Show Me The Money: Undergraduate Merit Scholarships from 100+ Colleges

One of the biggest challenges when deciding which colleges to apply to is affordability. Merit scholarships can make the difference between a college being affordable or out of reach, and many scholarships come directly from the colleges themselves. To help, I reviewed the websites of over 100 colleges and compiled their merit scholarship details in a Google Sheet (link below). The colleges included are state flagships and those ranked in the USNWR Top 100.

Merit scholarships in this document are defined as awards that do not consider financial need. The goal is to provide options for families who may not qualify for need-based financial aid but find full tuition or out-of-state fees unaffordable.

Why Merit Scholarships?

Colleges offer merit scholarships to attract top-tier students who might otherwise choose more selective institutions. While Ivy League schools and some elite colleges offer no merit scholarships, many others, like Duke and Vanderbilt, use merit aid to entice talented students. State flagships also often provide significant merit scholarships to their strongest applicants.

Note: Need-based financial aid remains an excellent option for many families and may result in a lower cost overall, depending on the college.

Spreadsheet Link:

Google Sheets - Merit Scholarships List

Feedback is welcome regarding format, usability, and additional colleges you’d like to see included. The current limit is 150 colleges to keep updates manageable.

This is an extremely helpful resource! Thank you.

Nice resource! Consider using conditional formatting to make it easier to follow. Highlighting entire rows or adding alternating colors could improve usability.

Jess said:
Nice resource! Consider using conditional formatting to make it easier to follow. Highlighting entire rows or adding alternating colors could improve usability.

Great suggestions, thanks for sharing.

Some Texas and Florida schools also offer out-of-state tuition waivers. This could be a helpful addition.

If you’re including Missoula, Montana, you should also add Bozeman (MSU). They have multiple full-ride scholarships and other significant awards.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of UC merit scholarships like Regents and other awards:

  • UC Berkeley: $2,500/year Regents, plus additional need-based aid for in-state students.
  • UC Davis: $7,500/year Regents.
  • UCLA: $2,000/year Regents, with additional aid for financial need.
  • UC Merced: $7,000/year Regents.
  • UC Riverside: $10,000/year Regents.
  • UC San Diego: $5,000/year Regents.
  • UC Santa Barbara: $5,000/year Regents.
  • UC Santa Cruz: $5,000/year Regents.

Each campus varies slightly, so it’s worth double-checking specifics.

@Rudy
Thanks for the details! I’ll update the sheet with this information.

This is helpful, but it mostly includes large universities and a few select smaller schools. There are many other schools like RPI or CWRU that could be included. What’s your selection criteria?

Lin said:
This is helpful, but it mostly includes large universities and a few select smaller schools. There are many other schools like RPI or CWRU that could be included. What’s your selection criteria?

The criteria were USNWR Top 100 colleges and all state flagships. I had to draw a line somewhere to keep updates manageable. Expanding too much would make annual updates impractical.

Could you include more liberal arts colleges in future updates? They often have great merit scholarships.