They don’t.
I assumed you needed financial aid (scholarships based on your parents’ income, typically 125k and under) and didn’t realize your parents’EFC would be higher than 40k so you need merit.
Ivies etc. Dont offer merit scholarships. Like at HarveyMudd, all their students are the best of the best. They don’t need to reward some let alone “attract” them.
Yes if you ED and they don’t offer enough, you explain and don’t have to attend.