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BJU scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

BJU is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 4 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jun 2026
1 school source to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

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The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Academic Scholarship (BJU Merit Scholarships)$7,000-$14,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Academic Scholarship (BJU Merit Scholarships)

    $7,000-$14,000

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Unweighted 4-point HS GPA tiers: 4.0+ ($12,000), 3.9+ ($10,000), 3.6+ ($9,000), <3.6 ($7,000)
    SAT
    1390+ ($14,000); 1260+ ($12,000); 1160+ ($10,000); 1060+ ($9,000)
    ACT
    31+ ($14,000, regardless of GPA); 27+ ($12,000); 24+ ($10,000); 21+ ($9,000)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Academic Scholarship (BJU Merit Scholarships)

    Who qualifies

    CLT accepted (100+/89+/79+/67+); test scores must be submitted by June 15 to qualify for test-based amounts; highest composite used; transfers placed by college GPA ($7,000-$12,000).

    How to keep it

    Aid is automatically renewed up to 4 years/8 semesters, if student meets all eligibility requirements (12+ credits per semester on campus; BJU Satisfactory Academic Progress; not online-only).

    Worth knowing

    'As a new first-year student, you are automatically considered for BJU aid once you finish the admission application process.' Even sub-3.6/low-test students receive $7,000. Grid explicitly labeled 'BJU — 2026-27.'

  2. SC Free Tuition Guarantee$0 tuition and program fees (combined aid package)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    SC Free Tuition Guarantee

    $0 tuition and program fees (combined aid package)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for SC Free Tuition Guarantee

    Who qualifies

    Qualifying South Carolina students; FAFSA by August 1 each year; family income of $100,000 or less AGI on the most current FAFSA.

    How to keep it

    Requires FAFSA submission by August 1 EACH year; additional eligibility criteria apply (linked page not opened).

    Worth knowing

    A combined-package guarantee, not a single scholarship: BJU combines the entire aid package so tuition and program fees net to $0. 'Students are responsible for non-tuition costs such as housing, meals, student fees, textbooks and course-related expenses.'

  3. BJU Fellows Scholarship$0 tuition (combined aid package)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    BJU Fellows Scholarship

    $0 tuition (combined aid package)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for BJU Fellows Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    South Carolina students who qualify for the state's Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Program; FAFSA by August 1 each year.

    How to keep it

    Requires FAFSA by August 1 each year and continued Palmetto Fellows qualification. (A BJU news page referenced renewability up to eight semesters; the main page states the general 4-year/8-semester renewal rule.)

    Worth knowing

    Combined-package tuition guarantee for Palmetto Fellows: 'Students are responsible for books, other academic fees and food and housing (if applicable).' The SC-aid tab also notes 'Palmetto Fellows qualify for the BJU Fellows Scholarship.'

  4. Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (SC state award, as listed by BJU)Up to $6,700 (freshman); up to $7,500 (sophomore+); up to $10,000 (math/science, sophomore+)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (SC state award, as listed by BJU)

    Up to $6,700 (freshman); up to $7,500 (sophomore+); up to $10,000 (math/science, sophomore+)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Palmetto Fellows Scholarship (SC state award, as listed by BJU)

    Who qualifies

    SC residents; based on academic merit (state criteria); Affidavit of Eligibility required each year for all SC grants/scholarships.

    How to keep it

    Eligibility based on full-time enrollment in at least 12 degree-applicable credits; continuing eligibility requires BJU's SAP standards.

    Worth knowing

    LIFE (up to $5,000; $7,500 math/science soph+) and HOPE ($2,800, freshmen) are also listed; LIFE/HOPE applicants must submit a Certification Form with the affidavit. SC Tuition Grant up to $5,000 is need-based (FAFSA).

Lights up against BJU's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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  • “it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa

The fine print

Renewal rulePalmetto Fellows Scholarship (SC state award, as listed by BJU): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Eligibility based on full-time enrollment in at least 12 degree-applicable credits; continuing eligibility requires BJU's SAP standards. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes BJU different

BJU publishes an automatic 2026-27 merit grid ($7,000-$14,000, with the top tier requiring only a 31 ACT/1390 SAT regardless of GPA), two $0-tuition guarantees for South Carolinians, and a General Scholarship Rule that caps all gift aid at direct costs.

Merit tiers41 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take BJU's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. Test scores 'must be submitted to BJU by June 15 to be eligible for the test-based award amounts.' A 3.5-GPA student with a 31 ACT is worth $14,000 with scores on file but only $7,000 without them — a $28,000 swing over four years.

