The starting point
BYU-Pathway Worldwide has no classic merit grid at all — instead every student qualifies for a guaranteed needs-based 10–50% Heber J. Grant Tuition Discount on already-low per-credit tuition ($86–$107.50/credit in the U.S.), but U.S. degree-seeking students cannot use federal loans, Pell Grants, or VA benefits.
Selection beyond grades and scores. These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 4 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.
Heber J. Grant Tuition Discount
10%, 25%, or 50% off tuition · Published coverage or package
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: Apply to BYU-Pathway and register for courses; complete an interactive lesson about principles of self-reliance in the student portal; discount percentage determined by self-reported, needs-based questions in the module
Renewal: PathwayConnect: automatically applied for the duration of PathwayConnect (three terms); reapply when enrolling in an online degree program. Online degrees: apply at the beginning of the program, be registered for courses at least three days before the start of each semester, and reapply every two years. Per the catalog, 'The percentage of tuition discount awarded may change each block based on worldwide need.'
Other terms: Guaranteed/needs-based, not merit: all new and continuing students qualify, but the 10/25/50% level is set by need criteria established by the BYU-Pathway scholarship committee, not by GPA or test scores.
https://www.byupathway.edu/hjg-scholarship
Returned Missionary Scholarship
25% tuition discount · Published coverage or package
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: Returned from a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints within the last 60 months (includes early-release and service missionaries); pass an English language assessment as part of the PathwayConnect application; register at least three days before each semester starts
Renewal: Must register for courses at least three days before the start of each semester to remain eligible.
Other terms: Awarded automatically based on returned-missionary status (not GPA/test stats). Available to both PathwayConnect and online degree-seeking students.
https://www.byupathway.edu/scholarship25
Mentor Bridge
50% tuition discount (one-time) · Published coverage or package
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
GPA: 77% or higher GPA (as stated; BYU-Pathway uses a percentage GPA scale)
Eligibility: Must be at risk of not retaining due to financial barriers; granted by a mentor — referrals from other sources are not accepted
Renewal: One-time discount; not renewable per the catalog wording.
Other terms: Documented only in the academic catalog's tuition policy, not on the marketing tuition-discounts page.
https://catalog.byupathway.edu/academicpolicies/tuition/tuition-fees-other-financial-information
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: BYU-Pathway does not publish whether its own discounts (Heber J. Grant, Returned Missionary, Mentor Bridge) can be combined with each other. On outside aid, the tuition-discounts page says students may apply for private scholarships, yet in the very next breath says U.S. citizens working toward a degree are not eligible for federal loans, Pell Grants, VA benefits, 'or other third-party scholarships' — an apparent internal contradiction.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
