Albertus Magnus gives every admitted first-year a named merit scholarship currently listed at $20,000-$33,000 per year — marketed as the 'Albertus Guarantee' of at least $40,000 in scholarships — plus stackable add-on awards for Catholic-school graduates, legacies, Honors Program invitees, and extracurricular participation, but only one core merit award per student and no published GPA/test grid.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers8See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Albertus Magnus
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Albertus Magnus's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalPresidential Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); merit scholarships are awarded for up to eight consecutive semesters only. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Albertus Magnus
The catalog states: 'Students are eligible to receive only one merit award from Albertus Magnus College upon admission.' Only the designated Select Awards (St. Catherine of Siena, St. Dominic, Legacy, DeRicci Honors, Pillar PTK) stack on top of the single core merit award.
The catalog says scholarships are renewable 'provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) required of the scholarship that has been offered' — but no page publishes the actual GPA number for any tier. Families should get the renewal GPA for their specific award in writing from the aid office.
The catalog caps merit aid: 'Merit scholarships are awarded for up to eight consecutive semesters only,' and requires 'full-time status in the Traditional Undergraduate Program, with a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.' The scholarships page adds students 'must be enrolled full-time for consecutive terms' — a gap semester or part-time term can end the award.
The College states outside grants and scholarships 'will not replace aid from the College. However, they can impact your federal and state eligibility,' and 'the total amount of financial aid awarded can never exceed your COA budget, regardless of the source of additional funding.' Outside awards must be reported and can reduce federal/state aid under the COA cap.
Three official pages list three different amounts for the same first-year scholarships (e.g., Presidential: $30,000 on undergraduate-scholarships.php, $32,000 in the catalog, $33,000 on albertus.edu/40/) and two different transfer ranges ($9,500-$24,000 vs $10,000-$27,000). The official Tuition & Fees page still shows 2017-2018 prices. Always confirm current-year amounts against your actual offer letter.
The catalog warns: 'high school grade point averages are subject to recalculation by the Office of Admission at the time of admission' — the recalculated GPA, not your transcript GPA, drives the holistic award decision, and no GPA/test grid is published.
The St. Dominic Award ($1,000 per activity, max $3,000) is only 'added to the student's account' after the student participates and 'the organizer of the activity will let the Financial Aid Office know that the activity has been completed' — it is contingent, not upfront, and activities must be completed during the academic year.
Both the Bartolomé de las Casas and Francisco de Vitoria scholarships state: 'This scholarship is applied to tuition and fees and books and supplies only' — they cannot be applied to room and board.
Who this school is for
Students of 'exceptional academic promise' who want a large, automatic-feeling discount at a small Catholic Dominican college in New Haven without needing test scores — there is no published stat grid, the Office of Admission selects tiers holistically. Catholic high school graduates and Albertus alumni families do especially well because their add-on awards stack on top of the core merit scholarship.
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.
$33,000
Presidential Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Awarded yearly to first-year students of 'exceptional academic promise'; the Office of Admission selects all award recipients; no separate application beyond the admission application is published. High school GPAs are subject to recalculation by the Office of Admission.
Renewal terms
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); merit scholarships are awarded for up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Notes
Amount conflicts across official pages: $33,000 on the Albertus Guarantee/Scholarships & Grants page (albertus.edu/40/), $32,000 in the undergraduate catalog, $30,000 on the older undergraduate-scholarships.php page. The /40/ page appears most current (it carries 2025-2026 federal loan rates).
First-year students of 'exceptional academic promise'; selected by the Office of Admission; no published stat cutoffs.
Renewal terms
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Notes
Amount conflicts: $31,000 on albertus.edu/40/, $30,000 in catalog, $26,000 on undergraduate-scholarships.php.
First-year students of 'exceptional academic promise'; selected by the Office of Admission; no published stat cutoffs.
Renewal terms
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Notes
Amount conflicts: $29,000 on albertus.edu/40/, $28,000 in catalog, $22,000 on undergraduate-scholarships.php.
First-year students of 'exceptional academic promise'; selected by the Office of Admission; no published stat cutoffs.
Renewal terms
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Notes
Amount conflicts: $25,000 on albertus.edu/40/, $22,000 in catalog, $15,000 on undergraduate-scholarships.php.
Lowest published first-year merit tier; selected by the Office of Admission; no published stat cutoffs.
Renewal terms
All scholarships are renewable provided the student maintains the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (minimum 12 credit hours per semester); up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Notes
Amount conflicts: $20,000 on albertus.edu/40/, $18,000 in catalog, $10,000 on undergraduate-scholarships.php.
Transfer students are defined as having completed more than 15 credits at another institution; amount within the range is set by the Office of Admission (no published criteria).
Renewal terms
Catalog renewal rules apply to all merit scholarships: maintain the minimum cumulative GPA required of the scholarship offered (specific GPA not published) and full-time status (12+ credit hours per semester); up to eight consecutive semesters only. Students must be enrolled full-time for consecutive terms and remain in good academic standing.
Notes
Range conflicts: $10,000 to $27,000 on albertus.edu/40/ and in the catalog; the older undergraduate-scholarships.php page says $9,500 to $24,000.
Graduates of Catholic high schools, Catholic college preparatory schools, or students who are transferring from Catholic colleges or universities.
Renewal terms
Listed as an annual award; general rule on the same page: 'Students must be enrolled full-time for consecutive terms and remain in good academic standing to be eligible to receive any annual scholarship.'
