<p>My son took the ACT the first time and scored a 32. He took it again this month, and he thinks he increased his score. He's received merit scholarships from a few public schools that list on their websites how much merit is earned for certain ACT scores. We know where we stand in those cases.</p>
<p>But he recently received a merit offer from a couple schools that don't spell out what students receive relative to test scores. One of the offers is a financial estimate for a potential ED. </p>
<p>Do schools tend to increase merit scholarship offers when ACT scores increase? Should he or I call the school if and when the score does increase? Or just send the new score if it is an increase and wait? With one of the schools, the deadline to decide whether to apply ED or RD is 1/2, so we might not have the score by then.</p>
<p>It can depend on the school. Some schools have a deadline for test scores for merit consideration. Your child can always politely contact the schools after the new/better scores are received and ask if merit award will be reviewed.</p>
<p>Answers to your questions:
Some or most or all do.
No. Send the new score if it’s an increase.
(It is best to contact each school with your questions.)</p>
<p>Thanks! I did contact the schools. The public schools said they would review the aid offer. The private school that gave the financial aid estimate for potential ED said no, the offer would not change. The private school said if we decided to go RD, they might raise the scholarship, but they’d reduce the grant money by the same amount. I’d rather see that happen, b/c the merit money will not depend on income. </p>
<p>We’re going to wait to see the ACT score and hope we get it on 12/26. If it’s increases, I think we’re leaning toward RD.</p>
<p>My take on it, if you want to compare offers, if you want the best merit offers don’t go ED. Many of my kids’ merit offers came at the very end when the schools decided whose packages needed a bit of sweetening to entice those students to come. ED kids are done deals at that time. For some schools, that is a big purpose of merit money, to get the students on the brink to make the dcecision. THink about it, why would you use money that is for that purpose for an ED kid? </p>
<p>Also, you can do a little "negotiating if two like schools offer different amounts. My son told his top choice that a little bit more would make it an immediate yes decision, otherwise, there was goingto be some painful decision making that had to be done. The admissions director doubled the award on the spot and that was it. You aren’t going to have that discussion at that time when you have already accepted ED.</p>
<p>A family I knew well some years ago were elated with their DD getting into her first choice school ED. They were not so pleased when some other kids they knew who held out to the end got some merit money, and their DD didn’t get a dime. Though they complained, not a thing was done. She had already made her commitment and her classmates had not. But she was done with the process months before they were. That can be the cost of ED.</p>
<p>Yes, cptofthehouse, I’ve thought about that scenario. But he loves the potential ED2 school. Their admit rate for ED is twice that of RD. Do you think if we switch from ED to RD they will think he really isn’t that interested and not admit him RD? The financial aid offer for ED was pretty good, but not quite there. We’d take it if it was $5000 less.</p>
<p>Well, he did increase his ACT 2 points to 34. The new scores were sent to the schools to which he’s applied or been admitted. We’re going to hold off on the ED to the school he really loves, his #1 choice, and apply RD decision. His choice. The financial aid estimate for the ED school was pretty good, but he wants to wait to see all the offers, which I think is a good thing. If he’s admitted to his #1 choice, they might move some of the grant money offer over to increase the merit scholarship. We’d rather have more in merit and less dependent on income. </p>
<p>Any other thoughts? Thanks for all your advice.</p>