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Colleges Offering Merit Aid to 95%+ of Students Without Need

Colleges with best financial aid

Colleges Offering Merit Aid to 95%+ of Students Without Need

Published on March 13, 2024

Colleges with best financial aid

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

NameState% Freshmen W/out Need
Receiving Merit Aid
Avg Merit AwardCost of Attendance
('22-'23)
Beloit CollegeWI99$41,660$67,172
Albion CollegeMI100$39,697$67,796
Susquehanna UniversityPA98$36,317$70,600
Kalamazoo CollegeMI96$36,009$68,166
Clarkson UniversityNY100$35,794$76,666
Washington & Jefferson CollegePA100$34,857$45,515
The College of WoosterOH98$33,902$73,550
Washington CollegeMD100$33,834$67,960
Ursinus CollegePA97$33,247$74,240
Coe CollegeIA98$33,182$63,562
Simpson CollegeIA100$32,534$55,394
Lebannon Valley CollegePA98$32,257$60,460
Centre CollegeKY98$32,217$60,370
St. Catherine UniversityMN96$32,101$58,764
Wabash CollegeIN100$31,853$61,500
Lawrence UniversityWI99$31,503$66,987
Widener UniversityPA97$31,300$68,148
Agnes Scott CollegeGA100$31,127$61,195
Cornell CollegeIA99$30,950$61,168
Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOH99$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.
CollegeCollege Total
to Our Members
# of Offers to
Our Members
Avg Offer
Fordham University$2,040,36765$31,390
Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute$1,999,55053$37,727
University of Alabama$1,628,33670$23,262
University of Vermont$1,594,50079$20,184
Rochester Insitute of Technology$1,537,95064$24,030
Susquehanna University$1,499,50035$42,843
Case Western Reserve$1,466,50044$33,330
Quinnipiac University$1,411,74848$29,411
Loyola University Chicago$1,389,49952$26,721
Miami University-Oxford$1,363,00074$18,419
Drexel University$1,354,90054$25,091
University of Arizona$1,304,0055$23,709
Wheaton College$1,287,40032$40,231
University of Scranton$1,271,56843$29,571
Seton Hall University$1,198,40048$24,967
Worcester Polytechnic University$1,174,07046$25,523
Loyola University Maryland$1,167,00034$34,324
Dickinson College$1,163,98029$40,137
Hofstra University$1,157,50038$30,461
Ithaca College$1,122,80039$28,790
Fairfield University$1,111,65044$25,265
University of South Carolina-Columbia$1,093,23562$17.633
Clark University$1,049,00037$28,351
University of Hartford$989,00033$29,970
Marquette University$946,00034$27,824
DePaul University$917,00038$24,132
Stevens Institute of Technology$915,83031$29,543
University of Dayton$870,15031$28,069
University of Denver$839,00027$31,074
Muhlenberg College$829,50028$29,625
Duquesne University$816,50931$26,339
Saint Joseph's University$812,00028$29,000
Michigan State University$739,75047$15,739
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology $726,50025$29,060
Saint Louis University$724,00019$38,105
Wentworth Institute of Technology $719,50028$25,696
Stonehill College$711,00019$37,421
College of Wooster$700,00017$41,176
Gettysburg College$697,48017$41,028
Xavier University$670,68223$29,160
University of Connecticut$667,50042$15,893
University of Delaware$666,30059$11,293
University of Massachusetts-Amherst$650,92851$12,703
Marist College$646,50032$20,203
University of Missouri-Columbia$646,20037$17,465
Syracuse University$638,69134$18,785
Merrimack College$618,00020$30,900
Lewis & Clark College$608,00019$32,000
Willamette University$596,00018$33,111
Ursinus College$592,08017$34,828
Trinity University$578,50021$27,548
Franklin and Marshall College$573,27521$27,299
Western New England University$564,62217$33,213
Oberlin College$558,00020$27,900
American University$552,40031$17,819
Chapman University$550,00020$27,500
Tulane University$532,72422$24,215
Baylor University$531,00027$19,667
Rhodes College$531,00017$31,325
Indiana University-Bloomington$514,71259$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.
CollegeMerit Aid Offers to Members
Under $30K SAI
# of OffersAvg Offer
Susquehanna University$508,50012$42,375
University of Arizona$418,50018$23,250
University of Scranton$404,00014$28,857
University of Alabama$394,98617$23,234
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$392,50011$35,682
Rochester Institute of Technology$369,80014$26,414
Wheaton College$368,40010$36,840
University of Vermont$334,00018$18,556
Miami University-Oxford$330,00021$15,714
Ithaca College$328,30012$27,358
University of Dayton$327,15011$29,741
Quinnipiac University$325,24811$29,568
Stonehill College$324,0009$36,000
Hofstra University$301,5009$33,500
Xavier University$268,6829$29,854
University of Hartford$259,0009$28,778
DePaul University$252,00010$25,200
Seton Hall University$243,50011$22,136
Loyola University Chicago$242,0009$26,889
Stevens Institute of Technology$238,0009$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.
CollegeMerit Aid Offers to Members
From $30K-60K SAI
# of OffersAvg Offer
Susquehanna University$649,00015$43,267
Fordham University$528,83519$27,833
Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute$522,00014$37,286
Loyola University Chicago$480,99919$25,316
Case Western Reserve University$460,00013$35,386
University of Arizona$446,00018$24,778
University of Alabama$443,52521$21,120
Loyola University Maryland$435,50013$33,500
Seton Hall University$434,50017$25,550
Miami University-Oxford$431,00022$19,591
University of Hartford$429,00014$30,643
Saint Joseph's University$422,00014$30,143
Drexel University$394,10013$30,315
University of South Carolina-Columbia$387,00623$16,826
Quinnipiac University$387,00013$29,769
Rochester Institute of Technology$386,50018$21,472
DePaul University$369,00016$24,600
University of Scranton$358,53412$29,878
Ursinus College$339,58010$33,958
Hofstra University$325,5008$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.
CollegeMerit Aid Offers to Members
Above $60K SAI
# of OffersAvg Offer
Fordham University$1,138,03241$32,147
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$1,085,05029$37,416
University of Vermont$959,50045$21,322
Rochester Institute of Technology$781,65032$24,427
Case Western Reserve University$772,50024$32,188
University of Alabama$765,82532$23,932
Drexel University$727,00031$23,462
Fairfield University$723,50030$24,117
Clark University$701,50024$29,229
Quinnipiac University$699,50024$29,146
Worcester Polytechnic Institute$686,50026$26,404
Wheaton College$681,00016$42,463
Loyola University Chicago$666,50023$28,978
Dickinson College$627,22015$41,815
Miami University-Oxford$602,00032$18,813
Seton Hall University$544,40020$27,220
Ithaca College$543,50019$28,605
Loyola University Maryland$542,50016$33,906
Hofstra University$530,50015$35,367
University of South Carolina-Columbia$501,52928$17,912

_______

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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