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University of North Carolina Wilmington · North Carolina

UNCW scholarships and merit aid

UNC Wilmington rewards driven students across majors with a wide range of merit-based awards.

Verified Jul 20261 month ago

The short answer

Is UNCW worth a closer look?

We did not find a simple published award list to show for UNCW. Read our full reasoning before spending more time here.

Merit tiers0See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards13%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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Straight from the aid office

What UNCW's aid office says

Per the financial aid office, University of North Carolina Wilmington, August 2026. How we verify

Stacking multiple scholarships

Can a student receive more than one UNCW scholarship at the same time?

Students can receive multiple scholarships at UNCW, though it is rare.

“Student can receive multiple scholarships at UNCW, but it's rare.”
Percentage of students receiving a scholarship

What proportion of UNCW students receive a scholarship?

About 15% of students receive a UNCW scholarship.

“About 15% of students receive a UNCW scholarship and the average amount is about $3500.”
See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Prospective students with strong academics and campus involvement should explore UNC Wilmington's diverse scholarship opportunities.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $30,325 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at UNCW, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at UNCW, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$10,778
$30,001–$48,000$12,572
$48,001–$75,000$17,378
$75,001–$110,000$24,046
$110,001+$25,573
All income levels (average)$20,109

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$7,277
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$24,152
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,109

That works out to roughly a 24% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $26,547 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

UNCW is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
71%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
88%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$19,500 (~$207/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$54,967
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
20%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
45%
See other scholarships and cost examples

More school data

From the UNCW Common Data Set 2023-2024:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From UNCW’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
13%of admitsget merit
Average award$3,457Covers ~11% of $30,325 cost of attendance

At UNCW, roughly 1 in 8 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $3,457 — about 11% of total cost.

As filed in UNCW's CDS Section H2A: of 2,694 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 348 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $3,457. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 688 of 12,244, averaging $3,893. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit13%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$3,457Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024

Source: Common Data Set 2023-2024 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other UNCW scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe UNCW Merit Scholarships for Honors Scholars are listed as Honors scholarships.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Two Friends Scholarship is listed as an Honors scholarship awarded on a merit basis.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Porter Honors Scholarship in Business is an Honors merit scholarship for students interested in pursuing a degree offered by the Cameron School of Business.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Kenneth Ray Sumner ITS Merit Scholarship is available to students in the Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Carl and Janice Brown Merit Scholarships are awarded to recruit and retain academically strong Honors students.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe George Henry Hutaff Honors Scholarship Fund is listed as an Honors scholarship awarded on a merit basis for students enrolled in the Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Rotary Club of Wilmington Scholarship is available to a graduate of a North Carolina high school who has demonstrated academic merit, leadership skills, and good character.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Porta-Nails, Inc. Scholarship is a merit scholarship limited to Wilmington, NC residents of at least ten years and limited to one academic year.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Robert O. Walton, Jr. Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for members in good standing of the UNCW Honors College and may be renewable based on satisfactory performance.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Sunrise Homes, Inc. Scholarship is intended to provide undergraduate academic scholarships for students who enroll in the Honors College, with first preference for high school students from specified counties.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Henry Alexander Martindale Merit Scholarship Endowment is a merit scholarship for students applying to the Honors College as freshmen or continuing in honors in good standing.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Dr. Robert A. Moore, Jr. Merit Scholarship assists in attracting academically gifted students and is administered by the Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Wilmington West Rotary Club Scholarship is intended to attract and retain academically strong students and is awarded to a student from southeastern North Carolina based on academic achievement; the student may be considered for renewal based on good standing in Honors.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Ada Zola King Dean Honors in Nursing Scholarship is available to Honors College students who have been accepted or plan to select a major with the School of Nursing.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Donald R. Watson Merit Scholarship is restricted to UNCW students who graduated from a North Carolina high school and is based on leadership potential and academic achievement; the award is for one year, though a student may reapply contingent on academic performance.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Wilmington East Rotary Club Scholarship is a merit scholarship for an incoming Honors College freshman from an accredited high school in New Hanover County or a New Hanover County student with a high school equivalency grade; it is not renewable.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Elizabeth "Betsy" Ervin Women's Resource Center Scholarship is a merit scholarship awarded to a continuing student with a minor in women's studies, with preference given to students in the Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Lenwood (Bo) S. Dean Jr. Honors Scholarship Endowment is awarded to an incoming freshman who is a North Carolina resident and has been accepted into the Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Friends of UNCW Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded to an in-state freshman Honors student and is renewable for four years if the recipient continues to meet Honors program requirements.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Devereux H. Lippitt Scholarship is awarded annually to a North Carolina student based on academic achievement.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Bank of America Merit Scholarships are awarded each year to students in the UNCW Honors College.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Emmett and Gladys Corbett Scholarships are intended as merit scholarships to recruit and retain academically strong students; recipients may be eligible for four years based on satisfactory progress.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe William Joseph Boney Memorial Scholarship is merit-based for a UNCW student who graduated from a North Carolina high school and is intended to assist, recruit, and retain academically strong students who demonstrate leadership potential.

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AmountFull tuitionEligibilityThe Jefferies and Faris Associates Merit Scholarship is intended to provide a tuition and fees scholarship to an undergraduate UNCW honors student.

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AmountFull tuitionEligibilityThe Aaron and Elizabeth Silverman Scholarship Fund provides in-state tuition and fees scholarships to academically strong Honors College students.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe James Leutze Scholarship is an Honors scholarship awarded on a merit basis; it is open to North Carolina students and requires an interview.

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AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityThe Faculty Merit Scholarship is an Honors merit scholarship whose recipients are designated Faculty Scholars.

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See sources and other schools

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against UNCW’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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