Every year, I watch families build college lists based on rankings, campus tours, and gut feelings.
And then April rolls around, the financial aid packages arrive, and reality hits.
That $75,000 dream school? They’re offering $2,000 a year in aid. The out-of-state public everyone said was “too expensive”? They just offered a $25,000 merit scholarship.
Suddenly, the entire college list gets flipped upside down.
Here’s what I wish every family knew from the beginning: merit aid changes everything.
It’s not just about making college affordable. It’s about creating options. It’s about your student having real choices in April instead of panic decisions.
So let’s talk about merit aid. What it is, which schools give it, how to find it, and why it matters more than most families realize.
What Is Merit Aid, Actually?
First, let’s clear up the confusion.
There are two main types of financial aid:
Need-based aid is what you get based on your family’s income and financial situation. You fill out the FAFSA, the school looks at your finances, and they decide what you “need.” Sometimes it’s a lot. Sometimes it’s nothing. Sometimes it’s $2,000 and you’re left wondering what you’re supposed to do with that.
Merit aid is money the school gives you because they want your student. It’s based on grades, test scores, leadership, talent, or character. It has nothing to do with your income. It’s about how attractive your student is to that particular school.
And here’s the thing that trips families up: some schools give tons of merit aid. Other schools give almost none.
So you can have two schools that both cost $60,000 a year. One offers your student $30,000 in merit scholarships. The other offers nothing.
Same kid. Same application. Completely different price tags.
That’s why knowing which schools give merit money is so important. Because if you’re building a college list without considering merit aid, you might be setting yourself up for sticker shock in April.
Which Schools Actually Give Merit Money?
So which schools give merit aid?
Great question. And the answer is: it depends.
But here’s the general pattern:
Private schools and out-of-state publics give the most merit aid.
Why? Because they’re trying to attract students. They’re competing for talent. They want high-stat kids who might otherwise go to a cheaper in-state school or a more prestigious university.
So they throw money at students to make the school more affordable and more attractive.
For example, I had a student a few years ago who got a full ride to the University of Alabama. Full. Ride. Tuition, room, board, books. Everything.
Why? Because her test scores and GPA were high, and Alabama has automatic merit scholarships tied to those numbers. They literally publish a chart: if you have X GPA and Y test score, here’s how much money you get.
That’s the kind of transparency I love. No guessing. No hoping. Just clear numbers.
And by the way, speaking of Alabama, did you hear they’re changing their testing policy? Starting next year, if your GPA is below a 3.0, you have to submit test scores. And the year after that, everyone has to submit scores.
So is testing coming back? Maybe. Maybe not everywhere. But here’s what I keep saying: test-optional is not test-irrelevant.
If your student has strong test scores, they can unlock merit money. If they don’t submit scores, they might miss out on thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Other schools known for generous merit aid:
- University of South Carolina (great merit scholarships, especially for out-of-state students)
- Arizona State University (automatic merit aid based on GPA)
- University of Denver (private school with strong merit packages)
- Case Western Reserve (known for generous merit scholarships)
- Clemson, UGA, Auburn (competitive merit programs)
But here’s the key: you have to research this. You can’t just assume.
Some schools (especially the Ivies and super selective schools) don’t give merit aid at all. They only give need-based aid. So if your income is too high for need-based aid, you’re paying full price.
That’s fine if you can afford it. But if you can’t, those schools need to come off the list.
How Do You Actually Find This Information?
Alright, so how do you figure out which schools on your student’s list actually give merit money?
Step one: Google “[School Name] merit scholarships.”
I know. Revolutionary.
But seriously, most schools have a page dedicated to merit scholarships. They’ll list the scholarships they offer, the criteria, and sometimes even the average award amounts.
If the school doesn’t have that page, that’s a red flag. It probably means they don’t give much merit aid.
Step two: Look for automatic vs. competitive scholarships.
Automatic scholarships are the best. These are scholarships where if you hit certain GPA and test score thresholds, you automatically get the money. No separate application. No essay. You just get it.
