Financial Aid

UW-Madison Merit Scholarships and Financial Aid

UW-Madison gave merit aid averaging $7,397 to 650 first-year students who had no financial need, about 13% of the freshmen without need.

Merit aid

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

Average merit award

$7,397

Freshmen who got one

650

of 8,471 in the class

Share of those without need

13%

who received merit aid

Need-based aid

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

Average need-based grant

$34,828

Average percent of need met

92%

Freshmen with need

40%

3,370 students

The average total aid package, which can include loans and work-study, was $36,654.

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 UW-Madison'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 UW-Madison give merit scholarships?

UW-Madison gave merit aid averaging $7,397 to 650 first-year students who had no financial need, about 13% of the freshmen without need.

How much is the average merit scholarship at UW-Madison?

$7,397 for first-year students without financial need, according to UW-Madison's 2025-26 Common Data Set. That is an average across everyone who got an award, so individual offers run higher and lower.

Does UW-Madison meet full financial need?

UW-Madison reports meeting 92% 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 UW-Madison freshmen have financial need?

3,370 of 8,471 first-time, full-time freshmen, or 40%, were found to have financial need.

Source: UW-Madison’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.