She is currently very interested in Brandeis U. and
I'm pretty sure they are known for merit aid, but how does that factor in
if she needs financial aid? Will she be at a disadvantage for aid if she applies
Early Decision?</p>
<p>Check if Brandeis even awards merit scholarships for ED. Some (and perhaps most) don't.</p>
<p>It's a huge disadvantage, I would think. Just to strategize (not knowing anything specific about Brandeis), if you apply ED, they've got you. Why would they have incentive to offer you merit aid? Merit aid is given to students to woo them, to convince them to attend a university.</p>
<p>If you are looking for merit money, you want to apply to several schools that offer that. Then you can compare offers, even play one off the other (perhaps?), once you have offers in hand.</p>
<p>Brandeis is an outstanding and, of course, very selective school. Why is your d considering an ED application? I think that, if she'd be competitive for merit aid there, she'd be among their top applicants, and therefore wouldn't need the advantage conferred by an ED application, because she'd have a very strong chance at RD admission.</p>
<p>Merit aid is most often awarded as an inducement to attend the school. ED applicants don't need to be induced, since they're obligated to attend.</p>
<p>An exception is those colleges that state in writing that merit aid is awarded for specific SAT/ACT scores and GPAs. In that case, the student already knows whether or not she'd receive merit aid, regardless of application status.</p>