If you have a kid with the profile for prestigious schools, then she’s a good candidate for merit at lower ranked schools. If she’s a junior or below, help her to understand the benefits of attending college on huge merit. There is so much to like about so many colleges other than the few most students hear about often. Focus on those things as a family instead of prestige. My D didn’t look at a single prestigious school yet loved so many schools that offered huge merit. She had great choices in April of her senior year, is having a great experience in college, will be debt free with money in the bank when she graduates, and really doesn’t understand why anyone in a similar position would choose debt.