Notes
A 'Select Award' that stacks ON TOP of the core merit scholarship ('Students may receive these awards in addition to the merit scholarships above').
Students who have been invited to join and agree to enroll in the Albertus Magnus Honors Program. Per the honors page: 'Admission into the Honors Program as an incoming freshman is by invitation, after a review of all applicants' academic records.'
Renewal terms
Listed as an annual Select Award; general rule: students must be enrolled full-time for consecutive terms and remain in good academic standing. Honors Program admission as an incoming freshman is by invitation; continuing eligibility for the Honors Program requires a 3.5 cumulative GPA per the honors page.
Notes
Stacks on top of the core merit scholarship as a Select Award.
One core merit award only, but designated 'Select Awards' (St. Catherine of Siena, St. Dominic, Legacy, DeRicci Honors, Pillar PTK) explicitly stack on top of it. Outside scholarships do not replace College aid but can impact federal and state eligibility, and total aid is capped at the COA budget.
The catalog states students are eligible to receive only one merit award from Albertus upon admission, while the scholarships page states Select Awards may be received in addition to the merit scholarships. For outside funds, the College states outside grants and scholarships will not replace aid from the College, but they can impact federal and state eligibility, must be reported to the Financial Aid Office, and total financial aid can never exceed the COA budget regardless of source.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$1,000-$3,000EligibilityAccepted students may be awarded $1,000 per extracurricular activity (max $3,000): Community Service (minimum 10 hours), Choir/Music (Concert Band, Orchestra, Chorus), Student Leadership (non-athletic leadership role), or E-Sports (organized club or organization). Activities must be completed during the academic year; the activity organizer notifies the Financial Aid Office upon completion before the scholarship posts.
A Select Award that stacks on the core merit scholarship; money is only added to the account AFTER the activity is completed and verified.
Amount$1,000EligibilityAccepted transfer students who provide documentation of Phi Theta Kappa membership.
The financial aid landing page describes it as 'up to $1,000 a year ($500 per semester)... renewable as long as the student is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.'
Amountup to $500EligibilitySpouse or child (including stepchild or adopted child) of a service member or veteran who is new to Albertus and pursuing an undergraduate degree; must provide DD214 or DD220 Member-4 Page.
Applied to tuition and fees and books and supplies only; annually renewable with Satisfactory Academic Progress and full-time enrollment.
Amountup to $500EligibilityUndergraduate student who is an honorably discharged (or under honorable conditions) veteran; must provide proof such as DD214 Member-4 Page.
Applied to tuition and fees and books and supplies only; annually renewable with Satisfactory Academic Progress and full-time enrollment.
Amount10% of tuitionEligibilitySiblings when two or more siblings attend simultaneously as full-time day students; discount remains effective while both students maintain full-time day status.
Tuition discount, not a scholarship; lost if either sibling drops below full-time day status.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityCurrent students with a demonstrated unexpected financial hardship, minimum 54 credits earned (25+ at Albertus), maintaining SAP, valid FAFSA on file; application plus hardship documentation reviewed by committee.
One-time award with limited funding; submitting an application does not guarantee funding.
No separate scholarship application or deadline is published on the current first-year pages — the Office of Admission selects all merit award recipients from the admission application, and admission is rolling with Early Action I on December 15 and Early Action II on February 15 (Fall 2026 cycle). An archived Albertus page (flagged by the College as 'an old version of our website') lists 'Scholarships deadline: March 15.' Confirm any scholarship cutoff with Admissions at (203) 773-8501.
Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?
No separate application is published. The catalog states: 'The Office of Admission selects all award recipients and requires a completed admission.' Awards are offered at the time of admission.
Is there a GPA or test-score chart that tells me which scholarship I'll get?
No. Albertus publishes only the tier names and amounts and says scholarships 'are awarded yearly to students of exceptional academic promise,' with recipients selected holistically by the Office of Admission. High school GPAs are subject to recalculation by the Office of Admission.
What is the Albertus Guarantee?
The financial aid landing page advertises: 'The Albertus Guarantee — Receive a minimum of $40,000 in scholarships. Guaranteed.' The page does not state whether that figure is per year or over four years; the lowest published first-year award is the $20,000/year Promise Award. Ask the aid office exactly how the $40,000 guarantee is calculated.
Can I keep my scholarship all four years?
Yes, if you meet the renewal terms: maintain the minimum cumulative GPA required of your specific scholarship (number not published), stay enrolled full-time (12+ credits per semester) in the Traditional Undergraduate Program for consecutive terms, and remain in good academic standing. Merit scholarships are awarded for up to eight consecutive semesters only.
Will outside scholarships reduce my Albertus aid?
Per the College: 'Outside grants and scholarships will not replace aid from the College. However, they can impact your federal and state eligibility.' You must notify the Financial Aid Office of outside funding, and your total aid can never exceed your Cost of Attendance budget regardless of source.
Are international students eligible for merit scholarships?
Yes. The catalog states plainly: 'Merit scholarships are available to international students.'
How much does Albertus cost?
Per the 2025-2026 catalog: full-time tuition is $41,518 per year; 2025-2026 housing runs $11,918-$14,564 and resident meal plans $952-$4,100 depending on room and plan. No single official full cost-of-attendance total (tuition + fees + housing + food + books) for 2026-2027 was published on the pages reviewed; the main Tuition & Fees web page still shows 2017-2018 figures.
How Albertus Magnus compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Albertus Magnus is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Albertus Magnus 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 Albertus Magnus’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
