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Asbury University scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

Asbury University is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 9 published awards, and 3 are based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Academic Merit Scholarship (automatic GPA grid)$9,000-$15,000 per yearAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Academic Merit Scholarship (automatic GPA grid)

    $9,000-$15,000 per year

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    4.0+ = $15,000; 3.70-3.99 = $13,000; 3.40-3.69 = $12,000; 3.00-3.39 = $11,000; below 3.00 = $9,000 (Asbury-recalculated 4.0 scale, weighting AP/IB/Honors)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Academic Merit Scholarship (automatic GPA grid)

    Who qualifies

    No separate application required; awarded to all admitted traditional undergraduates (freshmen and transfers)

    How to keep it

    Awarded annually based on recalculated GPA; page states the scholarship is 'automatically added to your financial aid package each year.' Specific college-GPA renewal threshold for the base academic scholarship is not stated on the page.

    Worth knowing

    Automatic on the GPA Asbury recalculates to a 4.0 scale (AP/IB/Honors weighted). Test scores are not stated as a factor in this base grid. Does not apply to the Online Undergraduate (APS) program.

  2. Out of State Scholarship$3,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Out of State Scholarship

    $3,000 per year

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Out of State Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Traditional undergraduate students who reside outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky

    How to keep it

    Described as an annual scholarship for non-Kentucky residents; renewal terms not stated separately on the live undergraduate page.

    Worth knowing

    Stacks on top of the automatic GPA scholarship. The Asbury catalog (catalog.asbury.edu) states this award is for students 'who reside anywhere in the world, but outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky.'

  3. John Wesley Hughes Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)100% of tuition (two awards)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    John Wesley Hughes Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

    100% of tuition (two awards)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for John Wesley Hughes Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

    Who qualifies

    By-invitation-only Scholarship Competition (held in January prior to enrollment); essay and interview as part of evaluation

    How to keep it

    Renewed for up to four years or eight semesters provided the recipient maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.60 at Asbury University.

    Worth knowing

    Competitive, not automatic. No other Asbury gift aid is stackable with this scholarship. Two awards per year.

  4. Henry Clay Morrison Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)up to $5,000 per year (thirty awards)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Henry Clay Morrison Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

    up to $5,000 per year (thirty awards)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Henry Clay Morrison Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

    Who qualifies

    By-invitation-only Scholarship Competition (held in January prior to enrollment); essay and interview as part of evaluation

    How to keep it

    Renewed for up to four years or eight semesters provided the recipient maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.50 at Asbury University.

    Worth knowing

    Competitive, not automatic. Stacks with other Asbury gift aid up to 100% of annual tuition. Thirty awards per year.

  5. Francis Asbury Scholarship (National Merit)$5,000 per yearAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Francis Asbury Scholarship (National Merit)

    $5,000 per year

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Francis Asbury Scholarship (National Merit)

    Who qualifies

    National Merit Finalists automatically earn this award and are also invited to Scholarship Competition

    How to keep it

    Described as a stackable annual scholarship; specific renewal GPA not stated on the live undergraduate page (the Asbury catalog lists a 3.5 cumulative GPA for the National Merit honors scholarship, but at a different award level — see conflict note in Section C).

    Worth knowing

    Automatic for National Merit Finalists per the live page. Stackable. NOTE: the older Asbury catalog page describes a 'National Merit Semifinalist/Frances Asbury Honors Scholarship' equal to 60% of tuition for Semifinalists — this conflicts with the live page's flat $5,000-for-Finalists figure; the live undergraduate page is treated as current.

  6. Scholarship Competition Participation Award$2,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Scholarship Competition Participation Award

    $2,000 per year

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Scholarship Competition Participation Award

    Who qualifies

    Students who attend and participate in the Scholarship Competition but do not win a Hughes or Morrison scholarship

    How to keep it

    Stated as a yearly scholarship totaling $8,000 over four years.

    Worth knowing

    Consolation award for competitors who do not win Hughes/Morrison; stacks on top of the GPA scholarship, not to exceed 100% of tuition.

  7. Kentucky Governor's Programs Scholarship$15,000 per yearAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Kentucky Governor's Programs Scholarship

    $15,000 per year

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Automatic regardless of GPA
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Kentucky Governor's Programs Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Graduated from a Kentucky high school AND completed the Governor's Scholars Program, the Governor's School for Entrepreneurs, or the Governor's School for the Arts

    How to keep it

    Equal to Asbury's top guaranteed academic merit scholarship amount; renewal follows the academic scholarship terms.

    Worth knowing

    Guarantees the $15,000 top tier regardless of GPA, and also earns an invitation to the Scholarship Competition.

  8. Windgate Art and Design ScholarshipMinimum $4,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Windgate Art and Design Scholarship

    Minimum $4,000 per year

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.0
    SAT
    1110
    ACT
    24
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Windgate Art and Design Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Declare a major in Studio Art, Graphic Design, Art History, Pre-Art Therapy, or Art Education; minimum 24 ACT / 1110 SAT and 3.0 GPA

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to 4 years.

    Worth knowing

    Stacks with other financial aid up to full tuition. Application deadline February 1.

  9. Dayton School of Business Endowed Scholarshipup to $10,000 annually (1-2 students)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Dayton School of Business Endowed Scholarship

    up to $10,000 annually (1-2 students)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Dayton School of Business Endowed Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Competitive; 1-2 students dedicated to making a difference through business; separate application required

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not stated on the page.

    Worth knowing

    Competitive business award. Application required, deadline February 1.

