The starting point
Every admitted first-year student gets an automatic, weighted-GPA-based Academic Merit Scholarship of at least $14,000/year (up to $22,000), and nearly all also get the automatic $1,845 President's Horizon Award — but the headline $15,000 community-based awards do NOT stack on merit (it's one or the other).
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 6 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.
Academic Merit Scholarship
$14,000-$22,000 per year · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Set by cumulative weighted high school GPA at the time of admission; all admitted first-year students qualify for at least $14,000. The calculator uses GPA bands (3.9+, 3.75-3.89, 3.35-3.74, 3.0-3.34, below 3.0) but the per-band dollar amounts are not published on the public page.
Eligibility: Test-optional: ACT/SAT not required and not factored into merit eligibility
Renewal: Renewable up to four years or 125 credits (whichever comes first) based on good academic and social standing. Specific renewal GPA not stated on the page.
Other terms: Awarded automatically; no separate scholarship application. Merit level is locked at the time the admission decision is made, based on the cumulative weighted high school GPA. Exact dollar-per-GPA-tier grid is behind the BW Scholarship Calculator and is NOT published verbatim, so only the $14,000-$22,000 range is grounded here.
https://www.bw.edu/undergraduate-admission/first-year/tuition/
President's Horizon Award
$1,845 per year ($7,380 total over four years) · Published award terms
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: Incoming first-year and transfer students who first enroll at BW in fall 2026; tied to pursuing high-demand academic programs
Renewal: Renewable for up to four years (three years for transfer students). No separate application; eligibility determined at the time of admission.
Other terms: Automatic for most students; stacks on top of the Academic Merit Scholarship. New award introduced for fall 2026.
https://www.bw.edu/undergraduate-admission/first-year/tuition/horizon-award/
Visit Grant
$2,000 per year · Published amount
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: New first-year students who start in fall 2026 and visited campus by December 6, 2025
Renewal: Guaranteed for four years.
Other terms: A 'special award that can be added to merit scholarships' — stacks on top of the Academic Merit Scholarship. Earned by an official campus visit before the stated date.
https://www.bw.edu/undergraduate-admission/first-year/tuition/
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: INTERNAL stacking is mixed: the Academic Merit Scholarship, President's Horizon Award, and the $2,000 Visit/Alumni/Sibling special awards all stack on each other — but the $15,000 community-based awards do NOT stack with merit (a student gets one or the other). For OUTSIDE (third-party) scholarships, BW applies them to unmet need first by reducing Parent PLUS / alternative loans, then reduces self-help (direct loans, federal work-study) before touching grants or other scholarships.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
