Which school is generally more generous with merit scholarships: UIUC or the University of New Hampshire?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that UIUC may have a lower published cost for Illinois residents, but it is not known for broadly discounting tuition through large merit awards, while UNH more routinely uses merit scholarships to attract academically strong incoming students, especially students from outside New Hampshire.

Residency matters a great deal. An Illinois resident should compare UIUC’s in-state net price, including need-based programs such as Illinois Commitment for eligible families, against UNH’s price after any merit award. A non-Illinois resident may find that UIUC’s out-of-state cost remains high even with a scholarship, whereas a meaningful UNH merit award can make its net cost more manageable.

The amount will still depend on academic record, program, residency, and the particular year’s scholarship budget, so the actual financial-aid offers deserve more weight than general reputation. For the narrow question of which school is more likely to provide substantial merit aid to an admitted first-year student, the University of New Hampshire is typically the more generous institution. UIUC can be an excellent value for Illinois residents, but that value more often comes from resident tuition or need-based aid than from large merit scholarships.