Lights up against Asbury University's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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The fine print

Renewal ruleJohn Wesley Hughes Scholarship (Scholarship Competition): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Renewed for up to four years or eight semesters provided the recipient maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.60 at Asbury University. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes Asbury University different

Every Asbury applicant automatically gets a GPA-based merit scholarship from $9,000 to $15,000 per year with no separate application; 4.0+ students are invited to a Scholarship Competition to compete for two full-tuition Hughes awards or thirty $5,000 Morrison awards.

Merit tiers93 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Asbury University's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The John Wesley Hughes Scholarship is full tuition but 'No other Asbury gift aid is stackable with this scholarship.' It replaces, not adds to, your automatic GPA award. The Morrison award is the opposite — it stacks up to 100% of tuition.

  2. It is invitation-only. You must already qualify for the top $15,000 (4.0+ GPA) merit scholarship, be a National Merit student, or hold a Governor's Scholarship to be invited; the Hughes and Morrison awards are competitive, with an essay and interview.

  3. The automatic GPA grid needs no application, but Dayton Business, Windgate Art, Alumni, music/worship auditions, and most named awards must be applied for by February 1 of the year you plan to enroll, or you lose them.

  4. Asbury's internal stacking is capped at 100% of TUITION ($34,758 for 2026-27), not total cost of attendance. Housing (~$6,400-$9,700), food (~$2,110-$4,284), and fees ($698) are on top, so even a full-tuition package leaves room-and-board to cover.

  5. Older Asbury pages (the international-admissions page and the academic catalog) show a different grid ($16,000 top tier, a 'SEARCH' competition, Morrison at 60% of tuition). The current 2026-27 undergraduate page lists $9,000-$15,000 bands, a January Scholarship Competition, Morrison at up to $5,000, and Hughes at 100% of tuition. Use the current undergraduate page.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Christian students looking at a small Wesleyan-Holiness university where merit aid is automatic and GPA-driven; strong applicants (4.0+, National Merit, Kentucky Governor's Scholars) who can stack a competitive Scholarship Competition award up to full tuition.

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Asbury University, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Asbury University, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$18,455
$30,001–$48,000$18,280
$48,001–$75,000$18,724
$75,001–$110,000$21,296
$110,001+$25,958
All income levels (average)$21,401

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$47,459
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$33,640
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$21,401

That works out to an average 55% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
65%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
83%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$24,028 (~$255/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$42,368
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
33%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
49%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Asbury's awards explicitly stack, capped at 100% of tuition, with one carve-out: the John Wesley Hughes (full-tuition) award is NOT stackable with any other Asbury gift aid. The Morrison, Francis Asbury (National Merit), Windgate, alumni, and competition-participation awards all stack on top of the automatic GPA scholarship up to 100% of annual tuition. No published policy was found on the financial-aid pages describing how third-party OUTSIDE scholarships displace institutional aid; the catalog notes the Governor's Scholarship 'will not affect' KEES or other external sources but this is not a general displacement rule.

Multiple awards are described as 'stackable ... up to 100% of annual tuition.' The Hughes scholarship is the exception ('No other Asbury gift aid is stackable with this scholarship.'). The internal stacking cap is tuition (not total cost of attendance). Outside/private scholarship displacement behavior is not published on the official aid pages and should be confirmed with the Financial Aid Office.

Source

Other Asbury University scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$1,000 (one-time, not renewable)EligibilityChild of an Asbury University alum.

One-time award. Deadline February 1.

Source

Amount$500EligibilityHigh school student who graduates from the Classical Conversations curriculum.

One-time award.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityOutstanding musical ability; major or minor in music preferred but not required; audition required.

Amount not published; priority deadline February 1. Renewal requires maintaining minimum graduation GPA and fulfilling performance requirements.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityOpen to all majors; audition required.

Amount not published; renewal requires continued enrollment in a worship arts ensemble. Deadline February 1.

Source

AmountVaries (funded by a $400,000 grant)EligibilityNursing students; funded via the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund.

Per-student amount not published; total grant pool $400,000.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityOne new, incoming traditional residential undergraduate actively involved in the Indian Springs Camp Meeting.

Amount not published; deadline February 1.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilitySTEM majors; primary focus on Ohio freshmen, secondary consideration for IL/IN/KY/MI students.

Amount not published.

Source

Asbury University merit aid FAQ

  • Do I have to apply for the GPA merit scholarship?

    No. Every student who applies to Asbury automatically receives a GPA-based merit scholarship ($9,000-$15,000/year) with no extra application. Asbury recalculates your GPA to a 4.0 scale, weighting AP, IB, and Honors courses, and adds the award to your aid package each year.

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    Scholarships that require a separate application (Dayton Business, Windgate Art, Alumni, and most named awards) have a deadline of February 1 of the year you plan to enroll. The automatic GPA scholarship and the $3,000 out-of-state award need no application.

  • Can I stack Asbury scholarships?

    Yes, with one exception. Most awards (Morrison, Francis Asbury/National Merit, Windgate, the $2,000 competition award) stack on top of your GPA scholarship up to 100% of tuition. The John Wesley Hughes full-tuition award is the exception: no other Asbury gift aid stacks with it.

  • How do I get into the Scholarship Competition?

    It is invitation-only. You qualify by earning the top $15,000 merit scholarship (a 4.0+ recalculated GPA), being a National Merit student, or holding a Kentucky Governor's Scholarship. At the competition you compete for one of two full-tuition Hughes awards or one of thirty $5,000 Morrison awards; everyone who competes but doesn't win gets a $2,000/year award.

See sources and other schools

How Asbury University compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Asbury University is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Asbury University is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Asbury University 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 claim is checked against Asbury University’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Asbury University merit aid

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