The starting point
Alma publishes one of the clearest GPA-banded merit grids anywhere — every admitted first-year gets $28,000-$36,000/year by GPA band — and lets students stack a $3,000 campus-visit scholarship, a $1,000 FAFSA-filing award, $1,000 out-of-state money, and a $1,500 legacy award on top, with up to 15 full-tuition Distinguished Presidential Scholarships by competition.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 8 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
First-Year Merit Grid (Presidential / Trustee / Dean's / Tartan / Alma Scholarships)
$28,000-$36,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Presidential 3.80+ = $36,000/yr; Trustee 3.60-3.79 = $34,000/yr; Dean's 3.30-3.59 = $32,000/yr; Tartan 3.00-3.29 = $30,000/yr; Alma <3.00 = $28,000/yr
Eligibility: Available to incoming first-year and international students; merit decisions made at the time of admission with no separate application; GPA-based
Renewal: Current-student section: 'Student's current awards renew based on the criteria in the documents above' (annual aid-program documents); awards continue for returning students at original levels.
Other terms: Grid explicitly labeled 'For the 2026-2027 academic year.' The identical grid applies to Winter 2026 entrants. Even students below 3.00 receive $28,000/year.
https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/
Merit Transfer Scholarships (Fall 2026 / Winter 2026)
$26,000-$32,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: <3.00 = $26,000/yr; 3.00-3.24 = $28,000/yr; 3.25-3.49 = $30,000/yr; 3.50+ = $32,000/yr (cumulative GPA from all previous institutions)
Eligibility: Transfer students entering Fall 2026 or Winter 2026; same grid for both terms
Renewal: Renew per the annual aid-program criteria for current students.
https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/
International Merit Scholarships
$28,000-$36,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.80+ = $36,000/yr; 3.60-3.79 = $34,000/yr; 3.30-3.59 = $32,000/yr; 3.0-3.29 = $30,000/yr; <3.00 = $28,000/yr (GPA converted to U.S. 4.0 scale)
Eligibility: Decisions made at time of admission, no separate application; based on application documentation
Renewal: Same structure as domestic merit awards; renew per current-student criteria.
https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/
Ask before you decide
- Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
- What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
- How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?
Recorded stacking policy: Alma's published bonus awards (visit, FAFSA, legacy, out-of-state, performance, e-sports) are presented as additive to the merit grid, with two explicit caps: only one Scottish Hospitality award ever, and only one performance/arts award per year per category (Distinguished replaces base). No outside-scholarship displacement policy is published on the scholarships page.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
