Average Merit Aid

Merit aid is financial aid awarded to students on the basis of their academic or extracurricular accomplishments, rather than their financial need.

The following table indicates the percentage of incoming freshmen receiving merit aid at more than 300 of America’s selective colleges, as well as the average merit award received. We also included the average Cost of Attendance (COA), a figure that includes tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and personal expenses. For more information on how to position yourself to receive merit aid, visit our blog post on the subject.

*Data was collected from each institution’s 2021-22 Common Data Set, the most recent year for which such data is made available.

Table updated on November 2022

InstitutionCost of Attendance (In-State)Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State)% Received Merit (All Freshmen)% Received Merit (Freshmen w/o need)Average Award (Freshmen w/o need)
Adelphi University$64,246$64,24678%72%$24,808
Agnes Scott College$61,451$61,45139%100%$31,127
Alfred University$52,728$52,72885%30%$20,649
Allegheny College$69,450$69,45042%98%$35,299
American University$68,512$68,51248%46%$13,269
Amherst College$80,060$80,0600%0%$0
Appalachian State University$21,411$37,0185%5%$2,428
Arizona State University-Tempe$30,399$48,48937%74%$9,640
Auburn University$32,678$52,83837%47%$8,225
Austin College$57,967$57,96745%98%$29,983
Babson College$80,502$80,5026%5%$33,519
Bard College$77,928$77,9283%16%$40,474
Barnard College$80,693$80,6932%0%$0
Bates College$75,680$75,6800%0%$0
Baylor University$69,177$69,17791%90%$19,148
Belmont University$58,305$58,30539%78%$9,563
Beloit College$69,750$69,75060%100%$41,660
Bennington College$81,198$81,19833%98%$29,466
Bentley University$76,055$76,05536%53%$18,602
Berea College$54,396$54,3960%0%$0
Binghamton University$28,023$45,86318%13%$11,692
Boston College$80,968$80,9683%2%$22,279
Boston University$79,606$79,60613%8%$26,434
Bowdoin College$76,310$76,3102%4%$1,000
Bradley University$54,226$54,22643%100%$17,450
Brandeis University$80,338$80,33829%46%$15,554
Brown University$82,670$82,6700%0%$0
Bryant University$67,260$67,26048%93%$18,997
Bryn Mawr College$76,105$76,10541%54%$21,544
Bucknell University$77,740$77,74023%13%$19,473
Butler University$61,830$61,83052%88%$21,267
California Institute of Technology$79,947$79,9470%0%$0
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$29,920$36,05821%28%$1,325
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$28,182$40,06265%2%$174
California State University-Fresno$22,328$24,62527%19%$3,154
California State University-Fullerton$24,367$36,24725%32%$1,615
California State University-Long Beach$25,172$35,4682%3%$4,183
California State University-Los Angeles$28,001$39,8810%4%$2,219
Carleton College$78,265$78,2659%7%$2,000
Carnegie Mellon University$77,474$77,47415%2%$9,471
Case Western Reserve University$74,114$74,11460%92%$24,865
Centre College$60,700$60,70034%98%$32,217
Chapman University$80,096$80,09662%42%$22,897
Claremont McKenna College$76,017$76,01727%11%$14,403
Clark University$62,202$62,20251%91%$18,821
Clemson University$33,658$56,65045%38%$4,287
Coastal Carolina University$28,064$28,06457%83%$14,894
Colby College$79,165$79,1650%0%$0
Colgate University$80,160$80,1600%0%$0
College of Charleston$31,405$52,86564%63%$12,479
College of the Holy Cross$74,520$74,52016%17%$20,851
College of William and Mary$40,220$62,87517%4%$13,846
Colorado College$78,332$78,33212%16%$8,507
Colorado School of Mines$38,203$59,50397%95%$7,517
