<p>Other than merit aid that is guaranteed based on set criteria (and we have a section on our board that lists the programs we have so found), it’s very difficult to be able to count on getting a sizeable award that way. You do need to research how many such awards are given at each school on the list and where your kid is in the stats. If a school gives 20% of its kids merit awards, and your student is not in the top quarter stats wise, it’s not a good sign that he will get anything. If the average award is $10K, the chances of him getting anything sizeable, say $20K are very small. If a school only gives out, say 5-10 or even fewer big awards in a freshman class in the thousands, you can see the chances of your kid getting one of those is minuscule. He has to be one of the very top contenders. </p>
<p>On the other hands, schools like Fordham do include merit awards in their NPCs. We have a section on the board that lists such schools, and you might want to run your numbers thorugh their calculators. No guarantee on those things, but it gives you some idea whereas with some schools, it’s totally up in the air.</p>
<p>My one talented son (very talented in the performing arts) got a number of merit awards in the arts from a number of schools despite not being in the top echelon of students academically. But…those awards were all $5K or less, hardly a dent on some of today’s private school prices that are looming in the $60K+ level. The big money is NOT easy to get.</p>