If you need merit money, don’t waste time on these schools. Also if someone says, they are getting merit there, don’t believe them because none is being offered.
The list of colleges NOT offering merit scholarships include many of the most well-known in the United States.
The list is an ever changing target, but here is a sample list complied by Dr. Barbara Austin, PhD:
Amherst College Dartmouth College Reed College
Bernard College Goddard College Saint John’s College
Bates College Hamilton College Sarah Lawrence College
Bennington College Harvard University Stanford University
Bowdoin College Haverford College Swarthmore College
Brown University Julliard College Trinity College, CT
Bryn Mawr College Marlboro College University of Pennsylvania
Bucknell University MIT Vassar College
Colby College Middlebury College Wellesley College
Colgate University Mount Holyoke College Wheaton College, MA
Columbia University New England College Williams College
Connecticut College Princeton University Yale University
Cornell University Reed College
Moderator’s Note:
Please read further posts for correcting info.
ED
The Ivies don’t give merit $. Many schools are moving towards need based aid only and lists change every single cycle. The best advice to is to check each school on your individual list to be sure there hasn’t been a change from the previous year.
Seems like you could do that research. I don’t think this poorly researched article/list should get any more attention or discussion…FYI all 3 of those schools listed in #1 have offered merit scholarships for a long time, it’s not a new thing.
Swarthmore offers merit to maybe 6 or 7 students from certain geographical areas: https://www.swarthmore.edu/mccabe-scholars:
“Today, this four-year, full-tuition scholarship is awarded annually to at least two incoming students from the Delmarva Peninsula, two from Southeastern Pennsylvania, and two from the rest of the United States. The McCabe Scholarship is also available to at least one international student, for whom the award meets their full determined financial need.”
The list you posted contains a quite a few errors and I would not rely on it at all.
The Bucknell error bothers me a lot because Bucknell was very generous to my kid and offered her a large amount of merit aid.
It is rather outdated and has some errors but roughly 40 out of 50 are correct so still a useful source. If I found a better list, I’ll post it but meanwhile your corrections are helpful. Thank you
Because there is no point in chasing something that’s not there. So many families don’t understand this process and assume someone else got a scholarship so ours will get one too, until they find out it’s a myth. It’s common for people to mention their aid as merit scholarship which creates confusion.
I agree that many people will erroneously state their kid has been offered merit and/or scholarships, either by accident or purposely.
BUT it’s good that a visit to each school’s financial aid website is so simple…the facts there typically dispel any myths.
Figuring out if a school offers merit is relatively straightforward…when compared to some of the more complicated college application/admissions issues.
Oh please. You’re going to criticize your brother in law for telling you that his kid got a “scholarship” to ABC college because he doesn’t want to admit that they qualify for a lot of need based aid?
Yes, it’s a purposeful error/mispeak. But the purpose is NOT to tell YOU that there is merit aid at this college, the purpose is to save some dignity.
Cupcake- get a grip here. If it creates confusion it’s only among people who believe half-truths and mis-truths rather than do their own homework.
Of course there is no point chasing something that isn’t there. But we aren’t talking about some huge and complex research project here- colleges that only give need based aid are absolutely transparent and upfront about that. Literally- a thirty second google. Why would you encourage people with an outdated list if they can get accurate and current information with zero effort?