<p>I don’t really understand the difference between grant and merit. Is grant based on income and merit on achievement?</p>
<p>Grants are “need based”…based on income/assets.</p>
<p>Merit scholarships are based on achievement, but a few schools will also consider need when awarding merit. </p>
<p>The word “scholarship” should mean “merit”, but sometimes the word get used for grants. </p>
<p>It’s a good thing that your son doesn’t have a dream school. The whole “dream school” scenario can just “muck things up,” causing people not to consider more realistic choices and even causing people to ignore issues with the “dream school” that will become a nightmare.</p>