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Biola University · California

Biola scholarships and merit aid

Every admitted freshman at Biola lands automatically in a five-tier academic merit grid worth $14,500-$24,500 per year (no separate application), and the top applicants can compete for the full-tuition Trustee Scholarship awarded to 10 students.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is Biola worth a closer look?

Biola awards automatic merit on admission. Biola does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers76 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

$24,500 per year

Freshman Academic Scholarship (President's tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Calculated via Biola's GPA calculator; top tier
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance for first-time full-time freshmen; SAT/ACT optional. Updated GPA and SAT/ACT scores due May 1.

How to keep it

Page states the scholarship is 'renewable annually (when a minimum GPA is maintained).' The specific renewal GPA is governed by the Academic Scholarship Renewal Policy PDF, which did not parse; the exact minimum GPA number is not confirmed from an official page (see Section C).

Notes

Automatic, no separate application. President's is the highest of the five published academic tiers. Tier placement is determined by Biola's GPA calculation; exact GPA/test cutoffs per tier are not published as a public grid (calculator-driven).

Source

$23,500 per year

Freshman Academic Scholarship (Provost's tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Calculated via Biola's GPA calculator
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance; SAT/ACT optional.

How to keep it

Renewable annually when a minimum GPA is maintained (specific GPA not confirmed from an official page).

Notes

Automatic, no separate application. Second-highest of five academic tiers.

Source

$22,500 per year

Freshman Academic Scholarship (Dean's tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Calculated via Biola's GPA calculator
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance; SAT/ACT optional.

How to keep it

Renewable annually when a minimum GPA is maintained (specific GPA not confirmed from an official page).

Notes

Automatic, no separate application. Middle of five academic tiers.

Source

$19,500 per year

Freshman Academic Scholarship (Eagle's tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Calculated via Biola's GPA calculator
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance; SAT/ACT optional.

How to keep it

Renewable annually when a minimum GPA is maintained (specific GPA not confirmed from an official page).

Notes

Automatic, no separate application. Fourth of five academic tiers.

Source

$14,500 per year

Freshman Academic Scholarship (Founder's Grant tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Calculated via Biola's GPA calculator; entry tier
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance; SAT/ACT optional.

How to keep it

Renewable annually when a minimum GPA is maintained (specific GPA not confirmed from an official page).

Notes

Automatic, no separate application. Lowest of the five named freshman tiers at $14,500/yr. Note: the page's summary range sentence says academic scholarships 'range from $14,000 to $24,500'; the $14,000 floor matches the Transfer Heritage 'Margaret Hart Transfer Grant' bottom tier, while the lowest named FRESHMAN tier listed is the Founder's Grant at $14,500. Flagged in Section C.

Source

Full Tuition Coverage

Trustee Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.8 cumulative unweighted on a 4.0 scale (minimum)
SAT
1500+
ACT
34+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

CLT 110+; demonstrated leadership; two letters of recommendation; first-time full-time freshmen only; separate application required. Awarded to 10 students.

How to keep it

Renewable for the normal length of the academic program. A specific renewal GPA was not present in the official Trustee page content fetched (see Section C).

Notes

Competitive full-tuition award for 10 incoming undergraduates. Application deadline January 15, 2026. This award REPLACES the recipient's academic scholarship and Biola University award (does not stack on top of the academic grid) — flagged in commonMistakes.

Source

$14,000-$23,500 per year

Transfer Heritage Academic Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
College GPA grid: 4.00+ = $23,500 (William Blackstone); 3.75-3.99 = $22,500 (Anna Horton); 3.50-3.74 = $21,500 (Lyman Stewart); 3.00-3.49 = $18,500 (6th & Hope); 2.99 and below = $14,000 (Margaret Hart Transfer Grant)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic award upon acceptance for students transferring 15 or more credits (based on a college transcript). Fall transcript deadline July 1; Spring December 15.

How to keep it

Renewable annually when a minimum GPA is maintained (specific GPA not confirmed from an official page).

Notes

Automatic for transfer students with 15+ credits, placed on a named college-GPA grid. Not for freshmen.

Source

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The Trustee Scholarship REPLACES the recipient's academic scholarship and Biola University award — it is not additive. Winning it converts your award to full tuition rather than adding full tuition to your existing merit.

