Top Colleges That Provide Merit Based Aid

Paying for College
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<p>Already on CC Including post 11’s link:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/103604-list-mostly-merit-scholarship-info-websites.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/103604-list-mostly-merit-scholarship-info-websites.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/211927-institutional-merit-based-scholarships-full-tuition.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/211927-institutional-merit-based-scholarships-full-tuition.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/63770-best-schools-give-most-merit-based-aid.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Boston College gives about 10-15 full rides every year merit based. but thats it.</p>

<p>i remember Villanova having a couple of full ride, and half way merit based scholarships that you were automatically considered for or you could apply for</p>

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<p>UNC Morehead</p>

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<p>There’s a pretty decent list by U.S. News and World Report about this. Too lazy to link to right now, but I’m sure you can find it. It’s pretty obvious.</p>

<p>Edit: Turns out that I had it open in another tab, so linked:</p>

<p>[Best</a> Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/most-merit-aid]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/most-merit-aid)</p>

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<p>UNC at Chapel Hill is great (maybe not FA-wise, but it’s so cheap for a school of its caliber.</p>

<p>Why isn’t Harvard on the list?</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Because the Ivy League and many other top-rank schools do not give merit aid.</p>

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<p>Merit aid can be distributed widely and thinly or narrowly and deeply. In this list I have mulitplied the average merit aid received by the % of students receiving it for 30 “top colleges” (arbitrarily decided by me) to caluculate a merit aid index.</p>

<p>Research Universities
School - Avg Merit Aid received - % students receiving - merit aid index</p>

<p>Tulane University (LA) $19,423 32% $6,215
George Washington University (DC) $20,155 23% $4,636
Miami University–Oxford (OH) $11,864 39% $4,627
Brandeis University (MA) $19,915 22% $4,381
Pepperdine University (CA) $15,601 26% $4,056
Case Western Reserve Univ. (OH) $12,657 31% $3,924
University of Miami (FL) $15,668 23% $3,604
Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. (NY) $15,000 24% $3,600
Clark University (MA) $14,131 25% $3,533
Northeastern University (MA) $12,975 23% $2,984
American University (DC) $16,475 18% $2,966
Polytechnic University (NY) $16,342 18% $2,942
Worcester Polytechnic Inst. (MA) $16,324 18% $2,938
Emory University (GA) $17,013 17% $2,892
University of Rochester (NY) $8,877 32% $2,841
University of Florida $4,593 57% $2,618
Univ. of Southern California $12,705 19% $2,414
California Institute of Technology $29,177 8% $2,334
Vanderbilt University (TN) $17,203 13% $2,236
Boston University $17,334 10% $1,733
Georgia Institute of Technology $5,306 32% $1,698
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor $5,716 28% $1,600
University of Chicago $11,311 11% $1,244
University of Virginia $9,269 13% $1,205
Carnegie Mellon University ¶ $12,318 9% $1,109
University of Texas–Austin $3,300 31% $1,023
Duke University (NC) $24,869 4% $995
Univ. of Missouri–Columbia $4,310 23% $991
Rice University (TX) $4,355 21% $915
Wake Forest University (NC) $10,837 8% $867 </p>

<p>Note that this does not account in any way for total cost as the sticker price of each school is not under consideration here.</p>

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<p>Here is a similar list for LAC’s (and kindred). They tend to be a little more generous with merit aid.</p>

<p>Again, this list is not comprehensive and I have handpicked the names off of a wider list. This data is available on the internet for most schools, so you can compare your school of interest to these lists.</p>

<p>Liberal Arts Colleges
School - Avg Merit Aid received - % students receiving - merit aid index</p>

<p>Denison University (OH) $13,233 51% $6,749
Hendrix College (AR) $16,106 41% $6,603
Berry College (GA) $14,526 41% $5,956
Millsaps College (MS) $14,212 41% $5,827
College of Wooster (OH) $13,017 43% $5,597
Ohio Wesleyan University $12,872 42% $5,406
Randolph-Macon College (VA) $13,057 39% $5,092
Birmingham-Southern Col. (AL) $9,586 45% $4,314
Goucher College (MD) $13,682 31% $4,241
Washington College (MD) $10,310 40% $4,124
Rhodes College (TN) $10,421 39% $4,064
Occidental College (CA) $15,576 26% $4,050
Agnes Scott College (GA) $12,801 31% $3,968
Coe College (IA) $9,785 39% $3,816
Drew University (NJ) $11,584 32% $3,707
Beloit College (WI) $11,972 30% $3,592
Kalamazoo College (MI) $9,290 38% $3,530
Franklin and Marshall College ¶ $14,084 25% $3,521
Furman University (SC) $11,228 31% $3,481
Grinnell College (IA) $10,463 33% $3,453
Austin College (TX) $9,467 36% $3,408
Juniata College ¶ $12,609 26% $3,278
Hobart and William Smith Col. (NY) $17,900 18% $3,222
Allegheny College ¶ $10,900 29% $3,161
Willamette University (OR) $10,115 31% $3,136
Knox College (IL) $10,314 30% $3,094
Kenyon College (OH) $12,212 23% $2,809
Sewanee–University of the South (TN) $11,871 22% $2,612
Cornell College (IA) $11,345 23% $2,609
Illinois Wesleyan University $8,633 30% $2,590
Lawrence University (WI) $9,707 26% $2,524
Southwestern University (TX) $8,387 30% $2,516
Whitman College (WA) $9,200 27% $2,484
Washington and Jefferson Col. ¶ $9,558 21% $2,007</p>

