Appeal to get Merit scholarship?

ArtsandLetters
Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:07:20 +0000

It shouldn’t be discouraging. And I’ll tell you, all of the colleges have waiting lists and most won’t be open to hear you are getting more at a different college. It just depends on the school, the mix of students in the pool that year, and a fixed amount the college designated. So one college with a smaller endowment may want you more than another student in that same pool. And at many colleges, merit aid is either based on subjective criteria (USC for instance interviews select candidates and then chooses who will get what - so students with equal stats may get unequal awards, or walk away with nothing). At least Chapman is transparent about their process.

Merit aid is not an entitlement. It is a gift. There is no obligation on the part of any school to grant it.