<p>So I see people saying, I got accepted to a small college with 20k/yr , how does that work? Did you have to apply for merit aid from that school, or do they say, "come to our school and we'll offer you 20k per year discount"?</p>
<p>Are you asking how some people get merit aid at some schools?</p>
<p>Some schools consider every applicant for scholarships without any separate scholarship application… Some schools require a separate scholarship application. Some schools don’t offer any merit at all.</p>
<p>So, it depends on the school. :)</p>