<p>Old thread but info still relevant and useful. We have gone the merit only route too, but our choices varied from full freight to full ride plus. My oldest got a scholarship offer from only one school which was a true admissions safety for him. The next one got a variety of merit awards but the largest was for $5k for the schools that were the most expensive, His best deal was at our state school that offered him $3500, which combined with the low in state sticker price made that the lowest cost. I think it depends on the schools chosen and the kids’ stats as to the spread one can get. My third one did apply to a wide variety of schools, some which were true safeties for him, and some that were reaches and matches. Though accepted to a top LAC and an excellent OOS school, both that had some merit programs, he didn’t make the cut for the money. It was pretty clear that he could do very well scholarshipwise at schools that were selective but with average stats significantly below his. My other guys did not apply to that wide of a field in terms of merit possibililities and the results showed.</p>