@sybbie719 No, UChicago does not distinguish between merit aid and need based aid in its ED agreement. No where in the ED agreement does it address this. While there is wording on its web site discussing the difference between need based aid and merit, the actual ED agreement, which is the binding contract between the parties, does not specifically address this distinction. So, one would have to interpret what the college means by “financial aid” or “applying for financial aid” from other parts of the college web-site, rather than from the actual ED agreement itself.
Why not make this clear in an ED agreement? It only takes one added sentence to do so. Again, while I understand the difference between merit aid and financial aid and do not disagree with the premise that one ought not apply ED if one seeks merit aid to make the ED choice affordable, I do not understand why this is not specifically addressed in the actual contract.
Also, technically, if a student applies for an ED college’s merit scholarship (in those instances where a separate merit application essay is required, for instance), is he/she not “applying” for financial aid? If financial aid includes both merit and need based, then to me, it is a no-brainer to address this in an ED agreement for clarity’s sake.