@CourtneyThurston That is actually not accurate at all. At many private school merit scholarships are much easier to appeal on than need based aid. To get more need based aid you need to have a change in family circumstances. To get more merit you could ask for an award match, or show more interest, or any number of other things that amount to “negotiation” . Need based aid is very black and white either we can change it or we can’t. Merit is much more subjective especially at the type of schools OP listed. We try to get a student as cheap as we can and if they threaten not to come we give them more money. In fact, at two schools I have worked at almost everyone that appealed their merit aid got an increase basically just for appealing. At my current school (a school that meets need with purely need based aid) and our peers even if we really want you (URM, etc) we cannot give out more aid unless we can change a number in your aid application.