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Carson-Newman University · Tennessee

Carson-Newman scholarships and merit aid

Carson-Newman publishes a clean automatic GPA-only merit grid ($10,000 even below a 2.5 GPA, up to $18,000 at 3.9, never reduced for low test scores) plus stackable niche awards — but institutional aid is explicitly last-dollar under a gift-aid cap, and tuition-based outside funds can reduce it.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Carson-Newman worth a closer look?

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

Merit tiers62 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 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.

$10,000-$18,000

Freshman Merit Scholarships (Fall 2026-Spring 2027 grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Presidential Excellence $18,000 at 3.90+; Presidential $16,000 at 3.5+; Dean's $14,000 at 3.0+; Faculty $12,000 at 2.5+; Achievement $10,000 below 2.5
SAT
Optional
ACT
Optional — a low score can never decrease the award
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded at acceptance from high school GPA and optional ACT/SAT/CLT; 'No additional application is required.' Updated scores accepted until June 15, 2026 for merit INCREASE consideration.

How to keep it

Students maintain eligibility by enrolling full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) and obtaining Satisfactory academic standing each semester. Merit scholarships are renewable for a total of 8 semesters.

Notes

Grid verbatim: <2.5 → $10,000 | 2.5 → $12,000 | 3.0 → $14,000 | 3.5 → $16,000 | 3.9 → $18,000. 'No student's merit scholarship can be decreased because of a low ACT/SAT/CLT score.'

Source

$10,000-$14,000

Transfer Merit Scholarships (Fall 2026-Spring 2027 grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Pinnacle $14,000 at 3.60+ transfer GPA; Elite $12,000 at 3.00-3.59; Excellence $10,000 below 3.00
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

All admitted first-degree transfers automatically considered; 'No separate scholarship application is required.' Based solely on the college transfer GPA; highest qualifying award granted.

How to keep it

Automatically renewed for the applicable sophomore, junior, and/or senior year(s), provided that grade point average and progress toward degree requirements are met.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition, housing, meals, books, and fees (4 years / 8 semesters)

Jesse Baker Presidential Fellowship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

C-N's most distinguished academic scholarship; awarded to ONE remarkable incoming first-year student; invitation-based; participation in Insignis Weekend required for consideration.

How to keep it

Provides four academic years (eight semesters) of continuous study.

Notes

The only true full-ride at C-N.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition (top five students); $1,000 for other Honors participants

Honors Premier Scholarship / Honors Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Invitation to Insignis Weekend; participation required for consideration.

Notes

LAST-DOLLAR caveat (verbatim): 'Scholarship will take into consideration all other grants and scholarship eligibility first.'

Source

$4,500 per year

Compass Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.0 (or ACT 21+)
ACT
21 (or 3.0 GPA)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Out-of-state new freshmen and transfers only (traditional undergraduate); selective; separate Compass Scholarship Application due February 1, 2026. NOT eligible: students receiving a separate full-tuition scholarship or Bonner scholarship, contracted athletes, or Intercollegiate Recreational Sports (fishing and archery).

How to keep it

Renewable for 4 years.

Notes

The main out-of-state add-on.

Source

Full tuition

Tarr Full-Tuition Scholarship (Music)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Competition in instrument, voice, piano, organ, and strings; department audition required for prospective music majors. Other music scholarships valued at a $1,000 minimum per year.

How to keep it

Awarded student must continue as a music major and meet the required academic GPA as specified by the School of Music for renewal.

Notes

Last-dollar caveat (verbatim): 'full tuition scholarship will take into consideration all other grants and scholarship eligibility first.' Major restriction: must continue as a music major.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Carson-Newman's published information.

  • Renewal ruleFreshman Merit Scholarships (Fall 2026-Spring 2027 grid): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Students maintain eligibility by enrolling full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) and obtaining Satisfactory academic standing each semester. Merit scholarships are renewable for a total of 8 semesters. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Outside awardsGrant-first displacement = outside wins can pay the school

    Carson-Newman 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.

What families often miss

  1. The page repeats three times: 'University grants and scholarships are generally tuition based. Therefore, receipt of external funds that are also tuition based may reduce institutional grant and scholarship eligibility.'

  2. 'Institutional aid is considered the last dollar applied to the bill,' awards can be 'reduce[d], modif[ied], or cancel[ed] when aid limits are exceeded,' and 'No cash refunds will be generated from C-N funds.'

  3. Both carry the caveat that the 'scholarship will take into consideration all other grants and scholarship eligibility first' — they top up to full tuition rather than add.

  4. The $4,500/yr Compass application is due February 1, 2026, and full-tuition scholarship recipients, Bonner Scholars, contracted athletes, and fishing/archery sport members cannot apply.