  2. The freshman Academic Scholarship ($14,500-$24,500) is automatic upon acceptance with no separate application; the Trustee Scholarship is the one that requires a separate application by January 15, 2026.

  3. Updated GPA and SAT/ACT scores are due by May 1; an improved transcript or score submitted by then can move you into a higher academic tier.

  4. 2026-27 full-time tuition & fees are $52,944, but the total cost of attendance for a student living on campus is $73,628 once housing ($7,380), food ($7,050), personal, transportation and books are included. A 'full tuition' award is not a full ride.

  5. Transfers are placed on the separate Transfer Heritage grid ($14,000-$23,500) based on college GPA and need 15+ transferred credits; the five named freshman tiers (President's through Founder's Grant) do not apply to them.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Faith-driven students seeking an interdenominational evangelical Christian university with a predictable, automatic merit floor; high-stat applicants (3.8+ GPA, 1500+ SAT/34+ ACT) who want a shot at full tuition through the competitive Trustee Scholarship.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $73,628 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Biola, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Biola, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$27,144
$30,001–$48,000$25,410
$48,001–$75,000$26,825
$75,001–$110,000$29,846
$110,001+$37,314
All income levels (average)$31,495

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$48,984
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$31,495

That works out to roughly a 50% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $62,757 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
68%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
84%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$23,875 (~$253/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$56,778
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
23%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
46%
See other scholarships and cost examples

Other Biola scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount1st $10,000; 2nd $5,000; 3rd $3,000; 4th $2,000 (scholarships)EligibilityIncoming Cinema and Media Arts students; top 4 contest finalists.

The Snyder School 'gives over $100,000 in scholarships to incoming students every year.' Deadline March 1, 2026. Departmental/talent award.

Source

Amount$15,000/year ($7,500/semester)EligibilityIncoming Computer Science, Robotics, Engineering, Physics or Math majors; preference female.

Renewable up to 3 years per the page. Departmental STEM award.

Source

Amount$3,000/yearEligibilityFirst-generation college students.

March 15 priority; April 15 closes. Institution-sponsored.

Source

Amount$2,000-$6,000/yearEligibilityPer LEAD program criteria.

March 15 priority; April 15 closes. Institution-sponsored.

Source

Amount$1,000 (Fall) / $500 (Spring)EligibilityStudents who complete an official campus visit by the stated date.

Visit by August 30, 2026 for the fall award. Institution-sponsored.

Source

AmountUp to $1,300EligibilityStudents whose church contributes a matching gift.

Oct 1 (full-year); Mar 3 (spring). Institution matches a church gift.

Source

Amount$1,000/yearEligibilityDependents of Biola alumni.

Priority to early applicants. Institution-sponsored.

Source

Biola merit aid FAQ

  • Is the freshman academic scholarship automatic?

    Yes. Biola's Freshman Academic Scholarship is an automatic merit award upon acceptance with no separate application, placing students in one of five tiers from $14,500 (Founder's Grant) up to $24,500 (President's) per year. Update your GPA/test scores by May 1 for best placement.

  • What does the Trustee Scholarship cover and how do I get it?

    It covers full tuition for the normal length of your program and is awarded to 10 first-time full-time incoming undergraduates. It requires a separate application (deadline January 15, 2026), a minimum 3.8 unweighted GPA, and SAT 1500 / ACT 34 / CLT 110. Note it replaces your academic scholarship rather than stacking on it.

  • Can I keep my scholarship every year?

    Yes — the academic scholarship is renewable annually as long as you maintain the minimum GPA and meet eligibility in Biola's Academic Scholarship Renewal Policy. The exact renewal GPA should be confirmed with the Office of Financial Aid (it was not available verbatim on the public pages we reviewed).

  • Do outside scholarships reduce my Biola award?

    Biola's public scholarship pages do not publish a specific outside-scholarship displacement policy. Federal rules cap total aid at the cost of attendance, so a large outside award could affect part of your package. Confirm the specific treatment with the Office of Financial Aid (finaid@biola.edu, 562-903-4742).

See sources and other schools

How Biola compares

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Biola is one of them. The cohort minority (84 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 Biola’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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