<p>In the “Schools known for good merit aid” thread, responsive the OP’s request for a no merit list, someone shared this tool–the Kiplinger “Best Values” lists of LACs and private universities. You can customize your sort by non-need based aid to produce the desired no merit list. OP, have you tried it yet? [Best</a> Values in Private Colleges, 2011-12](<a href=“Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts”>Kiplinger | Personal Finance News, Investing Advice, Business Forecasts) </p>
<p>There will never be a static list of good or bad merit schools because schools change their policies! [ul][<em>]Schools that previously offered good merit decide to quit, usually in favor of boosting their FA. Sometimes, the motivation is purely philosophical; other times, such as in recent years, the economy is a compelling factor (as students financial needs grow yet college investment and development funds slump).[</em>]Schools that previously offered bad merit may start dangling merit to attract students with top stats. As emeraldkity4 explained above, these emerging schools hope to use their students high academic profiles to boost their rankings and otherwise further institutional goals.[/ul]
Because the status of merit is so dynamic, I think it is preferable to keep CC discussion in one place to reliably capture all of the communitys knowledge and good advice and, importantly, prevent incomplete, inconsistent and even inaccurate reporting over two threads. The tip on the handy Kiplinger tool is a perfect exampleif I hadnt brought it to this thread, it wouldnt be a part of the knowledge base in the no merit discussion. </p>
<p>Besides, no one has articulated a compelling rationale for maintaining a separate no merit list. Convenience of not having to look at individual college websites is not a good reason, nor is avoiding discussion that may be irrelevant to you (although if I was seeking 100% merit, learning a school otherwise of interest is offering combined merit+FA awards would be a valuable tip–I’d want to investigate how much pure merit is extended, without regard to need, before investing any time or money chasing the merit at that school).</p>