Colorado State University-Fort Collins$29,472$48,75452%55%$5,548
Columbia University in the City of New York$82,584$82,5840%0%$0
Connecticut College$77,575$77,57554%89%$24,817
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art$68,760$68,760100%100%$22,930
Cornell University$80,287$80,2870%0%$0
Creighton University$60,224$60,22458%96%$22,107
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College$33,660$33,66020%64%$657
CUNY Brooklyn College$31,755$39,70569%29%$3,169
CUNY Hunter College$31,826$43,4966%32%$2,189
Dartmouth College$81,887$81,8870%0%$0
Davidson College$73,540$73,54023%7%$35,549
Denison University$73,900$73,90052%100%$18,027
DePaul University$60,771$60,77134%93%$19,255
DePauw University$70,194$70,19460%114%$35,510
Dickinson College$77,212$77,21234%75%$21,941
Drew University$58,520$58,52038%88%$23,027
Drexel University$73,624$73,62437%97%$20,783
Duke University$80,774$80,7744%2%$78,610
Duquesne University$61,270$61,270100%99%$18,335
Earlham College$65,341$65,34148%100%$21,742
East Carolina University$23,157$39,43425%31%$3,481
Eckerd College$67,082$67,08254%13%$18,461
Elon University$55,647$55,64754%49%$6,767
Emerson College$70,908$70,90844%62%$14,600
Emory University$73,020$73,02018%8%$22,408
Fairfield University$71,860$71,86091%91%$19,474
Florida Atlantic University$25,979$41,53524%21%$1,822
Florida Gulf Coast University$20,890$20,89033%9%$4,514
Florida Institute of Technology$58,446$58,44641%91%$16,431
Florida International University$23,998$36,396102%175%$2,529
Florida Southern College$55,100$55,10071%100%$25,999
Florida State University$24,337$39,50319%18%$3,500
Fordham University$80,204$80,20433%68%$20,142
Franklin and Marshall College$80,536$80,5360%0%$0
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering$76,368$76,368100%100%$27,912
Furman University$70,846$70,84664%90%$26,412
George Mason University$30,666$54,12653%58%$6,680
George Washington University$77,351$77,35159%54%$22,853
Georgetown University$82,505$82,5050%0%$0
Georgia College & State University$28,261$47,44144%3%$2,685
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$31,898$53,01035%12%$5,641
Georgia State University$26,678$45,71669%0%Not Reported
Gettysburg College$78,040$78,04079%88%$20,321
Gonzaga University$66,661$66,661100%99%$20,989
Grinnell College$75,698$75,69838%74%$18,688
Gustavus Adolphus College$62,490$62,49049%113%$29,130
Hamilton College$77,200$77,2000%0%$0
Harvard University$82,178$82,1780%0%$0
Harvey Mudd College$82,236$82,23640%32%$13,794
Haverford College$78,240$78,2400%0%$0
Hendrix College$50,550$50,55060%98%$25,771
High Point University$55,658$55,65880%74%$10,305
Hobart William Smith Colleges$77,945$77,94535%81%$28,631
Hofstra University$75,808$75,80843%87%$25,310
Illinois College$45,565$45,56524%79%$19,767
Illinois Institute of Technology$71,616$71,61637%97%$30,031
Illinois Wesleyan University$67,124$67,12448%97%$30,636
Indiana University-Bloomington$26,187$52,56736%52%$7,820
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis$24,070$45,75229%60%$5,062
Iowa State University$22,152$37,96467%89%$5,183
Ithaca College$65,527$65,52759%100%$19,045
James Madison University$30,988$30,9889%6%$7,345
Johns Hopkins University$76,790$76,79010%6%$39,328
Juniata College$69,636$69,63637%20%$28,942
Kalamazoo College$68,030$68,03042%97%$32,970
Kansas State University$27,936$27,93674%56%$4,097
Kenyon College$78,219$78,21963%62%$17,142
Lafayette College$75,134$75,13429%29%$20,740
Lake Forest College$66,400$66,40019%96%$31,278
Lawrence University$67,899$67,89954%99%$31,503
Lehigh University$74,865$74,86526%10%$16,367
Lewis & Clark College$71,242$71,24244%97%$26,699
