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Asbury University · Kentucky

Asbury University 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 Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers93 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC

Rules that bite at Asbury University

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Asbury University's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • renewalJohn 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.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Asbury University

  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.

Who this school is 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.

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

$9,000-$15,000 per year

Academic Merit Scholarship (automatic GPA grid)

AutomaticRenewable
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)
Requirements & details
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Traditional undergraduate students who reside outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Renewal terms

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)

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
Requirements & details
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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)

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Invitation requires the top merit scholarship (4.0+ GPA = $15,000), National Merit status, or a Governor's Scholarship
Requirements & details
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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)

AutomaticRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Automatic regardless of GPA
Requirements & details
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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

ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.0
SAT
1110
ACT
24
Requirements & details
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

Renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

Competitive business award. Application required, deadline February 1.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

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

Lesser-known scholarships at Asbury University

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility 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.

How Asbury University compares across our verified dataset

  • 160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Asbury University is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    Asbury University 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.

    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.

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