<p>Just to emphaize: this list does not account in any way for total cost as the sticker price of each school is not under consideration here. Furthermore, need-based financial aid should also be considered in assessing the overall cost picture: schools that do not give merit aid can be quite generous in assessing financial need.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot Descartesz!</p>

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<p>It is interesting to contrast the difference in approaches to merit aid taken by schools.</p>

<p>For example:
Caltech - 8% get merit aid averaging $29,177
U of FL - 57% get merit aid averaging $4,593</p>

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<p>Davidson, if I’m not mistaking, gives about 10% of its incoming class merit aid.</p>

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<p>The University of Richmond offers the generous Richmond Scholars Program which provides a full-tuition, merit-based scholarship to one out of every 15 incoming first-year students.</p>

<p>Through the Richmond Scholars program, Richmond awards full scholarships to 50 members of every incoming class (each incoming class consisting of approximately 750 students) being 1 of every 15 entering students. </p>

<p>Richmond Scholar recipients are students that have demonstrated extraordinary academic achievement, exceptional personal qualities and potential for ongoing contributions to society.</p>

<p>All domestic and international first-year admission applicants are eligible for consideration.</p>

<p>cite: [University</a> of Richmond](<a href=“http://www.richmond.edu/affordability/index.html]University”>http://www.richmond.edu/affordability/index.html)</p>

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<p>The numbers I have for U of Richmond</p>

<p>Avg. Merit Aid / %Receiving / Merit Aid Index
$15,959 / 14% / $2,234</p>

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<p>Do you apply for merit scholarships? Or does the college just offer you one if they want you badly enough? Our family’s income is above what would qualify for a scholarship, but for various reasons some merit aid would certainly be welcome.</p>

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<p>Harvey Mudd (top 15 LAC) offers some nice merit $$ – automatic to students with certain SAT/class ranking. ~40% of the incoming class gets this. They also offer 8-10 Presidential Scholar awards, which is a full ride.</p>

<p>UMD offers merit aid to roughly the top 25% of their applicant pool. Awards vary from one-time $1500 to the Banneker/Key, which can be $8,000/yr. or a full ride.</p>

<p>Catherine,
Some colleges have you apply and may/may not interview you (Duke, UNC, Rhodes); others, like UChicago, one checks a box and is automatically considered. At UMD, one must submit Part 1 of the application by 11/1 for “Priority Consideration” (and Part 2 by 12/1), which also automatically gets one consideration for merit $$.</p>

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<p>D received good merit awards from colleges just based on her application. When she received her acceptance letter, she was also notified that she had been selected for the XYZ Scholarship (Presidential, Deans, Founders, etc.). She was a finalist for a couple full rides, and those were of course done differently.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Wow. U of F is really generous. I’m kind of surprised especially when you consider the varying tuition at each institution. </p>

<p>Tuition at Caltech: more than 34k
Tuition at University of Florida: less than 4k (in-state)</p>

<p>Caltech also probably offers more need-based aid than U of F since a comparatively very low EFC is required to qualify for need-based financial aid at U of F. I’d be interested in knowing the statistics for need-based aid at Caltech.</p>

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<p>Need-based aid profile for CalTech</p>

<p>Avg. Package % Receiving
$25,923 58%</p>

<p>“Package” includes loans and work-study as well as grants. This data is for 2006.</p>

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<p>I posted this about a year and a half ago think it’s still true:</p>

<p>We had a rather lengthy discussion of merit aid at Top 20 Univ. and Top 20 LAC’s on another thread the results of which are as follows. </p>

<p>Amoung top 20 National Universities 8 offer it: Caltech, Duke, Chicago, Wash StL, JHU, Rice, Emory, and Vanderbilt. Northwestern has a hybrid part merit part need called the “Founders Scholarship” new this {last} year. </p>

<p>Among top 20 LAC’s 5 offer it: Davidson, Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna, Smith, and Grinnell. Colby has a hybrid program like Northwestern.</p>

<p>Many of these same schools plus some others also participate in something called the “Questbridge” program which appears to be aid to low income students that is (also) based on merit.</p>

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<p>Mt Holyoke offered D $120k over 4 years. Rice offered $60K over 4 years. These were both merit.</p>