The starting point
Belhaven publishes a fully automatic GPA + ACT merit grid that gives every qualifying first-year student $14,000-$17,500 a year (with $5,000 of it earmarked for campus housing) — no separate application, just your transcript and test score.
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 10 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.
President's Scholarship for First-Year Students
$17,000-$17,500 per year · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 3.5 or above (high school cumulative) · ACT: 26 or above
Eligibility: Full-time, first bachelor's degree, on-campus undergrad program; FAFSA not required but encouraged
Renewal: Renewable up to 5 years (or 10 semesters) if the student is full-time and maintains satisfactory academic progress.
Other terms: Highest automatic academic (merit) tier. $5,000 of the award is applied toward campus housing and the remainder toward educational expenses. Belhaven evaluates the award using high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores — no separate scholarship application.
https://www.belhaven.edu/admission/undergrad/aid/scholarships.html
Dean's Scholarship for First-Year Students
$15,000-$17,000 per year · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 2.75 or above (high school cumulative) · ACT: 20+
Eligibility: Full-time, first bachelor's degree, on-campus undergrad program; FAFSA not required but encouraged
Renewal: Renewable up to 5 years (or 10 semesters) if the student is full-time and maintains satisfactory academic progress.
Other terms: Middle automatic academic tier for a 2.75+ GPA with a 20+ ACT. $5,000 of the award goes toward campus housing.
https://www.belhaven.edu/admission/undergrad/aid/scholarships.html
Achievement Grant for First-Year Students
$14,000-$15,500 per year · Published range
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: 2.75 or above (high school cumulative) · ACT: 18-19
Eligibility: Full-time, first bachelor's degree, on-campus undergrad program; FAFSA not required but encouraged
Renewal: Renewable up to 5 years (or 10 semesters) if the student is full-time and maintains satisfactory academic progress.
Other terms: Automatic academic tier for a 2.75+ GPA paired with an 18-19 ACT. $5,000 of the award goes toward campus housing. Named a 'Grant' but is merit/academic, not need-based.
https://www.belhaven.edu/admission/undergrad/aid/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: The four first-year academic awards (President's, Dean's, Achievement, Advantage) are mutually exclusive merit tiers — a student is placed in one based on GPA/ACT, not granted several. Some add-ons layer on top (the Presbyterian PSP is explicitly 'added to the student's total award'), but Belhaven publishes explicit non-combination rules: the Residence Hall Grant 'cannot be awarded in combination with tuition discounts, waivers, sponsorships, and some Belhaven scholarships.' No published policy describes how third-party OUTSIDE scholarships displace institutional aid.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
