Every new residential freshman at Cedarville is automatically considered for a renewable academic scholarship of $15,000 to $25,000 per year based on high-school credentials — no separate application, just submit qualifying GPA or (optional) test scores by July 31 — and music, worship, pharmacy, and ministry awards stack on top up to the cost of attendance.
Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers51 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC
Rules that bite at Cedarville
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Cedarville's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalPresident's Scholar Award (academic scholarship for new residential freshmen): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to four years (eight semesters) as long as the student maintains the required Cedarville cumulative GPA. Cedarville publishes per-named-tier renewal GPAs: President's Society Fellows 3.2, President's Excellence 3.2, Chancellor's Excellence 3.0, Deans' Excellence 3.0, Faculty Excellence 2.8, President's Scholar Award 2.7, Cedarville Achievement 2.5. Renewal reviewed once a year at the end of Spring Semester; full-time enrollment (12+ credits) required each term. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Cedarville
The academic scholarship is awarded automatically, but only if your qualifying GPA or (optional) standardized test scores are on file by July 31. Submit official credentials early so the award is locked in before billing.
Cedarville caps total gift aid at your DIRECT University charges. If institutional + outside scholarships exceed your charges, Cedarville reduces its OWN institutional aid — so a large outside award can displace your Cedarville scholarship instead of cutting what your family pays once charges are covered.
Older Cedarville catalogs listed fixed per-tier figures (e.g., a $15,000 President's Excellence, $13,000 Chancellor's). The current 2026-27 site only publishes the overall '$15,000 to $25,000 per year' range; the per-tier entry amounts and qualifying GPA/test cutoffs are not posted publicly, so ask the aid office for your exact tier rather than relying on old numbers.
Cedarville's academic scholarships are for new RESIDENTIAL freshmen. Online undergraduates are not eligible for Cedarville scholarships and are pointed to federal/state aid, loans, and outside scholarships instead.
Each tier has its own renewal cumulative GPA (3.2 down to 2.5). If your Cedarville cumulative GPA falls below your tier's line at the end of Spring Semester, the award is not renewed — though it can be reinstated mid-year if you raise the GPA back to the required level.
Who this school is for
Strong students seeking a Christ-centered Baptist university where a sizable academic scholarship is automatic on stats (no essay, no separate app) and can be combined with talent and ministry awards; especially music, worship, and pre-pharmacy applicants, and students with a parent in full-time ministry.
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$15,000 to $25,000 per year
President's Scholar Award (academic scholarship for new residential freshmen)
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Based on high-school credentials; specific qualifying GPA per tier is NOT published on current pages
SAT
Optional; specific qualifying scores per tier are NOT published on current pages
ACT
Optional; specific qualifying test scores per tier are NOT published on current pages
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
New residential freshman; qualifying GPA or standardized test scores (test scores not required) must be submitted by July 31; no separate application required
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to four years (eight semesters) as long as the student maintains the required Cedarville cumulative GPA. Cedarville publishes per-named-tier renewal GPAs: President's Society Fellows 3.2, President's Excellence 3.2, Chancellor's Excellence 3.0, Deans' Excellence 3.0, Faculty Excellence 2.8, President's Scholar Award 2.7, Cedarville Achievement 2.5. Renewal reviewed once a year at the end of Spring Semester; full-time enrollment (12+ credits) required each term.
Notes
Awarded automatically on high-school credentials — no essay or separate scholarship application. The single published amount on current 2026-27 pages is the range '$15,000 to $25,000 per year.' Internally the award is split into seven named tiers (President's Society Fellows, President's Excellence, Chancellor's Excellence, Deans' Excellence, Faculty Excellence, President's Scholar Award, Cedarville Achievement) — those tier names and their RENEWAL GPAs are published, but the per-tier ENTRY dollar amounts and qualifying GPA/test cutoffs are NOT published on the current public site (older 2020-21-catalog figures circulate but are stale and lower; do not use). Online (non-residential) students are not eligible.
