Bethel (MN) awards an automatic, unweighted-GPA academic-achievement grid (Dean's $3,000 / Provost's $5,000 / President's $7,000) to traditional College of Arts & Sciences students — a structure that's new for students beginning fall 2025 or later. (DRAFT)
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers31 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Bethel (MN)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Bethel (MN)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalAcademic Achievement Scholarships (Dean's / Provost's / President's): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable annually. Must be enrolled at least half-time in courses required for graduation, be in good standing, and work toward a first bachelor's degree; awards prorated for less than full-time. A specific renewal-GPA threshold is not stated on this page. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $45,150 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Bethel (MN) cannot push the package past $45,150. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Bethel (MN)
This grid is for students 'beginning fall 2025 or later'; earlier cohorts had a different scholarship structure, so older award letters or third-party summaries may not match.
The Dean's Scholarship floor is 2.80 for spring 2026 and fall 2026 transfer students but 2.90 for fall 2026 first-year students — the cutoff shifts by entry term.
Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if total gift aid from all sources exceeds your COA budget; total aid (including loans) cannot exceed cost of attendance.
Bethel grants and scholarships require at least half-time enrollment in courses required for graduation and are prorated below full-time; you must also stay in good standing and pursue a first bachelor's degree.
The grid is purely GPA-based (unweighted, 4.0 scale) — submitting test scores does not change the award; only your cumulative HS/transfer GPA at admission matters.
Departmental scholarships are one-year awards that require a new application each year by February 10 — even renewals must reapply.
Who this school is for
Traditional first-year and transfer College of Arts & Sciences students with a 2.80+ unweighted GPA earn an automatic award scaled by GPA, topping out at the President's Scholarship at a 3.90-4.00 GPA. (DRAFT)
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $45,150 for 2026-2027. Source
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.
Dean's: incoming fall 2026 HS GPA 2.90-3.49 (spring 2026 and fall 2026 transfer 2.80-3.49); Provost's 3.50-3.89; President's 3.90-4.00 (unweighted, 4.0 scale)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Cumulative high school or transfer GPA at point of admission; transfer = 24+ post-HS credits; College of Arts & Sciences
Renewal terms
Renewable annually. Must be enrolled at least half-time in courses required for graduation, be in good standing, and work toward a first bachelor's degree; awards prorated for less than full-time. A specific renewal-GPA threshold is not stated on this page.
Notes
Test-blind GPA grid (no ACT/SAT). Automatically considered during admissions. IMPORTANT freshness note: this President/Provost/Dean's structure applies to students 'beginning fall 2025 or later' — earlier cohorts had a different scholarship structure. Dean's GPA floor differs by entry term (2.80 spring 2026 / transfer vs 2.90 fall 2026).
Current/returning CAS students recommended by departments; both need- and merit-based; half-time minimum
Notes
For returning students only; apply to the relevant department(s) by the February 10 deadline; selected by department committees, notified in late April.
COA cap: Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if total gift aid from all sources exceeds the financial aid cost-of-attendance budget; total aid (scholarships + grants + loans) cannot exceed COA.
The page reduces Bethel's own grants/scholarships when combined gift aid (including outside scholarships) exceeds COA. No explicit loan-first/grant-first ordering is published beyond 'may be reduced.'
How do I apply for the academic-achievement scholarships?
You're automatically considered during the admissions process (for students beginning fall 2025 or later). The award is set by your cumulative unweighted high school or transfer GPA at the point of admission.
What GPA do I need for each tier?
Dean's $3,000: ~2.80-3.49 (2.90-3.49 for fall 2026 first-years); Provost's $5,000: 3.50-3.89; President's $7,000: 3.90-4.00.
Can my total aid exceed my cost of attendance?
No. Bethel grants and scholarships are reduced if your total gift aid from all sources exceeds your COA budget, and total aid (scholarships + grants + loans) cannot exceed COA.
When is the departmental scholarship deadline?
February 10 each year, for returning students who apply to their department(s); recipients are notified in late April.
How Bethel (MN) compares across our verified dataset
62 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Bethel (MN) is in a recognizable cluster (62 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Bethel (MN) is one of them. The cohort minority (25 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Bethel (MN)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
