Bethune-Cookman's institutional merit awards (Presidential, Excelsior 1 & 2, Academic Merit) are last-dollar coverage scholarships defined by what federal/state aid leaves behind and by renewal GPA (3.25-3.50) — not by published fixed dollar amounts; merit consideration is automatic on admission but the awarded amounts are not disclosed on official pages.
Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers4See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC
Rules that bite at Bethune-Cookman
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Bethune-Cookman's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalPresidential Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Register for at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 3.50 cumulative GPA to renew. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
displacementGrant-first displacement = outside wins can pay the school
Bethune-Cookman reduces institutional grant before any other aid line when an outside award arrives. A $5,000 community-foundation win can leave the family bill unchanged.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Bethune-Cookman
B-CU does not publish dollar amounts for its merit awards. The Presidential and Excelsior scholarships are last-dollar: they only pay the gap left after federal aid, state aid (Bright Futures), and outside scholarships. Your institutional dollars can shrink if your other aid grows.
For the Presidential and Excelsior awards it does the opposite. They cover only what is 'not covered by' / 'after all federal and/or state financial aid and other non-institutional scholarships have been applied' — so outside money fills the bill first and the institutional award covers the remainder.
ACT/SAT scores are NOT required for acceptance, but 'In order to be considered for Academic Scholarships, test scores need to be submitted.' Skipping scores can cost you scholarship consideration even though it won't block admission.
'Your merit scholarship does not apply to the summer semesters at B-CU.' Excelsior covers tuition only — not room, board, or books. The published 2026-27 cost of attendance is $35,208, of which $27,604 is direct (tuition/room/board/fees/Book Smart) and $7,604 is estimated indirect costs.
Renewal GPAs differ by award and are strict: Presidential 3.50, Excelsior 1 3.30, Excelsior 2 3.0, Academic Merit 3.25 — all requiring at least 12 semester hours. The Academic Merit Award also must be reapplied for every year.
Who this school is for
Florida and out-of-state students seeking an HBCU (United Methodist-affiliated) where institutional merit fills the gap left by Florida Bright Futures, Florida Prepaid, and federal aid — strongest for high-GPA applicants who can hold a 3.25-3.50 to renew and who submit test scores for academic-scholarship consideration.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $35,208 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.
Amount not published…Amount not published (last-dollar: covers full-time tuition, room, board, and books not covered by federal/state aid and other non-institutional scholarships)
Presidential Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Not published as a fixed cutoff; awarded to first-time-in-college high school graduates by holistic review. Renewal requires 3.50 cumulative GPA.
SAT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
ACT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
High school graduates entering college for the first time
Renewal terms
Register for at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 3.50 cumulative GPA to renew.
Notes
B-CU does NOT publish a dollar amount for this award. It is described as last-dollar coverage of full-time tuition, room, board, and books AFTER federal/state aid and other non-institutional scholarships are applied — so the institutional dollar value depends on the student's other aid. Highest renewal bar of the named awards (3.50).
Amount not published…Amount not published (last-dollar tuition: covers full-time tuition after federal/state aid and other non-institutional scholarships; does NOT cover room, board, or books)
Excelsior Scholarship 1
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Not published as an entry cutoff; first-time-in-college high school graduates. Renewal requires 3.30 cumulative GPA.
SAT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
ACT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
High school graduates entering college for the first time
Renewal terms
Register for at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 3.30 cumulative GPA to renew. Under special circumstances, renewable for a maximum of 4 academic years.
Notes
No dollar amount published. Last-dollar TUITION-only award (no room/board/books). Excelsior 1 carries the higher renewal GPA (3.30) of the two Excelsior tiers.
Amount not published…Amount not published (last-dollar tuition: covers full-time tuition after federal/state aid and other non-institutional scholarships; does NOT cover room, board, or books)
Excelsior Scholarship 2
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Not published as an entry cutoff; first-time-in-college high school graduates. Renewal requires 3.0 cumulative GPA.
SAT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
ACT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
High school graduates entering college for the first time
Renewal terms
Register for at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to renew. Under special circumstances, renewable for a maximum of 4 academic years.
