If you’re a family that won’t qualify for need-based aid, it’s time to start looking for colleges with the best merit scholarships. Colleges give this merit aid based on academic performance and sometimes on special talents like sports and music. This article lists the top merit aid colleges and explains how to find ones that best fit your situation.
What Colleges Give the Most Merit Aid or Merit Scholarships?
We used our Road2College Insights tool to find colleges with merit scholarships and ranked them by the amount of merit aid they gave to freshmen who did not have any financial need (as determined by the college).
Road2College Insights has a lot of data on merit awards that can help you build a smart college list. The data in the two tables below comes from the Common Data Set, which Insights breaks down for users. The tool also provides our crowdsourcing of actual financial aid offers.
Do Colleges Automatically Consider You for Merit Scholarships?
Yes, many colleges automatically consider students for merit scholarships when they apply through the Common App or directly. Examples include the University of Alabama, Baylor University, the University of South Florida, Texas Tech, and the University of Iowa.
Top 30 Colleges That Award the Largest Merit Scholarships
| Name | % Freshmen w/out Need Receiving Merit Aid (2023-24) | Avg Merit Aid for Freshmen w/out Need (2023-24) |
|---|---|---|
| Duke University | 2% | $85,600 |
| Washington and Lee University | 9% | $59,826 |
| Webb Institute | 100% | $57,830 |
| University of Richmond | 21% | $51,205 |
| Kalamazoo College | 100% | $48,583 |
| Boston University | 13% | $47,920 |
| Knox College | 100% | $47,083 |
| Lawrence University | 100% | $47,083 |
| Bennington College | 98% | $45,451 |
| Tufts University | 6% | $45,237 |
| Beloit College | 100% | $44,777 |
| Albion College | 97% | $43,999 |
| Washington University, St. Louis | 4% | $42,765 |
| Susquehanna University | 97% | $42,758 |
| Davidson College | 8% | $41,262 |
| Coe College | 98% | $41,159 |
| Juniata College | 100% | $40,048 |
| DePauw University | 97% | $39,482 |
| The College of Wooster | 100% | $39,386 |
| Goucher College | 95% | $39,240 |
| Washington College | 100% | $38,872 |
| Clarkson University | 99% | $38,830 |
| Emory University | 9% | $38,751 |
| Gettysburg College | 63% | $38,359 |
| Jacksonville University | 44% | $37,646 |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | 82% | $37,449 |
| Agnes Scott College | 100% | $37,277 |
| Whitworth University | 96% | $36,910 |
| Ripon College | 100% | $36,484 |
| Augustana College | 100% | $36,438 |
| Bard College | 10% | $40,474 |
R2C Insights can help you discover schools that are generous with merit scholarships and 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. Create a free trial R2C Insights account here.
For the second chart, we selected colleges giving the most merit scholarships to at least half of freshmen without financial need. Also, keep in mind that much of this aid is renewable in subsequent years.
Top 30 Colleges for Merit Aid to at Least 50% of Freshman Without Need
Name State SAT 75th Percentile (2023-24) ACT 75th Percentile (2023-24) % Freshmen w/out Need Receiving Merit Aid (2023-24) Avg Merit Aid for Freshmen w/out Need (2023-24)
Kalamazoo College MI 1370 32 100% $48,583
Knox College IL 1420 32 100% $47,083
Lawrence University WI 1420 31 100% $47,083
Bennington College VT 1375 32 98% $45,451
Beloit College WI 1380 31 100% $44,777
Albion College MI NA NA 97% $43,999
Susquehanna University PA 1270 31 97% $42,758
Coe College IA 1260 28 98% $41,159
Juniata College PA 1290 29 100% $40,048
DePauw University IN 1350 31 97% $39,482
The College of Wooster OH 1420 33 100% $39,386
Goucher College MD 1340 30 95% $39,240
Washington College MD 1340 31 100% $38,872
Clarkson University NY 1370 31 99% $38,830
Gettysburg College PA 1440 32 63% $38,359
Ohio Wesleyan University OH NA NA 82% $37,449
Agnes Scott College GA 1340 31 100% $37,277
Whitworth University WA 1350 27 96% $36,910
Ripon College WI NA NA 97% $30,216
Augustana College IL 1260 29 100% $36,438
Ursinus College PA 1390 32 97% $36,273
Earlham College IN 1285 33 100% $36,114
Wheaton College (MA) MA 1300 30 95% $36,088
Hood College MD NA NA 61% $36,017
Wabash College IN 1268 28 100% $35,584
Oglethorpe University MD 1310 31 100% $35,568
Austin College TX 1300 29 100% $35,546
St. Lawrence University NY 1385 33 92% $35,305
Luther College IA 1260 29 100% $335,264
Cornell College IA 1280 30 97% $34,857
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Other Articles You Might Like:
Colleges Offering Merit to 95%+ of Students Without Need
How to Get Merit Scholarships: Complete Guide and Search Tool
What Exactly Is ‘Good Merit’ and How Do I Keep It Once I’ve Got It?
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