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Cedar Crest award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at Cedar Crest?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

4 of 4 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers
4 of 4
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
4
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Cedar Crest's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • Merit Scholarships (First-Year Grid: Presidential / Trustee / Founders / Dean's / Fellows): See notes
  • Cedar Crest Trailblazer Award: 3.0 GPA
  • STAR – State Tuition Access Rate: 2.5 GPA
  • 2026-2027 Transfer Student Merit Scholarships (Presidential / Trustee / Founders / Deans): 2.5 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

  • Merit Scholarships (First-Year Grid: Presidential / Trustee / Founders / Dean's / Fellows)

    $21,000-$25,000

    Entry requirements: Presidential 3.9+; Trustee 3.6-3.8; Founders 3.4-3.5; Dean's 3.1-3.3; Fellows below 3.0 GPA

    To keep it: They must also remain in good academic standing for renewal of any scholarships and awards received.

    Source: https://www.cedarcrest.edu/admissions-and-aid/scholarships/

  • Cedar Crest Trailblazer Award

    Full tuition

    To keep it: 3.0 GPA required for renewal

    Source: https://www.cedarcrest.edu/admissions-and-aid/scholarships/

  • STAR – State Tuition Access Rate

    Amount not published

    Entry requirements: 3.25 unweighted high school GPA (first-year) or 3.25 cumulative college GPA (transfer) GPA

    To keep it: Fixed at the 2025-2026 rate for four years (8 fall and spring semesters) provided the recipient remains enrolled full-time and maintains a 2.5 GPA; must also maintain academic and judicial standing.

    Source: https://www.cedarcrest.edu/admissions-and-aid/tuition-fees/state-tuition-access-rate/

  • 2026-2027 Transfer Student Merit Scholarships (Presidential / Trustee / Founders / Deans)

    $18,000-$24,000

    Entry requirements: Presidential 3.75+; Trustee 3.5-3.74; Founders 3.0-3.49; Deans 2.5-2.99 (cumulative transfer GPA from all transfer institutions) GPA

    To keep it: Automatically renewed each year provided the student maintains a 2.5 cumulative GPA and retains full-time student status.

    Source: https://www.cedarcrest.edu/admissions-and-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

  • Expecting the STAR rate to track future flagship tuition or to combine with merit discounts.

    STAR is 'fixed at the 2025-2026 rate for four years' and is a tuition rate, not a scholarship; federal/state aid and outside scholarships are 'applied to the remaining balance of student bills.' Renewal requires full-time enrollment and a 2.5 GPA — falling below loses the rate.

Renewal questions families ask

What GPA keeps my scholarship?
First-year merit awards require remaining 'in good academic standing.' Trailblazer requires a 3.0 GPA. STAR and transfer merit awards require a 2.5 cumulative GPA and full-time status.

Rules that bite at Cedar Crest

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

  • Renewal ruleSTAR – State Tuition Access Rate: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Fixed at the 2025-2026 rate for four years (8 fall and spring semesters) provided the recipient remains enrolled full-time and maintains a 2.5 GPA; must also maintain academic and judicial standing. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Cedar Crest compares across our verified dataset

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

    Cedar Crest 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 renewal claim is checked against Cedar Crest’s own published materials.

More on Cedar Crest merit aid