<p>As someone noted above, Rice has over 20% National Merit Finalists in each incoming class. All of these students presumably receive the $1000 per year merit aid that goes with this honor. Saying that 20% of Rice students receive merit aid may just refer to this fact.</p>
<p>The significant sources of purely merit aid are the Engineering Scholarships ($5000 to full tuition) and the Trustee’s Distinguished Scholarship (in the $18-25K/year range). The precise number of these awarded each year is more of a mystery. Anyone know the figure?</p>