  5. 'Carson-Newman Admissions will accept updated scores until June 15, 2026, for merit scholarship increase consideration.' (Scores can only raise the award — never lower it.)

  6. Renewal requires full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic standing each semester; merit is 'renewable for a total of 8 semesters' and 'applicable towards a student's first bachelor's degree during fall and spring terms, not summer terms.'

  7. 'An awarded student must continue as a music major and meet the required academic GPA as specified by the School of Music for renewal.'

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

GPA-strong, test-shy students (the grid is GPA-driven and a low ACT/SAT/CLT can never lower it — even sub-2.5 students get $10,000), out-of-state students chasing the $4,500 Compass add-on, and high achievers competing for the full-cost Jesse Baker Fellowship via Insignis Weekend.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $60,771 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Carson-Newman, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$16,672
$30,001–$48,000$16,446
$48,001–$75,000$17,313
$75,001–$110,000$21,209
$110,001+$28,621
All income levels (average)$20,251

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$34,700
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,251

That works out to roughly a 59% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $49,024 (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
53%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
74%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,500 (~$228/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$48,382
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
46%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
60%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships can reduce institutional grant or scholarship dollars; see the sourced policy for the exact mechanism.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Outside Aid — It is important that the Financial Aid Office be notified of any outside assistance as these must be included as part of your award letter, and they may affect your aid eligibility. Outside aid can be in the form of scholarships from churches, organizations, or tuition benefits from employers. Instances where the outside aid is to be used for tuition, and your tuition is paid by C-N resources, your C-N resources will be reduced first before loan assistance. (page 21, "Outside Aid" section)

Source

Other Carson-Newman scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityStudents who completed their associate degree and remained TN Promise eligible; 2.5 cumulative GPA to receive and retain

Renewable up to two years toward the bachelor's; no community service hours required.

Source

Amount$2,500-$25,000 (based on financial need)EligibilityFinancial need plus demonstrated commitment to community service

Community-service expectation; Bonner recipients cannot also hold the Compass Scholarship.

Source

Amount$1,500-$2,500 per yearEligibilityNot need-based; community service hours required to maintain eligibility

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityDirect dependents of alumni who indicate the relationship on the admission application

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityFull-time undergraduates who are direct dependents of ministers/missionaries (not online programs); documentation required

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityTransfer students who participated in PTK; self-identify to your Admissions Representative

Source

AmountMostly $1,000-$2,000 per yearEligibilityParticipation/audition/portfolio per program

Stackable per the page's encouragement to apply for more than one scholarship, subject to the caps and limits policy.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityAcademically qualified students from Korea; eligible for four successive years

Source

Amount100% tuition + monthly stipendEligibilityVia C-N's Eagle Battalion; national Army ROTC criteria

Federal/military program hosted on the page.

Source

Carson-Newman merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    The merit grid is automatic at acceptance (no application). Key dates on the page: updated test scores accepted until June 15, 2026 for merit increases; Compass Scholarship application due February 1, 2026; art portfolios due by the end of February. Insignis Weekend participation (by invitation) is required for the Jesse Baker Fellowship and Honors scholarships.

  • What merit award does my GPA earn for fall 2026?

    Below 2.5 GPA: $10,000 (Achievement); 2.5: $12,000 (Faculty); 3.0: $14,000 (Dean's); 3.5: $16,000 (Presidential); 3.90: $18,000 (Presidential Excellence) — per year, renewable 8 semesters with full-time enrollment and satisfactory standing. Test scores are optional and can only increase the award.

  • What does Carson-Newman cost for 2026-27?

    Estimated COA $60,771: direct costs $55,100 (tuition & fees $42,500; housing and meals $12,600) plus indirect estimates (books $1,600, transportation $1,813, personal $2,258). No out-of-state tuition premium.

  • Are there full-tuition or full-ride options?

    Yes: the Jesse Baker Presidential Fellowship (one student; tuition, housing, meals, books, fees for 8 semesters), the Honors Premier Scholarship (top five Insignis students, full tuition, last-dollar), the Tarr Music full-tuition competition (last-dollar, music majors), and Army ROTC (100% tuition + stipend).

  • Do transfer students get automatic merit?

    Yes — Pinnacle $14,000 (3.60+), Elite $12,000 (3.00-3.59), Excellence $10,000 (<3.00), automatically considered at acceptance and auto-renewed with GPA and degree progress; PTK members add $1,000.

See sources and other schools

How Carson-Newman compares

  • 19 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use grant-first displacement.

    Carson-Newman is in the small minority (19 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. Carson-Newman 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.

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

    Carson-Newman 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 Carson-Newman’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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