Notes
No dollar amount published. Last-dollar TUITION-only award (no room/board/books). Excelsior 2 has the lower renewal GPA (3.0). The catalog presents Excelsior 1 and Excelsior 2 in a single description distinguished only by renewal GPA.
Not published as an entry cutoff. Renewal requires 3.25 cumulative GPA.
SAT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
ACT
Test scores must be submitted to be considered for Academic Scholarships
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Open to (a) first-time-in-college high school graduates, (b) transfer students with 24 college-credit hours, and (c) matriculating students enrolled at least one academic year with at least 24 earned credit hours
Renewal terms
Register for at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA to renew. Granted on an annual basis — students must reapply each year.
Notes
No dollar amount published and the coverage is not described in dollar or last-dollar terms on the catalog page (unlike Presidential/Excelsior). The only award of the four open to transfers and continuing students. Must reapply annually — not a set-and-forget renewal.
B-CU institutional merit scholarships explicitly combine with Florida Bright Futures, Florida Prepaid, private scholarships, and need-based assistance. However, the two largest awards (Presidential, Excelsior) are structured as LAST-DOLLAR: they only cover what federal/state aid and other non-institutional scholarships leave unpaid, so an outside scholarship or Bright Futures effectively REDUCES the institutional award rather than adding cash on top. Scholarship funds apply first to tuition and fees, then to other university debts.
Two separable facts. (1) Combining is allowed: 'Your scholarship can be combined with various awards, including Florida Bright Futures, Florida Prepaid, private scholarships, and need-based assistance.' (2) But the institutional award is last-dollar: the Presidential Scholarship covers expenses 'not covered by federal and/or state financial aid and other non-institutional scholarships,' and the Excelsior covers tuition 'after all federal and/or state financial aid and other non-institutional scholarships have been applied.' So Bright Futures / outside awards fill the bucket first and the institutional merit shrinks to the remaining gap. Classified grant-first because grants and outside scholarships are applied ahead of (and reduce) the institutional last-dollar award. Application order of funds: 'The scholarship funds will first be applied to cover your tuition and fees. Any remaining funds after settling your student account will then be used to address any outstanding university debts.'
Amount$212.00 per creditEligibilityFlorida residents meeting Bright Futures FAS test-score/GPA thresholds.
STATE award (Florida Bright Futures), not a B-CU institutional scholarship. Combines with B-CU merit but, because B-CU's Presidential/Excelsior are last-dollar, Bright Futures reduces the institutional award. Funding available up to five years from HS graduation; covers tuition and applicable fees.
How much is a Bethune-Cookman merit scholarship worth?
B-CU does not publish dollar amounts for its merit awards. The Presidential Scholarship covers full-time tuition, room, board, and books not already covered by federal/state aid and outside scholarships; the Excelsior scholarships cover full-time tuition (not room, board, or books) after that same aid is applied. Because they are last-dollar, the institutional dollar value depends on your other aid. Ask the financial aid office for your specific award offer.
Do I have to apply separately for merit scholarships?
Students are considered for a scholarship upon admission to B-CU, so there is no separate merit application for the automatic consideration — but you must submit ACT or SAT scores to be considered for Academic Scholarships, and the Academic Merit Award must be reapplied for each year. Applying early opens the door to more scholarship opportunities.
Can a B-CU scholarship be combined with Bright Futures or outside scholarships?
Yes — 'Your scholarship can be combined with various awards, including Florida Bright Futures, Florida Prepaid, private scholarships, and need-based assistance.' But note the Presidential and Excelsior awards are last-dollar: outside and state aid are applied first and the institutional award covers only the remaining gap, so combining does not simply add cash on top.
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?
Renewal requires at least 12 semester hours each term and a cumulative GPA of 3.50 (Presidential), 3.30 (Excelsior 1), 3.0 (Excelsior 2), or 3.25 (Academic Merit Award). The merit scholarship does not apply to summer semesters.
How Bethune-Cookman compares across our verified dataset
23 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use grant-first displacement.
Bethune-Cookman is in the small minority (23 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Grant-first displacement is the rarest published policy in our dataset.
It also produces the worst family-dollar outcome on outside scholarships. Bethune-Cookman sits in this small minority, so treat outside-award strategy here as conservatively as you would at a school with no published policy at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Bethune-Cookman 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.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Bethune-Cookman’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
