That’s because all of those schools have such huge endowments that their financial aid programs are insanely generous. They can afford to waive tuition entirely

That’s because all of those schools have such huge endowments that their financial aid programs are insanely generous. They can afford to waive tuition entirely for families making less than ~$150k/year, with a generous sliding scale for families making more. There’s simply no need for merit based scholarships because they are affordable to anyone who can get in. ~50% of people at those schools pay full price, so their financial aid is not just some token program. If you can get into an Ivy-tier school, it will almost certainly be more affordable than your local state school.