<p>Penn doesn’t have merit aid, although I think it may have some “merit packaging” of its need-based aid. Michigan has some and so, surprisingly, does McGill. (My kid’s bff chose McGill over Penn after she got just enough merit aid at McGill to make it an offer she couldn’t refuse. It worked out great for her, too. She loved McGill, loved Montreal, and will be a fully funded PhD student next year . . . at Penn.) I suspect oneheadlight will be a decent candidate for merit at either university, but you really can’t count on that – I don’t think they have enough to use it systematically the way some of the privates do.</p>
<p>I apologize for thinking the OP was a boy. I don’t know why, but I really got a male vibe off the first post (and I get tired of writing “he or she”). Advancing age and out-of-touchness leads to stuff like that.</p>