How long do scholarships last?

Undergraduate scholarships and university grants remain the same for all four years (up to 8 semesters) unless requirements are unmet or financial circumstances change; they require continuous full-time enrollment (min 12 credits) and Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Catholic University· Renewal Rules

Keeping Catholic University’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 10 of 10
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 10
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Catholic University's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

The Catholic University of America Scholarship (CUA Scholarship): Full-time enrollment
Legacy Grant: See notes
Parish Scholarship: See notes
Archdiocesan Scholarship: 3.20 GPA
Most Reverend David M. O'Connell Service Scholarship: See notes
Basselin Scholarship Program: See notes
Karen Laub-Novak Art and Faith Scholarship: See notes
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship (Transfer Students Only): See notes
Tuition Exchange Scholarship (TEP): See notes
John Paul II Institute Employee Grant: Full-time enrollment

Renewal terms by tier

The Catholic University of America Scholarship (CUA Scholarship)
$17,000-$32,000
To keep it: University scholarships may be renewed for up to eight semesters or until you complete your current degree; requires continuous full-time enrollment (min 12 credits) and Satisfactory Academic Progress. Page states amounts are 'not subject to future increases (except for the Archdiocesan Scholarship).'
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Legacy Grant
$1,000
To keep it: Renewable for up to four years; determined only at time of admission.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Parish Scholarship
$4,000
To keep it: Renewable for up to four years.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Archdiocesan Scholarship
Amount not published
To keep it: Recipients must maintain a 3.20 cumulative GPA at all times plus Satisfactory Academic Progress. This is the only university scholarship that IS subject to future increases.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Most Reverend David M. O'Connell Service Scholarship
Full tuition
To keep it: Four-year, full-tuition award.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Basselin Scholarship Program
50% tuition waiver plus scholarships for remaining tuition, room, and board
To keep it: Tied to continued participation in the Basselin Fellowship Program.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Karen Laub-Novak Art and Faith Scholarship
$5,000
To keep it: Renewable scholarship totaling $20,000 over four years, plus up to $6,500 research/travel support.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship (Transfer Students Only)
$3,000
To keep it: Renewable award.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html
Tuition Exchange Scholarship (TEP)
Approximately 85% of tuition (2025-2026)
To keep it: Continuing students must be determined eligible by their home institution and continue to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/tuition-exchange.html
John Paul II Institute Employee Grant
$10,000
To keep it: Renewable as long as the parent maintains continuous full-time employment at the Institute and the student remains matriculated in good standing; up to four years (eight semesters), aggregate max $40,000.
Source: https://financial-aid.catholic.edu/undergraduate/aid-programs/scholarships.html

How families lose this aid

Trying to stack the Tuition Exchange Scholarship with other CUA aid
The TEP award (~85% of tuition) cannot be combined with any other Catholic University scholarship or grant — accepting it forfeits the CUA Scholarship and other institutional awards.

Renewal questions families ask

How long do scholarships last?: Undergraduate scholarships and university grants remain the same for all four years (up to 8 semesters) unless requirements are unmet or financial circumstances change; they require continuous full-time enrollment (min 12 credits) and Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Rules that bite at Catholic University

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Catholic University's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalThe Catholic University of America Scholarship (CUA Scholarship): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
University scholarships may be renewed for up to eight semesters or until you complete your current degree; requires continuous full-time enrollment (min 12 credits) and Satisfactory Academic Progress. Page states amounts are 'not subject to future increases (except for the Archdiocesan Scholarship).' A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Catholic University compares across our verified dataset

247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Catholic University is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 renewal claim is checked against Catholic University’s own published materials.