Champlain auto-awards holistic merit ($18,000-$34,000) and backs it with the Count-On-It guarantee — your scholarship never declines as long as you're full-time with a 2.0 GPA — and outside scholarships usually don't reduce your award either.
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Champlain
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Champlain's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalFirst-Year Merit Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Count-On-It guarantee: renewed annually for four years and never declines as long as the student is enrolled full-time and maintains a 2.0 GPA (prorated for less-than-full-time). First bachelor's degree only; not transferable to online programs. 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 Champlain
Recipients of Champlain tuition benefits, Tuition Exchange scholarships, and Yellow Ribbon benefits are NOT eligible for the Count-On-It guarantee, and it does not apply to need-based federal/state grants or Champlain funds impacted by them (e.g., Vermont First Generation, New American, Single Parent, Imagine College, Pathways).
The guarantee holds only while you are enrolled full-time and maintain a 2.0 GPA; Champlain funds are prorated for less-than-full-time enrollment.
Even the largest first-year merit tier ($34,000) is below the $49,500 tuition for 2026-27, so it does not cover tuition in full, let alone the ~$20K of housing, food, and fees.
In most cases an outside scholarship does NOT reduce your Champlain scholarship — but tuition benefits, tuition exchange, and military/veterans' benefits are exceptions that can affect your eligibility.
Champlain funds apply only to your first bachelor's degree, are not transferable to online programs, and are not available for third-party study-abroad programs.
Who this school is for
Students who want predictable aid — Champlain's Count-On-It guarantee locks your merit for four years at full-time + 2.0 GPA — plus cyber/forensics/CS/data students who can compete for the $10,000/yr Leahy Center Scholar award.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $73,363 for 2026-2027. Source
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.
$18,000-$34,000 per year
First-Year Merit Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Holistic — no published stat grid
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Automatically considered based on the admissions application; notable academic achievement and/or extracurricular accomplishments
Renewal terms
Count-On-It guarantee: renewed annually for four years and never declines as long as the student is enrolled full-time and maintains a 2.0 GPA (prorated for less-than-full-time). First bachelor's degree only; not transferable to online programs.
Notes
$72,000-$136,000 over four years. No published GPA/test grid (holistic). Top tier ($34,000) is below the $49,500 tuition, so even the largest merit is effectively tuition-directed and does not cover the full bill.
Degree in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Computer Science & Innovation, or Data Analytics; academic achievement + demonstrated interest (clubs, certifications, summer programs); up to 20 students/year
Renewal terms
Renewable four-year program; guaranteed employment in the Leahy Center once certain employment requirements are met.
Notes
Major-restricted merit award with an employment guarantee.
Outside scholarships do NOT reduce a Champlain scholarship in most cases. EXCEPTIONS: tuition benefits, tuition exchange, and military/veterans' benefits are not treated as outside scholarships and could impact eligibility for additional Champlain scholarships. The Count-On-It guarantee (merit never declines at full-time + 2.0 GPA) does not extend to recipients of Champlain tuition benefits, Tuition Exchange scholarships, or Yellow Ribbon benefits, nor to need-based federal/state grants and Champlain funds impacted by them.
Scholarships page (outside awards) plus Count-On-It terms & conditions. Champlain funds apply only to the first bachelor's degree and are not transferable to online programs or third-party study abroad.
AmountUp to full cost of attendance (with EFC + federal/state aid)EligibilityFirst-generation Vermont HS seniors, full-time, Pell-eligible; must remain in campus housing for full award
No — under the Count-On-It Financial Aid Guarantee, your merit scholarship never declines for four years as long as you remain enrolled full-time and maintain a 2.0 GPA (with carve-outs for tuition benefits, Tuition Exchange, Yellow Ribbon, and need-based federal/state-linked funds).
Do I need to apply separately for merit scholarships?
No. You're automatically considered for most scholarships based on your admissions application; only the Pathways Scholarship requires a supplemental nomination form.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Champlain award?
In most cases, no. The exceptions are tuition benefits, tuition exchange, and military/veterans' benefits, which are not treated as outside scholarships and could affect your eligibility for additional Champlain scholarships.
How Champlain compares across our verified dataset
8 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use no-displacement displacement.
Champlain is in the small minority (8 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Champlain 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 claim is checked against Champlain’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
