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Clayton State scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$24,951per year · 2024-2025 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Clayton State may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
7 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Presidential "E3" Scholars Program$1,500-$3,000 per year (valued at up to $12,000 over four years)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Presidential "E3" Scholars Program

    $1,500-$3,000 per year (valued at up to $12,000 over four years)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.25-3.49 for $1,500/year; 3.5 and above for $3,000/year
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential "E3" Scholars Program

    Who qualifies

    Qualified fall freshmen given automatic consideration, but must complete a basic questionnaire and a 5-7 minute personal-statement video; awarded on a competitive basis while funding is available

    How to keep it

    Awarded for a total of eight consecutive semesters as long as eligibility is maintained. To renew 100%: earn 30 CSU credits in one academic year and a CSU 3.0 cumulative GPA. Partial-renewal 'Success Action Plan': 70% of original award after 1st semester of not meeting criteria, 60% after 2nd consecutive semester, 0% after the 3rd. Must be enrolled full-time (minimum 12 CSU credit hours each fall and spring; 15 recommended).

    Worth knowing

    Funds are applied to direct tuition/fee costs each term; if direct costs are covered, leftover can go to books up to $1,000/yr (top tier) or $400/yr (lower tier). Disbursement is fixed fall/spring and cannot be combined or accelerated.

  2. Clayton State University Coca-Cola Scholars Program (First-Generation)$5,000 per academic year ($2,500 per semester)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Clayton State University Coca-Cola Scholars Program (First-Generation)

    $5,000 per academic year ($2,500 per semester)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Cumulative and term GPA of 3.0 or higher
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Clayton State University Coca-Cola Scholars Program (First-Generation)

    Who qualifies

    First-generation students only (neither biological parent/guardian attained a four-year degree); must be enrolled full-time (minimum 15 credit hours) in a bachelor's program for consecutive Fall and Spring semesters; must complete current-year FAFSA; must submit application, 600-word essay, two letters of recommendation, and a professional resume; must participate in required cohort activities

    How to keep it

    Continuing Coca-Cola student scholars who remain in compliance with all programmatic and academic requirements will not be required to submit a new application annually, but must annually sign the Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship Agreement. Eligible to receive the $2,500 award every semester until degree completion or all funds are disbursed — schedule for final disbursement is Spring 2028 (May), whichever is sooner.

    Worth knowing

    Competitive award covering tuition and fees, awarded Fall/Spring semesters only. Application deadlines: July 31 for Fall, December 15 for Spring.

  3. HOPE Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)Amount not published (covers a portion of tuition; award amounts determined annually by the Georgia Student Finance Commission)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    HOPE Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)

    Amount not published (covers a portion of tuition; award amounts determined annually by the Georgia Student Finance Commission)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.0 HOPE GPA
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for HOPE Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)

    Who qualifies

    Georgia residency per USG/GSFC requirements; U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen; degree-seeking at an eligible institution; Selective Service registration if applicable; must complete FAFSA annually or the GSFAPP (valid 10 years); must not have earned a baccalaureate degree

    How to keep it

    Must have at least a 3.0 HOPE GPA, which includes all college level coursework attempted since high school and from any institution attended; must have attempted less than 127 hours; eligibility expires 10 years after high school graduation; must meet the institution's SAP policy.

    Worth knowing

    Tuition-only assistance: applied toward standard undergraduate tuition only, up to a maximum of 15 hours, whether enrolled full time or part time. It does not cover fees, housing, or food, and covers only a portion of tuition.

  4. Zell Miller Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)Amount not published (applied toward standard undergraduate tuition, up to a maximum of 15 hours at public institutions; award varies)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Zell Miller Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)

    Amount not published (applied toward standard undergraduate tuition, up to a maximum of 15 hours at public institutions; award varies)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Zell Miller Scholarship (Georgia state award administered by Clayton State)

    Who qualifies

    Georgia residency per USG/GSFC requirements; demonstrated academic achievement (specific GPA/test criteria not stated on the Clayton State page — page refers students to GAfutures); U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen; Selective Service registration if applicable; complete FAFSA annually or GSFAPP

    How to keep it

    Eligibility for the Hope and Zell Miller scholarships expires 10 years after the student's high school graduation date; subject to Expiration of Eligibility, Ten Year Eligibility Limit, and Seven Year Eligibility Limit; must meet the institution's SAP policy and not exceed maximum award limits for any HOPE program.