Declared music major (not music minors or non-majors); completed audition with music faculty after admission to the University
Renewal terms
Based on performance and discretion of the music faculty. Full-time enrollment as a music major (12+ credits); limited to eight semesters, fall and spring only.
Notes
Determined as part of the music audition. May be combined with Cedarville's academic and need-based awards (stacks).
Declared worship major (not worship minors or non-majors); completed worship audition (essay, musical audition, interview, recommendations) after admission
Renewal terms
Renewable terms not stated explicitly on the page. Full-time enrollment as a worship major (12+ credits); limited to eight semesters, fall and spring only.
Notes
Awarded on the strength of the worship audition. May be combined with Cedarville's academic and need-based awards (stacks).
Acceptance into the Early Assurance Program; active enrollment in the BS Pharmaceutical Sciences program
Renewal terms
Renews as long as the student continues active enrollment in the undergraduate (BS Pharmaceutical Sciences) portion and has not begun the P1 portion of the PharmD program, and maintains the program Continuation Requirements. Full-time enrollment (12+ credits); limited to six semesters, fall and spring only.
Notes
Awarded in addition to any other Cedarville undergraduate scholarships, but the combined total of gift aid cannot exceed direct University charges (coa-cap).
Up to $7,000 per year for selected…Up to $7,000 per year for selected students
President's Ministry Impact Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Selected undergraduate students whose parent is in full-time vocational ministry and who demonstrate Christian character and leadership; complete the online scholarship application by February 15, 2026 and the FAFSA (or ISFF) by January 31, 2026
Renewal terms
Renewable as long as the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and remains in good standing, including an annual review of student conduct against the Cedarville community covenant. Full-time enrollment (12+ credits); eligibility expires after eight semesters; fall and spring only.
Notes
Competitive/selective (a separate application is required). May be combined with other scholarships and grants (stacks).
Cedarville's academic, talent (music/worship), pharmacy, and ministry awards are explicitly combinable with other scholarships and grants. However, total gift aid (institutional + outside) is capped at the student's direct University charges: if combined scholarships/grants exceed direct charges, Cedarville reduces its own institutional gift aid down to the charges. Outside awards of $1,500+ are automatically split between fall and spring.
Institutional scholarships stack with each other and with outside awards UP TO direct University charges. The cut, when over the cap, falls on Cedarville's own institutional gift-based aid (not on the student's federal/outside award), so a large outside scholarship can erode the institutional award rather than reduce the family's bill once charges are covered.
Do I have to apply separately for Cedarville's academic scholarship?
No. The President's Scholar Award (the $15,000-$25,000/yr academic scholarship for new residential freshmen) is awarded automatically based on your high-school credentials — no separate application. You just need your qualifying GPA or optional standardized test scores submitted by July 31. The music, worship, pharmacy, and President's Ministry Impact awards DO require auditions or a separate application.
What is the deadline?
Submit qualifying GPA / optional test scores by July 31 for the automatic academic scholarship. The President's Ministry Impact Scholarship requires the online application by February 15, 2026 and the FAFSA/ISFF by January 31, 2026. Music, worship, and pharmacy awards follow their program audition/acceptance timelines.
Can I stack Cedarville scholarships with other awards?
Yes — academic, music, worship, pharmacy, and ministry awards are explicitly combinable with other scholarships and grants. But total gift aid (institutional + outside) cannot exceed your direct University charges; if it does, Cedarville reduces its own institutional aid to stay at the cap.
How do I keep my scholarship for four years?
Maintain the Cedarville cumulative GPA published for your tier (3.2 for President's Society Fellows and President's Excellence; 3.0 for Chancellor's and Deans' Excellence; 2.8 for Faculty Excellence; 2.7 for President's Scholar Award; 2.5 for Cedarville Achievement). Renewal is reviewed once a year at the end of Spring Semester, full-time enrollment is required, and eligibility expires after eight semesters.
How Cedarville compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Cedarville is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Cedarville is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Cedarville’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
