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<p>Actually, UVa does not offer any merit aid. You may be thinking of the Jefferson Scholar program which is sponsored by the Alumni Association. A very limited number of scholarships are offered through this program where you are nominated by your high school to the local alumni association. UVa offers only need based financial aid.</p>
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I think it depends on how you define “a lot” … my 3.4 UWGPA/1900 SAT son received merit awards in $7,500-$10,000 range at the two OOS state flagships to which he was accepted …certainly not huge bucks but enough to make the school a lot more appealing.</p>
<p>It depends on the school. The difference between instate & out of state may be even more than $10,000, and for me it would need to bring the cost closer to instate tuition, for me to consider it " a lot".</p>
<p>Most of the top tier do not give merit aid - Tufts, GW, Georgetown, Vasar, the Ivies, etc.</p>
<p>Carleton gives $2K for NM, Natl Achievement and NHRP.</p>
<p>Thomas Aquinas College - no merit aid</p>
<p>Gw gives merit aid.</p>
<p>bizarre double post</p>
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<p>GW has numerous merit awards.</p>
<p>[GW</a> Financial Aid for New Undergraduates](<a href=“http://gwired.gwu.edu/finaid-n/Sourcebook/RegulationsforMeritAwardscopy/]GW”>http://gwired.gwu.edu/finaid-n/Sourcebook/RegulationsforMeritAwardscopy/)</p>
<p>Deep Springs College
United States Air Force Academy
United States Military Academy
United States Naval Academy</p>
<p>BC and villanova very little</p>
<p>Funny one about the academies. No merit money, but also no tuition.</p>
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<p>According to UVa’s Common Data Set (section H2A), for 2011-12 UVa awarded institutional non-need-based aid to 385 first-time full-time freshmen. The average dollar amount was $9,871.</p>
<p>(Source: [Common</a> Data Set: Institutional Assessment and Studies, University of Virginia](<a href=“http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/datacatalog/cds/financialaid.shtm]Common”>http://www.web.virginia.edu/iaas/datacatalog/cds/financialaid.shtm))</p>
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<p>The only one I can speak to is UT-Austin and in our experience, they offer very little merit aid to in-state students. As a comparision, the same year that GW offered my son 25K per year for four years, UT-Austin offered him a one time award of 1K.</p>
<p>UVA does give Division I athletic scholarships, which would be considered merit aid under most definitions.</p>
<p>Ghostt wrote:</p>
<p>"It is the universal argument against merit aid in particular, and it differs from the examples you cite in several important ways, chief among them being the distinction between treating college applicants differently based on their background and treating some accepted students better than others "</p>
<p>Well isn’t offering financial aid to some accepted students and not to others just a different way to offer preferential treatment to some students based on their family background?</p>
<p>UVA also has a couple of very competitive merit awards.</p>
<p>Proudpatriot, I did elaborate on the difference between providing all accepted students with the resources they need to attend your school should they choose to do so, and providing some of them with surplus money. I’m sure it will become clear if you reread my post or–maybe a better idea–seek out the numerous statements issued by the Ivy League (or other schools that do not offer merit aid) on the subject. They do a pretty good job of explaining the principle behind eschewing merit awards.</p>
<p>Tufts, Swarthmore = NO merit aid</p>
<p>WPI. RPI, Case Western Reserve U., UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, Lafayette College = YES! </p>
<p>One of the college guides (can’t remember if Fiske or USNews) has a table of schools that award merit aid, and statistics such as %students receiving merit aid.</p>
<p>I can understand some schools (say MIT) not offering merit. The difference between top and bottom admitted student is probably so marginal that it doesn’t make sense. Those schools are rare though.</p>
<p>I bet Ghostt… who doesn’t think there’s a good argument for merit… doesn’t object to schools jacking up cost so that full pays can subsidize need based aid.</p>