Financial Aid

Denver Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

Denver gave merit aid averaging $28,815 to 559 first-year students who had no financial need, about 90% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

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

Average merit award

$28,815

Freshmen who got one

559

of 1,147 in the class

Share of those without need

90%

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

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

Average need-based grant

$48,039

Average percent of need met

88.1%

Freshmen with need

46%

523 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $58,975.

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.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Denver give merit scholarships?

Denver gave merit aid averaging $28,815 to 559 first-year students who had no financial need, about 90% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at Denver?

$28,815 for first-year students without financial need, according to Denver's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does Denver meet full financial need?

Denver reports meeting 88.1% 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 Denver freshmen have financial need?

523 of 1,147 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 46%, were found to have financial need.

Source: Denver’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.