If you’re a family that won’t qualify for need-based aid, it’s time to start looking for merit scholarships.
What Are Merit Scholarships?
Merit-based aid is money colleges award that is not based on any financial need.
These scholarships are usually awarded based on academic performance and sometimes based on special talents in athletics, sports, the arts, and more.
[What’s The Difference Between Need and Merit-Based Financial Aid]
If a school determines your family does not have a financial need (even though you may not agree), your student can still be awarded merit aid.
Not all colleges award merit aid, so it’s important to know which schools do award merit-based scholarships to a large percentage of their freshmen class.
[Review Strategies For Getting Niche And Local Scholarships]
Using Data to Find Merit Scholarships
We used our database of colleges and ranked them by the percentage of students without financial need who received merit-based scholarships.
Our data is based on the latest IPEDs data and publicly available Common Data Set files that colleges publish on their websites.
Data on merit scholarships primarily comes from information in a college’s Common Data Set.
Unfortunately, not all colleges make this information public, so our college list may not be completely inclusive of all the appropriate schools.
But for the purpose of giving a glimpse into the colleges that award merit scholarships to the greatest percentage of students, this is a good start.
In addition to looking at what percent of students without need receive merit aid, average size of merit aid, and total price is also included.
It’s important to remember that just because a college offers merit aid to a large percentage of freshmen, doesn’t mean the amount they offer is significant enough compared to the total cost of the college.
In addition, it’s important to consider graduation rates. Most schools only offer merit aid for four years, so graduating in five years or longer can add significant expense.
[Check out How To Use Data To Find Merit Scholarships]
Colleges Offering Merit Aid to 95%+ of Students Without Financial Need
| Name | State | % Freshmen W/out Need Receiving Merit Aid | Avg Merit Award | Cost of Attendance ('22-'23) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit College | WI | 99 | $41,660 | $67,172 |
| Albion College | MI | 100 | $39,697 | $67,796 |
| Susquehanna University | PA | 98 | $36,317 | $70,600 |
| Kalamazoo College | MI | 96 | $36,009 | $68,166 |
| Clarkson University | NY | 100 | $35,794 | $76,666 |
| Washington & Jefferson College | PA | 100 | $34,857 | $45,515 |
| The College of Wooster | OH | 98 | $33,902 | $73,550 |
| Washington College | MD | 100 | $33,834 | $67,960 |
| Ursinus College | PA | 97 | $33,247 | $74,240 |
| Coe College | IA | 98 | $33,182 | $63,562 |
| Simpson College | IA | 100 | $32,534 | $55,394 |
| Lebannon Valley College | PA | 98 | $32,257 | $60,460 |
| Centre College | KY | 98 | $32,217 | $60,370 |
| St. Catherine University | MN | 96 | $32,101 | $58,764 |
| Wabash College | IN | 100 | $31,853 | $61,500 |
| Lawrence University | WI | 99 | $31,503 | $66,987 |
| Widener University | PA | 97 | $31,300 | $68,148 |
| Agnes Scott College | GA | 100 | $31,127 | $61,195 |
| Cornell College | IA | 99 | $30,950 | $61,168 |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | OH | 99 | $30,854 | $69,443 |
Data is from the 2022-2023 Common Data Sets. Percentages that are over 100% may come from mistakes in information that is self-reported by colleges.
Looking for Generous Colleges for YOUR Student?
We have shared the top 20 colleges offering the most generous merit aid. However, there are over 340 colleges and universities offering 95% or more of their students without financial need merit aid. If you’re looking for colleges that will be generous to YOUR student, we recommend you check out our R2C Insights tool and sign up for a free account.
It will provide you with a list of schools that will be most generous with their money based on your child’s stats and preferences.
All the information is in one place, so you don’t have to hop from college website to college website in order to find what you’re looking for.
