Financial Aid

Boston University Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

Boston University gave merit aid averaging $42,227 to 116 first-year students who had no financial need, about 6% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

Scholarships Boston University gave to first-year students who had no financial need.

Average merit award

$42,227

Freshmen who got one

116

of 3,446 in the class

Share of those without need

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

For first-year students the college found to have financial need.

Average need-based grant

$66,926

Average percent of need met

98%

Freshmen with need

39%

1,344 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $70,629.

How to read these numbers

Merit aid is awarded for grades, scores, or talent. Need-based aid is awarded for family finances. A student can receive both.
The merit figures count only students with no financial need, so they show what a family that will not qualify for need-based aid can expect.
A grant does not have to be repaid. A package can include loans, which do.

Email me Boston University's aid numbers

A link to this page, plus the merit aid comparison for every college we track.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Boston University give merit scholarships?

Boston University gave merit aid averaging $42,227 to 116 first-year students who had no financial need, about 6% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at Boston University?

$42,227 for first-year students without financial need, according to Boston University's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does Boston University meet full financial need?

Boston University reports meeting 98% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid. A figure under 100% means the average student was left with a gap to cover.

What share of Boston University freshmen have financial need?

1,344 of 3,446 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 39%, were found to have financial need.

Source: Boston University’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section H, for first-time, full-time freshmen. Last checked 2026-10-08. These are averages for one entering class, and some colleges report the prior year’s class in this section. Your own offer depends on your family’s finances and your application.