With respect to the schools we are targeting for merit, they are 2nd tier LACs that look like they are trying to up their stats and yield. Our kid has the stats/resume to be competitive for T20 schools, but we can’t afford them. After paying for my husband’s fancy T3 law degree only to have him work in public interest/govt (a goal shared by our kiddo), we have a strong opinion about the value of an undergrad even at the fanciest school. We want a debt free undergrad, so she can focus on being able to afford law school (and ideally we would like to help fund that if we don’t incur debt from undergrad), if at all possible.
There are schools that use bigger awards to increase their stats/rankings and a number of awards. We are much more interested in larger competitive scholarships than small merit awards. It is just a different financial aid strategy. Our large flagship state school has full-ride competitive merit scholarships targeting kids with high stats, rather than using those funds for smaller merit discounts for a larger number of students. My husband and I both had a full-ride undergrad because our state school was pursuing that strategy by courting NMFs which increased it’s ranking so much in the last 20 years, that is no longer an option.
We will have several financial safeties (state school, florida schools that offer full-rides to nmf), but while those are great choices, our kid is a LAC kid at heart. We are hoping to find the right fit LAC that wants her…a lot.