Top 60 Colleges for 2024-25 Freshman Merit Aid
This crowdsourced data shows which colleges have offered the most merit aid to members of Road2College so far for the 2024-25 academic year. Much of this aid is repeatable in subsequent years, though we show only the freshman year totals. These 60 schools represent almost half of the merit aid offered to our members.| College | College Total to Our Members | # of Offers to Our Members | Avg Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordham University | $2,040,367 | 65 | $31,390 |
| Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute | $1,999,550 | 53 | $37,727 |
| University of Alabama | $1,628,336 | 70 | $23,262 |
| University of Vermont | $1,594,500 | 79 | $20,184 |
| Rochester Insitute of Technology | $1,537,950 | 64 | $24,030 |
| Susquehanna University | $1,499,500 | 35 | $42,843 |
| Case Western Reserve | $1,466,500 | 44 | $33,330 |
| Quinnipiac University | $1,411,748 | 48 | $29,411 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $1,389,499 | 52 | $26,721 |
| Miami University-Oxford | $1,363,000 | 74 | $18,419 |
| Drexel University | $1,354,900 | 54 | $25,091 |
| University of Arizona | $1,304,00 | 55 | $23,709 |
| Wheaton College | $1,287,400 | 32 | $40,231 |
| University of Scranton | $1,271,568 | 43 | $29,571 |
| Seton Hall University | $1,198,400 | 48 | $24,967 |
| Worcester Polytechnic University | $1,174,070 | 46 | $25,523 |
| Loyola University Maryland | $1,167,000 | 34 | $34,324 |
| Dickinson College | $1,163,980 | 29 | $40,137 |
| Hofstra University | $1,157,500 | 38 | $30,461 |
| Ithaca College | $1,122,800 | 39 | $28,790 |
| Fairfield University | $1,111,650 | 44 | $25,265 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | $1,093,235 | 62 | $17.633 |
| Clark University | $1,049,000 | 37 | $28,351 |
| University of Hartford | $989,000 | 33 | $29,970 |
| Marquette University | $946,000 | 34 | $27,824 |
| DePaul University | $917,000 | 38 | $24,132 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | $915,830 | 31 | $29,543 |
| University of Dayton | $870,150 | 31 | $28,069 |
| University of Denver | $839,000 | 27 | $31,074 |
| Muhlenberg College | $829,500 | 28 | $29,625 |
| Duquesne University | $816,509 | 31 | $26,339 |
| Saint Joseph's University | $812,000 | 28 | $29,000 |
| Michigan State University | $739,750 | 47 | $15,739 |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | $726,500 | 25 | $29,060 |
| Saint Louis University | $724,000 | 19 | $38,105 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | $719,500 | 28 | $25,696 |
| Stonehill College | $711,000 | 19 | $37,421 |
| College of Wooster | $700,000 | 17 | $41,176 |
| Gettysburg College | $697,480 | 17 | $41,028 |
| Xavier University | $670,682 | 23 | $29,160 |
| University of Connecticut | $667,500 | 42 | $15,893 |
| University of Delaware | $666,300 | 59 | $11,293 |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst | $650,928 | 51 | $12,703 |
| Marist College | $646,500 | 32 | $20,203 |
| University of Missouri-Columbia | $646,200 | 37 | $17,465 |
| Syracuse University | $638,691 | 34 | $18,785 |
| Merrimack College | $618,000 | 20 | $30,900 |
| Lewis & Clark College | $608,000 | 19 | $32,000 |
| Willamette University | $596,000 | 18 | $33,111 |
| Ursinus College | $592,080 | 17 | $34,828 |
| Trinity University | $578,500 | 21 | $27,548 |
| Franklin and Marshall College | $573,275 | 21 | $27,299 |
| Western New England University | $564,622 | 17 | $33,213 |
| Oberlin College | $558,000 | 20 | $27,900 |
| American University | $552,400 | 31 | $17,819 |
| Chapman University | $550,000 | 20 | $27,500 |
| Tulane University | $532,724 | 22 | $24,215 |
| Baylor University | $531,000 | 27 | $19,667 |
| Rhodes College | $531,000 | 17 | $31,325 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | $514,712 | 59 | $8,724 |
Top 20 Colleges for Merit Aid With SAI Under $30,000
This crowdsourced data shows which colleges have offered the most merit aid to Road2College members so far with an SAI under $30,000. It is for the 2024-25 academic year, and much of it is repeatable in subsequent years.| College | Merit Aid Offers to Members Under $30K SAI | # of Offers | Avg Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna University | $508,500 | 12 | $42,375 |
| University of Arizona | $418,500 | 18 | $23,250 |
| University of Scranton | $404,000 | 14 | $28,857 |
| University of Alabama | $394,986 | 17 | $23,234 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $392,500 | 11 | $35,682 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $369,800 | 14 | $26,414 |
