Financial Aid
Northwestern Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid
Northwestern reports almost no merit aid: 7 first-year students without financial need received it, averaging $23,571.
Merit aid
Scholarships Northwestern gave to first-year students who had no financial need.
Average merit award
$23,571
Freshmen who got one
7
of 2,138 in the class
Share of those without need
1%
who received merit aid
Need-based aid
For first-year students the college found to have financial need.
Average need-based grant
$65,946
Average percent of need met
100%
Freshmen with need
41%
868 students
The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $67,935.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Northwestern give merit scholarships?
Northwestern reports almost no merit aid: 7 first-year students without financial need received it, averaging $23,571.
Does Northwestern meet full financial need?
Northwestern reports meeting 100% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid.
What share of Northwestern freshmen have financial need?
868 of 2,138 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 41%, were found to have financial need.
Source: Northwestern’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.
