How should I compare Duke and WashU merit aid offers?

Treat Duke as the school where you should plan around need-based aid unless you win an exceptionally selective scholarship, and treat WashU as the school where a substantial merit award may be more central to the affordability calculation. Duke does award major merit scholarships, including programs such as Robertson Scholars, but they are limited and highly competitive.

Compare official financial-aid offers by net cost over all four years, not by the scholarship headline. Start with each school’s published cost of attendance, subtract grants and scholarships that do not need repayment, then separate any loans, work-study, parent borrowing assumptions, and one-time grants. A $30,000 annual award at one school can be less valuable than a $20,000 award at the other if the first school’s starting cost is meaningfully higher.

Read every renewal condition. Also ask how outside scholarships affect institutional aid, since schools may reduce loans, work-study, need-based grants, or merit aid in different orders.

Keep merit and need-based aid distinct. If family circumstances change, each financial-aid office may reassess need-based assistance, while a renewable merit scholarship is typically more predictable. For an accurate comparison, use the same family financial information in both net-price calculators, save each written offer, and compare the four-year guaranteed grant total alongside any expected family contribution.