Wilkes University · Pennsylvania
Wilkes Merit Aid
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The merit-aid verdict at Wilkes
Wilkes rewards regional ties, family connections, and transfer students who excel academically.
Who this school is for
Students with ties to the Berks County or Lehigh Valley areas will find strong support here. Transfer students and those with family legacies at Wilkes also benefit from dedicated awards.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $42,764 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Wilkes, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
| Family income | Average net price paid |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $25,062 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $23,440 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $26,432 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $27,843 |
| $110,001+ | $31,638 |
| All income levels (average) | $27,743 |
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
- Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
- $43,496
- Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
- $27,743
That works out to roughly a 51% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $56,765 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
- Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
- 63%
- First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
- 72%
- Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
- $26,000 (~$276/mo on a 10-yr plan)
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
- $63,454
- Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
- 43%
- Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
- 78%
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
Legacy Scholarship
Sibling Discount
Hometown Advantage Award
Berks County Connection Scholarship
Lehigh Valley Loyal Scholarship
Out Of State Award
Common Data Set snapshot
From the Wilkes Common Data Set 2025-2026 (school-estimated figures):
At Wilkes, roughly 1 in 9 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $28,097 — about 66% of total cost.
As filed in Wilkes's CDS Section H2A: of 560 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 61 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $28,097. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 173 of 1,885, averaging $26,326. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
The 2025-2026 column is marked "estimated" in the school's own CDS filing — school-projected figures, not final audited counts.
Lesser-known scholarships at Wilkes
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Wilkes merit aid FAQ
What is the deadline for Air Force Rotc Scholarships?
Applications for Air Force ROTC Scholarships must be completed by Dec. 1.
What is the deadline for Alumni Association Scholarship?
Students may apply for the Alumni Association Scholarship by early April of their first year, sophomore year or junior year.
How Wilkes compares across our verified dataset
- 668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Wilkes is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Wilkes’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
Compare with similar schools
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- Chatham University merit aid — Pennsylvania private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.