The starting point
Aquinas College guarantees every traditional first-year student an automatic academic scholarship of $15,000-$25,000 per year (based on incoming GPA and residency status), layered with an invitation-only competition for a full-tuition-and-standard-room award and an 'Aquinas Assurance' full-tuition program for high-need Michigan residents.
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 5 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.
The Aquinas College Scholarship
$15,000-$25,000 · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Award amount is based on academic performance (incoming GPA) and residency status; the exact GPA-to-dollar grid is published only in an interactive 'Scholarship Calculator' (JavaScript widget that did not render to static text), not on a static page.
Eligibility: Submit an application for admission to Aquinas College (students are automatically considered); an official transcript is also required.
Renewal: Institutional aid awarded upon acceptance renews for traditional students up to 5 years or a bachelor's degree provided the student is enrolled full-time (minimum 12 credits) and maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Other terms: Offered to ALL incoming traditional-aged, first-year undergraduates. The Types of Aid page describes these academic scholarships as 'the minimum each student will receive each year for up to five years based on their incoming GPA' — 'as much as $125,000 for those with the highest GPAs' cumulatively.
https://www.aquinas.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year-scholarships.html
Jerome C. Byrne Full-Tuition and Standard Room Scholarship
Full tuition and standard room · Published coverage or package
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: By invitation only: admitted and qualified first-year applicants are invited to compete in the annual Spectrum of Scholarships Competition (all applicants automatically considered for competition eligibility); candidates are required to attend an on-campus competition during their senior year of high school; awarded to the top performer each year.
Renewal: Renewable by maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and full-time enrollment each semester.
Other terms: This scholarship SUPERSEDES the previously awarded Aquinas College Scholarship (it replaces, not stacks). Recipients are automatically admitted into the Insignis Honors Program. Full tuition + standard room is NOT a full ride — board (food) and fees are not mentioned as covered.
https://www.aquinas.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year-scholarships.html
St. Albertus Magnus Scholarships
$500 · Published amount
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: Awarded to all participants in the Spectrum of Scholarships Competition other than the Byrne winner; candidates are required to attend an on-campus competition during their senior year of high school.
Renewal: Renews annually by maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and full-time enrollment each semester.
Other terms: An ADDITIONAL $500 on top of the Aquinas College Scholarship for competition participants.
https://www.aquinas.edu/cost-aid/scholarships/first-year-scholarships.html
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: Aquinas publishes no single general stacking policy, but several specific rules appear across its pages: the Byrne full-tuition award supersedes (replaces) the Aquinas College Scholarship rather than stacking; for the Aquinas Assurance program, total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance and the Assurance is reduced if an outside scholarship (including VA benefits, tuition exchange, or tuition remission) covers tuition; students are responsible for reporting all outside aid, and awards may be revised when the college learns of other resources; the college also reserves the right to swap general-fund grants (Aquinas Grant / Aquinas Opportunity Grant) for donor-specific dollars.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
