<p>Rather than looking at how much merit money she might get, you should look at what the net price of the schools are. For example:
School A has a COA of $55,000 and gives your daughter a $15,000 scholarship. Your net cost is $35,000 (not including whatever need-based aid you might get).
School B has a COA of $30,000 and gives your daughter a $10,000 scholarship. Your net price is $20,000.</p>
<p>In that case, School B may be the better choice, even if the scholarship isn’t as high.
In the end you will need to look at what you can afford to spend.</p>