Financial Aid
UNC Chapel Hill Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid
UNC Chapel Hill gave merit aid averaging $7,233 to 275 first-year students who had no financial need, about 9% of the freshmen without need.
Merit aid
Scholarships UNC Chapel Hill gave to first-year students who had no financial need.
Average merit award
$7,233
Freshmen who got one
275
of 4,632 in the class
Share of those without need
9%
who received merit aid
Need-based aid
For first-year students the college found to have financial need.
Average need-based grant
$20,939
Average percent of need met
100%
Freshmen with need
32%
1,481 students
The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $21,695.
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 UNC Chapel Hill give merit scholarships?
UNC Chapel Hill gave merit aid averaging $7,233 to 275 first-year students who had no financial need, about 9% of the freshmen without need.
How much is the average merit scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill?
$7,233 for first-year students without financial need, according to UNC Chapel Hill's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.
Does UNC Chapel Hill meet full financial need?
UNC Chapel Hill reports meeting 100% of need on average for first-year students who were awarded need-based aid.
What share of UNC Chapel Hill freshmen have financial need?
1,481 of 4,632 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 32%, were found to have financial need.
Source: UNC Chapel Hill’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.