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Alma· Renewal Rules

Keeping Alma’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers
7 of 8
One-time tiers
1
Tiers with published renewal terms
7
Renewal risk profile
low

Renewal risk profile

Alma's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

  • First-Year Merit Grid (Presidential / Trustee / Dean's / Tartan / Alma Scholarships): See notes
  • Merit Transfer Scholarships (Fall 2026 / Winter 2026): See notes
  • Scottish Hospitality Scholarship: See notes
  • FAFSA Filing Scholarship: See notes
  • Performance Scholarships (performing arts): See notes
  • Fine Arts Performance Scholarships (art & design): See notes
  • International Merit Scholarships: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • First-Year Merit Grid (Presidential / Trustee / Dean's / Tartan / Alma Scholarships)

    $28,000-$36,000

    Entry requirements: 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 GPA

    To keep it: 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.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Merit Transfer Scholarships (Fall 2026 / Winter 2026)

    $26,000-$32,000

    Entry requirements: <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) GPA

    To keep it: Renew per the annual aid-program criteria for current students.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Scottish Hospitality Scholarship

    $3,000

    To keep it: Renewable for up to a total of $12,000 over four years.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • FAFSA Filing Scholarship

    $1,000

    To keep it: Renewable for a total of up to $4,000 over four years.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Performance Scholarships (performing arts)

    $1,500-$2,000+

    To keep it: Base $1,500 renewable; Distinguished Awards $2,000+ replace standard performance awards previously offered.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • Fine Arts Performance Scholarships (art & design)

    $1,500-$2,000+

    To keep it: Base scholarships renewable for four years.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

  • International Merit Scholarships

    $28,000-$36,000

    Entry requirements: 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) GPA

    To keep it: Same structure as domestic merit awards; renew per current-student criteria.

    Source: https://www.alma.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

  • Skipping the campus visit and leaving $12,000 on the table.

    The Scottish Hospitality Scholarship pays $3,000/year (renewable to $12,000 over four years) just for visiting — but College Game Day Saturday visits don't count, and you can only ever receive one such award no matter how many times you visit.

  • Not filing the FAFSA because you don't expect need-based aid.

    Filing the FAFSA itself earns a $1,000/year scholarship (up to $4,000 over four years), separate from any need-based aid.

  • Forgetting Spring Term costs.

    Students must complete two Spring Term courses in four years, with added charges ($2,220 tuition plus ~$1,080 food/housing in 2027) and 'typically, no financial assistance is offered for Spring Term classes.'

Renewal questions families ask

What merit scholarship will I get?
For 2026-2027 first-years: 3.80+ GPA = $36,000/yr (Presidential); 3.60-3.79 = $34,000 (Trustee); 3.30-3.59 = $32,000 (Dean's); 3.00-3.29 = $30,000 (Tartan); below 3.00 = $28,000 (Alma Scholarship). No separate application — decisions are made at admission.
What do transfers get?
A GPA-banded grid for Fall or Winter 2026 entry: $26,000 (<3.00), $28,000 (3.00-3.24), $30,000 (3.25-3.49), $32,000 (3.50+), plus $3,000 for visiting, $1,000 for filing the FAFSA, and $2,000 for Phi Theta Kappa scholars.
Do international students get merit aid?
Yes — the same $28,000-$36,000 GPA grid applies (GPAs converted to a 4.0 scale), with no separate application, and international students can earn the $3,000 Scottish Hospitality Scholarship through a virtual visit.

How Alma compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Alma 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.

  • 133 of 751 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Alma is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Alma’s own published materials.

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