  2. The grid is explicit: 'HS GPA is based on an unweighted 4-point scale.' A 4.3 weighted GPA may be a 3.7 unweighted — the $9,000 tier, not $12,000.

  3. The General Scholarship Rule caps institutional + federal + state gift aid at direct costs, and BJU 'will reduce its institutional grants and scholarships beginning with need-based' if you exceed it — even retroactively when a state grant arrives after packaging.

  4. The SC Free Tuition Guarantee covers tuition and program fees only — 'Students are responsible for non-tuition costs such as housing, meals, student fees, textbooks.' BJU Fellows covers tuition only, with books, fees, food and housing on the family.

  5. Both the SC Free Tuition Guarantee and the BJU Fellows Scholarship require a FAFSA 'by August 1 each year' — an annual deadline, not just a freshman-year one. SC state awards also require an Affidavit of Eligibility every year.

  6. 'All undergraduate awards require enrollment in a minimum of 12 credits per semester of attendance on campus' (last semester excepted), and 'BJU aid does not apply to online only enrollment.' Renewal also requires meeting SAP, with an 8-semester cap.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

High testers win big (31+ ACT alone secures $14,000), every admitted freshman gets at least $7,000, and South Carolina families earning under $100K or holding Palmetto Fellows status can pay zero tuition — if they file the FAFSA by August 1.

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at BJU, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$14,287
$30,001–$48,000$13,936
$48,001–$75,000$15,414
$75,001–$110,000$17,997
$110,001+$23,972
All income levels (average)$16,641

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$36,580
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$24,470
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$16,641

That works out to an average 55% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
65%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
82%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$16,585 (~$176/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$44,354
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
35%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
20%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

BJU's General Scholarship Rule caps all institutional aid plus federal/state grants and scholarships at the student's direct costs (tuition + fees for day students; tuition + fees + room and board for residence students). Aid above the cap triggers reductions to BJU's institutional aid, starting with need-based awards — including retroactively if state/federal aid arrives after BJU aid was packaged.

Verbatim policy: combined aid cannot exceed direct costs; BJU reduces institutional grants/scholarships 'beginning with need-based.' Renewal is automatic up to 4 years/8 semesters if eligibility maintained; BJU aid does not apply to online-only enrollment; 12-credit minimum per semester on campus (except final semester). Private/outside scholarships are not explicitly named in the GSR — confirm their treatment.

Source

Other BJU scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,000EligibilityAt least 1 parent is a BJU grad.

Source

Amount$1,000EligibilityParent employed full-time in a Christian ministry.

Source

Amount$1,000EligibilityAcademy of Home Education HS graduate.

Source

Amount$1,000EligibilityBob Jones Academy HS graduate.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFAFSA required; awards based on financial need.

Under the GSR, need-based institutional aid is the FIRST to be reduced if total gift aid exceeds direct costs.

Source

BJU merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    Merit grid: test scores must reach BJU by June 15 for test-based amounts. SC Free Tuition Guarantee and BJU Fellows: FAFSA by August 1 each year. The FAFSA itself opens October 1. (Pages state month/day without years; for fall 2026 entry these fall in 2026.)

  • Do I need to apply separately for merit scholarships?

    No — 'As a new first-year student, you are automatically considered for BJU aid once you finish the admission application process.'

  • Can I really pay $0 tuition as a South Carolina student?

    Two paths: (1) SC Free Tuition Guarantee — SC students with family AGI of $100,000 or less who file the FAFSA by August 1 pay $0 in tuition and program fees; (2) BJU Fellows — Palmetto Fellows qualifiers pay $0 in tuition. Both combine your entire aid package and exclude housing, meals, and books.

  • How long does my merit scholarship last?

    Aid is automatically renewed up to 4 years/8 semesters if you meet all eligibility requirements: 12+ on-campus credits per semester and BJU's Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

  • How much does BJU cost?

    The tuition page retrieved during this extraction displayed a '2024-25' header ($11,140/semester tuition, $5,190/semester room & board, ~$1,000/semester typical program fee) even though the site links to it as 'Tuition/Room & Board 2026-27' — current-year figures could not be confirmed; verify with admissions.

See sources and other schools

How BJU compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    BJU is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    BJU 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 BJU’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • Wofford merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Anderson merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Claflin merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Morris merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring BJU merit aid

The next chapter

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