    Worth knowing

    Tuition-only assistance at the public-institution rate. The Clayton State page does not publish the Zell Miller initial academic criteria (e.g., GPA/test minimums) or dollar amounts; it links to GAfutures and the GSFC award-amount lookup.

  5. John Word West ScholarshipsAmount not publishedNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    John Word West Scholarships

    Amount not published

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Beginning freshmen: minimum 3.0 recalculated high school GPA; transfer students: minimum 3.0 cumulative transfer GPA
    SAT
    Minimum SAT score of 1000 (combined Critical Reading and Math only) (freshmen)
    ACT
    ACT composite of 21 or above (freshmen, alternative to SAT)
    Open award details for John Word West Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    New undergraduate students who will begin attending Fall Semester; offered by the John Word West Foundation

    Worth knowing

    One of the few Clayton State awards with published stat cutoffs and a distinct transfer track. Students are automatically considered via the Financial Aid Office's scholarship-matching software; no separate application, but selection is not guaranteed (funds are limited).

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The fine print

Renewal rulePresidential "E3" Scholars Program: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Awarded for a total of eight consecutive semesters as long as eligibility is maintained. To renew 100%: earn 30 CSU credits in one academic year and a CSU 3.0 cumulative GPA. Partial-renewal 'Success Action Plan': 70% of original award after 1st semester of not meeting criteria, 60% after 2nd consecutive semester, 0% after the 3rd. Must be enrolled full-time (minimum 12 CSU credit hours each fall and spring; 15 recommended). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Aid capHard $24,951 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Clayton State cannot push the package past $24,951. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes Clayton State different

Clayton State publishes almost no fixed merit grid of its own — its flagship Presidential "E3" Scholars award tops out at $3,000/year on a published GPA table — so for Georgia residents the real merit money is the state HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships the university administers, plus a no-application automatic-consideration system for dozens of small endowed scholarships.

Merit tiers5See who qualifies
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Clayton State's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. Clayton State's scholarship FAQ states that total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance 'regardless of source,' and that loans, work-study, and/or scholarship awards must be adjusted to ensure no overaward occurs — so additional money can trigger a reduction of other aid.

  2. Qualified fall freshmen are automatically considered, but the page says the value 'is awarded on a competitive basis, while funding is available,' and students must complete a questionnaire and a 5-7 minute personal-statement video to be accepted.

  3. Full renewal requires earning 30 CSU credits in the academic year plus a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Falling short cuts the award to 70% the first semester of non-compliance, 60% the second, and 0% the third — and 12 hours per semester (the minimum to stay enrolled full time) only totals 24 credits, forcing summer make-up courses.

  4. The E3 page warns: 'If you leave the university without a deferment on file, you forfeit your scholarship,' and attending another institution while on deferment also forfeits it. Disbursements also cannot be combined or accelerated for early graduation.

  5. Clayton State's pages describe HOPE as assisting 'with a portion of the tuition cost' and Zell Miller as applied 'toward standard undergraduate tuition, up to a maximum of 15 hours.' Neither covers mandatory fees, housing, food, or books — the 2024-2025 Georgia-resident on-campus COA is $24,951 while tuition is listed at $5,220.

  6. There is no application for Financial-Aid-Office scholarships, but 'students must be accepted and enrolled by July 1 to be considered for Clayton State scholarships,' and need-based scholarship consideration requires the FAFSA by April 1.

  7. The FAQ says award amounts vary because they depend on income generated by the endowment, awards are contingent on investment performance and donor contributions, and 'not all eligible and qualified students will receive a scholarship since funds are limited.'

  8. The Honors Program pages (3.5 GPA minimum for admission) list benefits such as enhanced courses, early registration, and study abroad — no scholarship or tuition award is published as part of the program.

  9. Some scholarships require additional information before they can be awarded; students who meet minimum criteria are contacted only via their Clayton State email account, so unread email can mean a lost award.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Georgia residents who qualify for HOPE (3.0) or Zell Miller, plus freshmen with a 3.25+ GPA who can win the competitive Presidential E3 award and first-generation students eyeing the $5,000/year Coca-Cola Scholars cohort. Out-of-state students will find no published merit grid to offset the higher non-resident tuition.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $24,951 for 2024-2025. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Clayton State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$7,405
$30,001–$48,000$7,032
$48,001–$75,000$9,755
$75,001–$110,000$12,095
$110,001+$14,161
All income levels (average)$8,365

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$5,180
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$16,532
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$8,365

That works out to roughly a 52% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $17,415 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Clayton State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
40%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
71%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$25,706 (~$273/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$49,179
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
76%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
46%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Clayton State enforces a cost-of-attendance cap: total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the annually defined cost of attendance. When an overaward would occur, loans, work-study, and/or scholarship awards are adjusted. The pages do not specify the exact order of reduction or single out private outside scholarships.

