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<p>Obviously, you know your own situation better than anybody here. I do, however, believe that you are in a situation in which the school is NOT using any federal aid. In such a case, I believe that all your grants are merit aid (including that 9,000.) My understanding is that a school has the ability to offer grants that reduce the EFC … because the limitations of not exceeding the COA through Aid + EFC only applies when there is need based funding. </p>
<p>I know this is getting repetitive, but there are no reasons why merit aid cannot stack upon … more merit aid. The issue is when it is allowed to stack on top of need based aid.</p>
<p>PS Interestingly enough, some schools seem to find jobs for students that do not rely on work study funding. There seem to be quite a gray area regarding working for the school. My younger sister worked at the school, and it did NOT impact her financial aid package. The biggest surprise is that it was exempt from FICA, which I understand is only available for work study jobs. Also, the school did not count it as income on the FAFSA/CSS forms. They actually corrected the forms submitted by my sister. </p>
<p>Perhaps, there are more exceptions to the rules discussed here. :)</p>