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Asbury University · Kentucky

Asbury University scholarships and merit aid

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.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Asbury University worth a closer look?

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.

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

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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.

$9,000-$15,000 per year

Academic Merit Scholarship (automatic GPA grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
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)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
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.

Notes

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.

Source

$3,000 per year

Out of State Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
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.

Notes

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.'

Source

100% of tuition (two awards)

John Wesley Hughes Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
See who qualifies and how to keep it
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.

Notes

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

Source

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

Henry Clay Morrison Scholarship (Scholarship Competition)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
See who qualifies and how to keep it
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.

Notes

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

Source

$5,000 per year

Francis Asbury Scholarship (National Merit)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
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).

Notes

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.

Source

$2,000 per year

Scholarship Competition Participation Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
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.

Notes

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

Source

$15,000 per year

Kentucky Governor's Programs Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Automatic regardless of GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
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.

Notes

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

Source

Minimum $4,000 per year

Windgate Art and Design Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.0
SAT
1110
ACT
24
See who qualifies and how to keep it
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.

Notes

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

Source

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

Dayton School of Business Endowed Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
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.

Notes

Competitive business award. Application required, deadline February 1.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Asbury University's published information.

  • 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 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