From the scholarships FAQ: students receiving Clayton State scholarship assistance cannot be awarded more than the total cost of attendance, and this applies to all financial aid regardless of source; loans, work-study, and/or scholarships may be adjusted to prevent an overaward. Separately, the Spivey Music Scholarship page states eligible students may receive that award in addition to the HOPE Scholarship.

Source

Other Clayton State scholarships worth checking

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

AmountAmount not published (awarded in a range of amounts, proportionate to the applicant's level of musical accomplishment; 'can be significant')EligibilityMusic majors; audition required for entrance into the music program and for any scholarship consideration

Page states eligible students may receive a Spivey Music Scholarship in addition to the HOPE Scholarship — one of the only explicit stacking statements on the site.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityMinimum 3.5 GPA; must have graduated from a Georgia high school; entering freshman or continuing student

One of the few endowed awards open to entering freshmen on pure merit (no need requirement stated).

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityIncoming first-time full-time freshmen who are Georgia residents and NOT eligible for the HOPE scholarship; GPA between 2.0 and 3.0; good standing; demonstrated need; preference to minority students

A rare award specifically for students who miss the HOPE 3.0 cutoff.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityCollege of Health students with a minimum 3.5 GPA, good standing, and financial need determined by FAFSA

Need-based; requires FAFSA.

Source

AmountUp to $1,000 each academic yearEligibilityCurrently enrolled student accepted to the School of Nursing; overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and good academic standing within the nursing program

One of the only endowed awards with a published dollar figure.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityMinimum 3.0 institutional GPA

Established by the Atlanta Airport Rotary Club.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityMinimum 2.5 GPA and demonstrated financial need (FAFSA); College of Health, preference to School of Nursing; entering freshmen encouraged to apply

Recipients may apply in subsequent years but must have a minimum 3.0 GPA if reapplying — a renewal-GPA step-up.

Source

Clayton State merit aid FAQ

  • Is there a scholarship application or deadline at Clayton State?

    There is no separate application for scholarships managed by the Financial Aid Office — matching software automatically considers all accepted entering freshmen, transfers, and continuing students. However, students must be accepted and enrolled by July 1 to be considered for Clayton State scholarships, and need-based scholarships require the FAFSA by April 1 (school code 008976).

  • What is the deadline for the first-generation Coca-Cola Scholars Program?

    Completed application materials are due by July 31 for the Fall semester and December 15 for the Spring semester, emailed to Academic Affairs.

  • How much is the Presidential E3 Scholarship and who qualifies?

    Per the published table, freshmen with a 3.5+ GPA receive $3,000/year and those with a 3.25-3.49 GPA receive $1,500/year, for up to eight consecutive semesters (valued at up to $12,000 over four years). Qualified fall freshmen are automatically considered but must submit a questionnaire and a 5-7 minute video; awards are competitive while funding is available.

  • When will I find out if I got a scholarship?

    For most Clayton State scholarships, students are notified through their Clayton State email account by the end of July. Not all eligible and qualified students will receive a scholarship since scholarships are competitive and funds are limited.

  • Can I keep my scholarship along with HOPE and other aid?

    Yes, but total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance as defined annually — this applies to all financial aid regardless of source, and loans, work-study, and/or scholarships may be adjusted to prevent an overaward. The Spivey Music Scholarship page explicitly notes eligible students may receive it in addition to the HOPE Scholarship.

  • Are international students eligible for Clayton State scholarships?

    Yes — international students are eligible unless the scholarship guidelines indicate that applicants must be U.S. citizens.

  • How do I get HOPE or Zell Miller at Clayton State?

    Complete the FAFSA (annually) or the Georgia Student Finance Application (GSFAPP, valid 10 years), register with Selective Service if applicable, and submit the GSFC request through Clayton State's verification portal. HOPE requires a 3.0 HOPE GPA and pays toward standard undergraduate tuition up to 15 hours; eligibility for both expires 10 years after high school graduation.

See sources and other schools

How Clayton State compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Clayton State is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    Clayton State 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 Clayton State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Clayton State merit aid

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