If you knew that an applicant had a Full Ride Merit Scholarship to a good degree program, it would "mean less" to you?
Can you explain that a little bit better?
One applicant getting a full ride merit scholarship (or a small group of them) based on their own achievements is not going to devalue a degree. Giving everyone in your society a full ride scholarship based on nothing but their existence absolutely will. Abundance is inversely related to value
When someone declares bankruptcy, does money just appear?
Those things do hurt all of us. Costs go up. Insurance costs more. Interest rates go up. Taxes go up (if the program was federally backed.)
I am advocating for merit scholarships. Full ride. For a huge swath of people who demonstrate a reasonable level of merit.
I'm not handing money to someone who flunks all their classes.