Linfield College-McMinnville Campus$62,182$62,18293%74%$22,928
Loyola Marymount University$73,629$73,62971%100%$11,616
Loyola University Chicago$65,928$65,92852%97%$21,493
Loyola University Maryland$70,900$70,90091%83%$22,895
Macalester College$76,587$76,58731%67%$19,055
Manhattan College$68,420$68,42096%25%$13,588
Marist College$64,750$64,75049%90%$16,590
Marquette University$63,022$63,02245%97%$19,611
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts$30,362$30,362100%100%$3,105
Massachusetts Institute of Technology$77,020$77,0200%0%$0
Miami University-Oxford$35,162$55,58859%82%$12,845
Michigan State University$29,628$55,44033%21%$8,478
Michigan Technological University$33,384$33,38495%93%$8,277
Middlebury College$82,460$82,4600%0%$5,000
Milwaukee School of Engineering$58,735$58,73542%99%$21,696
Mississippi State University$26,662$42,34229%56%$5,631
Morehouse College$32,768$32,7680%2%$10,680
Mount Holyoke College$75,316$75,31623%44%$21,299
Muhlenberg College$74,595$74,59530%50%$24,355
New College of Florida$23,248$23,24858%97%$3,223
New Jersey Institute of Technology$39,294$55,31230%74%$14,023
New York Institute of Technology$64,109$64,10995%91%$20,794
New York University$83,608$83,6085%5%$20,612
North Carolina State University at Raleigh$24,945$45,73019%9%$6,155
Northeastern University$78,202$78,20256%61%$18,639
Northern Arizona University$29,998$29,99893%89%$7,900
Northwestern University$83,994$83,9940%0%$0
Oberlin College$79,527$79,52798%100%$21,288
Occidental College$77,166$77,16654%44%$13,045
Ohio State University-Main Campus$29,368$52,45128%46%$6,753
Ohio University-Main Campus$28,616$38,58619%19%$6,365
Ohio Wesleyan University$63,360$63,36040%97%$30,854
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus$32,327$47,84739%77%$7,696
Oregon State University$30,302$50,40245%65%$7,776
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$38,270$55,84830%10%$5,782
Pepperdine University$80,152$80,15226%76%$17,200
Pitzer College$80,558$80,5584%4%$6,525
Pomona College$82,196$82,1961%1%$5,000
Princeton University$78,390$78,3900%0%$0
Providence College$74,550$74,55018%30%$19,666
Purdue University-Main Campus$23,062$41,86423%16%$5,860
Quinnipiac University$69,010$69,01028%0%$23,874
Ramapo College of New Jersey$34,216$43,95927%27%$12,473
Reed College$82,320$82,3200%0%$0
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$77,763$77,76342%71%$26,168
Rhodes College$68,715$68,71564%72%$27,640
Rice University$72,045$72,0457%8%$17,455
Rochester Institute of Technology$68,596$68,59633%96%$17,264
Rollins College$73,330$73,33046%80%$25,414
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology$70,251$70,25173%100%$24,155
Rutgers University-New Brunswick$35,049$52,25015%9%$8,251
Saint Johns University$64,334$64,33495%87%$26,367
Saint Mary's College of California$70,868$70,868100%98%$24,882
San Diego State University$31,484$43,36418%5%$3,515
San Francisco State University$32,213$44,09311%9%$1,318
San Jose State University$29,381$38,8852%1%$2,516
Santa Clara University$76,497$76,49753%54%$15,628
Sarah Lawrence College$77,328$77,32833%28%$23,064
Scripps College$79,740$79,74012%23%$20,760
Seattle University$67,170$67,17083%58%$23,867
Seton Hall University$66,716$66,716Not ReportedNot ReportedNot Reported
Skidmore College$79,100$79,1002%1%$15,000
Smith College$78,404$78,40411%21%$19,799
Soka University of America$53,012$53,01294%80%$8,916
Southern Methodist University$81,074$81,07449%61%$28,950
Southwestern University$62,260$62,26097%99%$26,609
Spelman College$54,342$54,3424%7%$15,698