Competitive scholarships require separate applications, essays, interviews, whatever. They’re harder to get, but they’re often bigger.
Both are great. But automatic scholarships are easier to plan for because you know whether you qualify before you even apply.
Step three: Run the net price calculator.
Every college is required to have a net price calculator on their website. You plug in your income, your student’s GPA and test scores, and it estimates what the school will actually cost after aid.
It’s not perfect. But it’s way better than just looking at the sticker price and panicking.
And here’s the thing: you need to run the net price calculator for every school on the list. Because you might be surprised.
I’ve had families assume a $70,000 private school is out of reach, and then the net price calculator shows it’ll actually cost $30,000 after merit aid. Suddenly it’s cheaper than their in-state public.
But you won’t know unless you check.
Real Numbers: The $727,348 Story
Okay, so I told you at the beginning that one of my seniors earned $727,348 in scholarship offers.
Let me tell you more about that.
This student has received 13 acceptances so far. And 6 of those schools offered her significant merit scholarships.
We’re talking $20,000 a year. $30,000 a year.
And the total (across all the schools that accepted her) came to over $727,000.
Now, obviously she’s not taking all of that money. She’s going to one school. But here’s what that number represents: options.
She didn’t just get into college. She got to choose her college. And she got to choose based on fit, not just finances.
That’s what merit aid does.
And here’s the other thing: this student isn’t a 4.0, 1600 SAT, curing-cancer-in-her-spare-time kind of kid. She’s a great student. She worked hard. She had solid grades. And we were strategic about sharing test scores during this test-optional landscape. But she’s not a unicorn.
She’s exactly the kind of student that merit-focused schools are looking for. And because we built her list strategically, she ended up with incredible options.
I also have another student (one of my scholarship students, actually, which means her family didn’t pay me a dime) who just earned a full ride to UNC Asheville. Full ride. And it’s a perfect fit for her.
That’s the part that makes me emotional. Not the money. The fit. Watching students land in places that are right for them.
And it’s possible because we planned for it.
Testing and Merit Aid
Okay, I have to talk about testing for a second because it ties directly into merit aid.
A lot of families hear “test-optional” and think, “Great, we don’t have to worry about testing.”
But here’s the reality: test scores unlock merit money.
If your student has strong scores (and I mean at or above the middle 50% for the schools on their list), those scores can be worth thousands of dollars.
I’m not exaggerating. I’ve seen students get $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 more per year in merit scholarships because they submitted strong test scores.
So when I hear families say, “We’re skipping testing because it’s optional,” I want to scream a little bit.
Because yes, it’s optional. But optional doesn’t mean irrelevant.
If your student can test reasonably well (and most students can with a little bit of prep), it’s worth doing. Because the payoff can be huge.
And with schools like Alabama bringing testing back, I think we’re going to see more of this. Not everywhere. But enough that it matters.
The Bottom Line
Merit aid is real. It’s out there. And it can completely change the affordability of college for your family.
But you have to know where to look. You have to research. You have to build a strategic college list that includes schools where your student is likely to get merit money.
And you have to consider testing. Because test scores matter for merit aid, even if they’re optional for admission.
If you’re a parent of a junior or sophomore and you’re thinking, “Okay, this sounds great, but I have no idea how to actually do this,” that’s exactly what we cover inside The College-Bound Parent Collective.
Module 5 is all about money. How to talk about cost, how to find merit aid, how to compare financial aid packages, all of it.
And Module 3, which drops this week, walks you through how to build a strategic college list that includes schools where your student is likely to get merit money.
You can join right now for $997. That price goes up to $1,497 on March 16.
👉 Learn more here: https://cart.thecollegecounselingmom.com/parent-collective
And if you’re a parent of a current junior and you want the full white-glove experience (where I personally manage your student’s entire college process), I have 3 spots left in my Class of 2027 Dream Team.
If you’re interested, just reply to my newsletter, send me a DM on Instagram, or leave a comment on this blog and I’ll send you the details.
Here with you every step,
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