Financial Aid

NC State Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

NC State gave merit aid averaging $4,921 to 299 first-year students who had no financial need, about 9% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

Scholarships NC State gave to first-year students who had no financial need.

Average merit award

$4,921

Freshmen who got one

299

of 5,817 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

$14,983

Average percent of need met

75%

Freshmen with need

40%

2,317 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $17,364.

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 NC State'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 NC State give merit scholarships?

NC State gave merit aid averaging $4,921 to 299 first-year students who had no financial need, about 9% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at NC State?

$4,921 for first-year students without financial need, according to NC State's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does NC State meet full financial need?

NC State reports meeting 75% 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 NC State freshmen have financial need?

2,317 of 5,817 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 40%, were found to have financial need.

Source: NC State’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.