St John's University-New York$66,933$66,933100%99%$24,876
St Lawrence University$79,415$79,41546%72%$26,537
St Olaf College$67,080$67,08054%22%$20,783
St. John's College$50,835$50,83537%84%$13,424
St. John's College$52,088$52,08849%79%$12,013
St. Mary's College of Maryland$31,363$47,43985%86%$5,316
Stanford University$78,218$78,2180%0%$0
Stetson University$69,810$69,81039%69%$25,244
Stevens Institute of Technology$75,770$75,77044%93%$22,265
Stonehill College$69,639$69,63958%98%$21,379
Stony Brook University$29,384$47,30421%41%$5,030
SUNY at Albany$27,696$45,53627%76%$4,685
SUNY at Purchase College$28,021$37,93124%43%$2,434
SUNY College at Geneseo$27,243$27,24347%24%$1,388
SUNY College at Oswego$28,721$38,63140%68%$2,673
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry$29,523$41,30354%59%$3,387
SUNY Oneonta$28,382$38,29233%5%$3,168
Susquehanna University$70,100$70,10038%98%$36,317
Swarthmore College$80,284$80,2841%2%$54,256
Syracuse University$77,896$77,89634%47%$14,593
Temple University$32,282$45,50664%52%$7,205
Texas A & M University-College Station$28,078$54,98718%23%$5,016
Texas Christian University$71,828$71,82883%76%$19,405
Texas Tech University$27,782$40,02232%57%$4,322
The College of New Jersey$34,881$46,85944%35%$4,239
The College of Wooster$69,600$69,60051%94%$33,902
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville$25,394$43,58432%64%$6,657
The University of Texas at Austin$29,484$58,06839%7%$1,534
The University of Texas at Dallas$31,696$56,90827%44%$12,435
The University of the South$66,480$66,48052%89%$22,527
Trinity College$79,870$79,8703%2%$58,374
Trinity University$63,684$63,68473%48%$25,382
Truman State University$22,802$30,523Not Reported48%$6,750
Tufts University$81,700$81,7003%2%$1,730
Tulane University of Louisiana$80,192$80,19243%48%$16,390
Union College$78,957$78,95733%82%$20,039
University at Buffalo$30,168$48,08829%23%$4,050
University of Alabama at Birmingham$42,462$57,25280%84%$10,079
University of Arizona$32,067$56,56752%87%$12,252
University of Arkansas$26,978$43,79426%35%$4,607
University of California-Berkeley$41,678$71,4324%6%$4,484
University of California-Davis$37,603$67,3576%9%$5,320
University of California-Irvine$34,504$64,2585%8%$8,127
University of California-Los Angeles$40,360$40,3604%5%$7,632
University of California-Merced$38,422$68,1762%5%$14,132
University of California-Riverside$37,722$67,4763%7%$6,301
University of California-San Diego$34,110$63,8646%7%$10,236
University of California-Santa Barbara$37,390$67,1443%4%$9,312
University of California-Santa Cruz$37,968$67,7228%16%$8,520
University of Central Florida$24,047$40,14764%41%$2,612
University of Chicago$82,848$82,848Not ReportedNot ReportedNot Reported
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus$30,928$46,26233%58%$6,037
University of Colorado Boulder$32,350$58,16843%64%$9,333
University of Connecticut$35,764$58,43241%37%$10,711
University of Dayton$63,510$63,51032%100%$22,665
University of Delaware$32,201$54,06130%55%$10,542
University of Denver$73,514$73,51461%91%$20,559
University of Florida$23,560$45,83841%8%$4,429
University of Georgia$27,946$46,98613%5%$3,878
University of Houston$27,248$42,4889%19%$4,318
University of Illinois at Chicago$27,647$41,99717%24%$5,378
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign$33,060$50,51038%26%$6,345
University of Iowa$25,978$47,94136%57%$6,901
University of Kentucky$31,940$50,93882%64%$9,408
University of Louisville$23,134$39,48031%64%$8,295
University of Maine$24,560$46,16043%95%$9,569
University of Mary Washington$28,548$44,97485%85%$4,000