| Wheaton College | $368,400 | 10 | $36,840 |
| University of Vermont | $334,000 | 18 | $18,556 |
| Miami University-Oxford | $330,000 | 21 | $15,714 |
| Ithaca College | $328,300 | 12 | $27,358 |
| University of Dayton | $327,150 | 11 | $29,741 |
| Quinnipiac University | $325,248 | 11 | $29,568 |
| Stonehill College | $324,000 | 9 | $36,000 |
| Hofstra University | $301,500 | 9 | $33,500 |
| Xavier University | $268,682 | 9 | $29,854 |
| University of Hartford | $259,000 | 9 | $28,778 |
| DePaul University | $252,000 | 10 | $25,200 |
| Seton Hall University | $243,500 | 11 | $22,136 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $242,000 | 9 | $26,889 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | $238,000 | 9 | $26,444 |
Top 20 Colleges for Merit Aid With SAI From $30,000-$60,000
This crowdsourced data shows which colleges have offered the most merit aid to Road2College members so far with an SAI from $30,000 to $60,000 It is for the 2024-25 academic year, and much of it is repeatable in subsequent years.| College | Merit Aid Offers to Members From $30K-60K SAI | # of Offers | Avg Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna University | $649,000 | 15 | $43,267 |
| Fordham University | $528,835 | 19 | $27,833 |
| Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute | $522,000 | 14 | $37,286 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $480,999 | 19 | $25,316 |
| Case Western Reserve University | $460,000 | 13 | $35,386 |
| University of Arizona | $446,000 | 18 | $24,778 |
| University of Alabama | $443,525 | 21 | $21,120 |
| Loyola University Maryland | $435,500 | 13 | $33,500 |
| Seton Hall University | $434,500 | 17 | $25,550 |
| Miami University-Oxford | $431,000 | 22 | $19,591 |
| University of Hartford | $429,000 | 14 | $30,643 |
| Saint Joseph's University | $422,000 | 14 | $30,143 |
| Drexel University | $394,100 | 13 | $30,315 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | $387,006 | 23 | $16,826 |
| Quinnipiac University | $387,000 | 13 | $29,769 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $386,500 | 18 | $21,472 |
| DePaul University | $369,000 | 16 | $24,600 |
| University of Scranton | $358,534 | 12 | $29,878 |
| Ursinus College | $339,580 | 10 | $33,958 |
| Hofstra University | $325,500 | 8 | $40,688 |
Top 20 Colleges for Merit Aid With SAI Above $60,000
This crowdsourced data shows which colleges have offered the most merit aid to Road2College members so far with an SAI over $60,000. It is for the 2024-25 academic year, and much of it is repeatable in subsequent years.| College | Merit Aid Offers to Members Above $60K SAI | # of Offers | Avg Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordham University | $1,138,032 | 41 | $32,147 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $1,085,050 | 29 | $37,416 |
| University of Vermont | $959,500 | 45 | $21,322 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | $781,650 | 32 | $24,427 |
| Case Western Reserve University | $772,500 | 24 | $32,188 |
| University of Alabama | $765,825 | 32 | $23,932 |
| Drexel University | $727,000 | 31 | $23,462 |
| Fairfield University | $723,500 | 30 | $24,117 |
| Clark University | $701,500 | 24 | $29,229 |
| Quinnipiac University | $699,500 | 24 | $29,146 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $686,500 | 26 | $26,404 |
| Wheaton College | $681,000 | 16 | $42,463 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $666,500 | 23 | $28,978 |
| Dickinson College | $627,220 | 15 | $41,815 |
| Miami University-Oxford | $602,000 | 32 | $18,813 |
| Seton Hall University | $544,400 | 20 | $27,220 |
| Ithaca College | $543,500 | 19 | $28,605 |
| Loyola University Maryland | $542,500 | 16 | $33,906 |
| Hofstra University | $530,500 | 15 | $35,367 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia | $501,529 | 28 | $17,912 |
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Use our R2C Insights Tool to help find merit aid and schools that fit the criteria most important to your student. You’ll not only save precious time, but your student will avoid the heartache of applying to schools they aren’t likely to get into or can’t afford to attend.
Other Articles You Might Like:
How My Daughter Got $53,000 a Year in Merit and Financial Aid Plus More in Private Scholarships
Our Full Tuition Scholarship Journey
A Family’s Journey to Find an Affordable College
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