Run the net price calculator at Harvard. Is the result affordable? It doesn’t provide merit aid to undergraduates, but is very generous with need based aid.
The result will let you know roughly whether pursuing need based aid is worthwhile or if you need to seek out merit opportunities or schools with lower tuition.
Every school has a net price calculator, some include merit aid in their estimated net price, some do not. Regardless, running a school’s net price calculator and understanding whether or not merit is possible or how that would stack (or not stack) with any need based aid is an important part of building a college list.