<p>From your posts you have to have merit aid, but not just any merit aid, significant "1/2 of total cost merit aid". You have to have Northeast. I will let others talk about SUNY's because I know nothing about them but I have researched merit awards at private schools in the Northeast. A lot, and in the same financial range.</p>
<p>Let's take the schools mentioned in your two posts in categories. Maybe it will help.</p>
<p>Before that let me say that I think the idea that merit aid schools take a backseat to need only schools in preparation for grad school is suspect at best. Several LAC's and Uni's that grant merit aid are great feeders to top grad programs. </p>
<p>First to go away-all the "need onlys"-that's Brown, Cornell, Notre Dame, Georgetown,Tufts, B.C., Barnard, Vassar, Wesleyan, and Connecticut College. They have zero chance of working for you if you have determined that you don't qualify for need based. (I'd triple check that.)</p>
<p>Then you have NYU and Skidmore . Schools that while granting some merit, do not seem that generous to me. Skidmore's max award is $10k. Won't help. NYU is notoriously stingy and merit aid is problematic at her stats , leaving Bard whose 75th percentile SAT is over 1400 if I remember correctly. None of these schools would provide a lot of comfort in the merit world if it were me.</p>
<p>Leaves Fordham, Quinnipiac and Manhattan College. Fordham 9% get non-need aid averaging about $8k. 75th %tile around 1300. By Manhattan College, do you mean Manhattanville? If so the SAT range is better, and I think it will be at Quinnipiac also. I don't have USNews handy and can't remember the stats.</p>
<p>In my opinion you might need to consider a different range of schools for merit awards. I've found it helpful to research the merit stats (% of students receiving non-need aid, amount of avg award and match that up with their 75th percentile SAT) of each school. Also don't forget that some merit awards are NOT SAT driven or GPA driven , some are for creative endeavors, public service, etc.</p>
<p>I also agree with the others who think that the Northeast will be tough at private schools, urban or suburban. </p>
<p>So let me close with another plug for Wells College. What a fantastic school for the right kid. Arty kids. Quirky kids. Pretty campus on a lake, shuttle to Cornell and Ithaca. Very reasonable $. Incredible bargain for a top 100 LAC. We did a drive-by and it is really a pretty place. We have recommended it to a dozen kids since we've been home. But, I admit that if she wants urban it will probably be a tough sell but remember the cross-registration with Cornell and Ithaca. That's a lot of kids. Something to think about, especially since their Cost of Attendance is half of Skidmore's, before any merit scholarships. Merit scholarships would be much more likely at Wells.</p>