1.   But Connecticut College President Claire Gaudiani blasted merit aid as an academic abomination aimed at filling dorm rooms.

2.   Many more are using merit aid to increase the enrollment of blacks and Hispanic people.

3.   Meanwhile, colleges just below the elite level are trying to entice top-flight students by offering them limited merit aid.

4.   Preferential packaging is common, even among selective schools like Cornell University that do not offer merit aid.

5.   The final verdict on merit aid is not in, however.

6.   This approach is known as merit aid.