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<p>Let’s be a bit clearer. Merit money comes in two or three basic forms: </p>
<p>academic- in the forum of grades, test scores, maybe a National Honor Society type add on, or an essay/interview type institutional “biggie” (typically requires excellent stats & grades to be in that pool anyway).</p>
<p>talent- be it in music, art, dance at the conservatory/conservatory equivalent programs is a function of the quality of an audition or portfolio submission. </p>
<p>Just to avoid confusion, and as a service to future readers, let’s consider that descriptions used can be befuddling. Aid can be the sum of many parts, and many of the schools discussed here overlap in what constitutes merit aid. Straight conservatories typically dispense talent based aid only, academics have no or very little effect on award size. </p>
<p>For clarity, I’d like to again note that distinction.</p>