I doubt that most schools are giving merit aid to top students out of the goodness of their hearts. Many are doing it to improve their statistics, bring higher achieving students onto campus, increase diversity, and fill their seats with students who would/could not pay full price but will attend with a discount. Schools have good reasons to award merit aid. Why do you think that the neediest students are more deserving of an education than their middle class counterparts? Few middle class, or even lower upper class, families can afford $60,000 a year for college, and that’s what many colleges charge. I think there’s a place, and a need, for both types of aid.