Is the University of Michigan or WashU better for merit aid?

WashU is the more merit-aid-friendly school to pay attention to if merit scholarships are a major part of your plan. It is a private university that offers several named merit scholarships and has a more visible culture of competitive merit awards, while the University of Michigan is known much more for need-based aid than for widespread merit money. At Michigan, merit scholarships do exist, but they are relatively limited and often not something many admitted students can count on.

For a student building a list with merit as a real strategy, WashU is the place where it makes more sense to hope for a substantial competitive award. That does not mean merit is common or easy there, because the biggest scholarships are still highly selective, but WashU at least has a clearer structure for major merit programs that can significantly reduce cost.

Michigan fits better for someone who wants the school for its academics, campus, or specific programs and would treat any merit scholarship as a pleasant surprise rather than part of the financial plan. This is especially true for out-of-state applicants, since Michigan’s sticker price can be very high and merit often does not close that gap in a predictable way.

If your question is simply which school is more likely to offer meaningful merit money, WashU is the stronger bet. Michigan should usually be viewed as less promising on that front unless you have a school-specific scholarship opportunity in hand.