University of Maryland-Baltimore County$29,982$46,17257%75%$6,785
University of Maryland-College Park$27,775$55,45827%36%$7,017
University of Massachusetts-Amherst$33,056$53,58140%64%$6,943
University of Massachusetts-Boston$34,836$55,29815%55%$7,300
University of Miami$75,240$75,24072%47%$23,386
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$32,484$69,63339%21%$4,480
University of Minnesota-Morris$25,412$27,50428%61%$4,396
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities$31,252$49,84220%30%$6,286
University of Mississippi$26,946$44,95841%62%$11,545
University of Missouri-Columbia$27,602$45,66540%70%$8,733
University of Nebraska-Lincoln$26,472$43,60234%64%$6,941
University of Nevada-Las Vegas$27,564$43,65587%53%$3,466
University of Nevada-Reno$26,796$42,88863%47%$3,685
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus$34,978$53,21837%73%$6,973
University of New Mexico-Main Campus$24,334$41,3881%0%Not Reported
University of North Carolina at Asheville$20,794$38,14265%74%$2,859
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$24,733$52,5969%5%$8,660
University of North Carolina at Charlotte$23,617$37,05117%23%$2,894
University of North Carolina at Greensboro$20,394$35,55320%22%$5,299
University of North Carolina Wilmington$25,855$39,92015%3%$4,489
University of Notre Dame$75,147$75,14718%4%$21,265
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus$28,593$44,39748%22%$3,260
University of Oregon$31,655$57,69927%46%$7,270
University of Pennsylvania$83,298$83,2980%0%$0
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus$36,624$51,65614%19%$10,509
University of Portland$67,764$67,76497%97%$22,929
University of Puget Sound$73,026$73,02651%100%$25,379
University of Redlands$69,124$69,12440%90%$18,075
University of Rhode Island$32,274$50,29631%86%$7,034
University of Richmond$74,590$74,59018%18%$42,538
University of Rochester$79,490$79,49028%40%$15,133
University of San Diego$71,799$71,79956%53%$19,665
University of San Francisco$75,012$75,01234%87%$19,678
University of South Carolina-Columbia$32,327$53,56797%96%$6,337
University of South Florida-Main Campus$23,866$34,78048%85%$1,979
University of Southern California$81,617$81,61755%46%$20,937
University of Tulsa$65,360$65,36020%9%$39,152
University of Utah$25,186$46,75976%79%$7,835
University of Vermont$36,284$61,17249%89%$16,722
University of Virginia-Main Campus$36,840$70,8085%4%$6,553
University of Washington-Seattle Campus$30,640$58,4709%11%$4,501
University of Wisconsin-Madison$28,865$56,7537%7%$9,925
Ursinus College$76,534$76,53440%100%$33,247
Vanderbilt University$79,558$79,55814%17%$25,438
Vassar College$78,580$78,5800%0%$0
Villanova University$77,395$77,39516%7%$30,826
Virginia Commonwealth University$32,803$53,45118%41%$7,850
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$29,365$48,44429%20%$3,540
Wake Forest University$81,856$81,85627%7%$12,366
Washington and Lee University$80,155$80,15531%11%$43,818
Washington State University$28,669$43,98569%73%$5,196
Washington University in St Louis$81,620$81,62015%3%$32,844
Wellesley College$81,090$81,0900%0%$0
Wesleyan University$81,195$81,1950%0%$0
West Virginia University$21,766$38,44649%52%$5,475
Wheaton College$54,450$54,45035%83%$14,200
Wheaton College$73,850$73,85027%50%$32,471
Whitman College$71,182$71,18243%82%$16,880
Willamette University$61,448$61,44847%99%$16,190
Williams College$78,000$78,0000%0%$0
Worcester Polytechnic Institute$74,071$74,07158%97%$18,314
Yale University$82,170$82,1700%0%$0
Yeshiva University$74,725$74,72536%69%$20,387

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