What I am saying is that their aid is usually based on need. The definition of need can change with “special circumstances” such as health issues, loss of job and so on. If your need didn’t change, then I would say they offered more due to merit, but not in the formal sense, and it was stacked not subtracted.
This is pretty unusual. Maybe you have special talent. Ivies don’t usually try to convince people to come.
Sorry for the tangent.