Which school usually gives better scholarships, Northwestern or WashU?

The biggest practical difference is that Northwestern is mainly a need-based aid school, while WashU is more active with merit scholarships on top of need-based assistance. For an undergraduate comparing the two, that usually means WashU gives more opportunities to win named merit awards, whereas Northwestern is more about whether your family qualifies for institutional need-based aid. If cost is a major factor and you are hoping for non-need-based scholarship money, WashU is typically the one students look to first.

Northwestern does offer strong need-based financial aid. But it is not known for broadly handing out merit scholarships to undergrads.

WashU also offers substantial need-based aid, but it stands out more for merit programs that can significantly reduce cost for some students. Those awards are competitive, not automatic, so they should be viewed as possible rather than likely. Still, between these two schools, WashU is the one more commonly associated with meaningful merit scholarship chances.

So the short answer is this: for merit scholarships, WashU usually has the edge. For need-based aid, both can be generous, but Northwestern can be very strong if your family demonstrates financial need. The actual better deal will depend much more on your family’s finances than on the school name alone, but if you are specifically asking which school is more likely to offer scholarship money beyond need-based aid, WashU is the clearer answer.