[_hark]

There aren't merit-based scholarships to any Ivy League schools, they all offer need-based financial aid packages.

[danlitt]

Do they have enough money available to fund everyone who can't afford to come, or do they have to decide who to fund from a wider pool of otherwise good applicants?

[WaltPurvis]

MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and I believe most or all of the other Ivies, all fund 100% of the demonstrated financial need of every student, and they do not consider the financial needs of applicants when making admission decisions.