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Coe scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$71,890per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Coe awards automatic merit on admission. Coe does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 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. Trustee ScholarshipAmount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Trustee Scholarship

    Amount not published

    Published award termsNot 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 Trustee Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    All first-year applicants automatically considered; exact amount revealed on applying. To receive the FULL amount, students must live on campus.

    How to keep it

    Renewable; standard merit renewal. Full amount requires living on campus.

    Worth knowing

    Stated ceiling is 'Up to $42,000 per year' — no published GPA/test grid; the per-student amount is holistic and disclosed in the admission/aid offer.

  2. Williston Jones Full-Tuition Scholarships (Distinguished Trustee / Leadership / Sustainability / Marshall Music)Full tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Williston Jones Full-Tuition Scholarships (Distinguished Trustee / Leadership / Sustainability / Marshall Music)

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot 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 Williston Jones Full-Tuition Scholarships (Distinguished Trustee / Leadership / Sustainability / Marshall Music)

    Who qualifies

    Competitive; requires a separate scholarship-day registration/application (links to apply.coe.edu). Williston Jones Leadership Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for an additional three years at the tuition rate of the student's entering year, plus a yearly increase of $1,000. Full amount requires living on campus.

    Worth knowing

    CRITICAL ANTI-STACK RULE: a Williston Jones scholarship valued at $42,000 or more makes the student ineligible for ANY other Coe-funded aid, and the award REPLACES any institutional scholarships/grants already awarded. Four named tracks: Distinguished Trustee, Leadership, Sustainability, Marshall Music.

  3. Merit Recognition Award (National Merit)Full tuitionAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Merit Recognition Award (National Merit)

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Merit Recognition Award (National Merit)

    Who qualifies

    Full tuition for National Merit Scholarship Program FINALISTS; National Merit SEMIFINALISTS are awarded $47,000.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for an additional three years at entering-year tuition rate plus a yearly $1,000 increase, provided the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress. Full amount requires living on campus.

    Worth knowing

    ANTI-STACK RULE: a Merit Recognition Award valued at $42,000 or more makes the student ineligible for any other Coe-funded aid and replaces any institutional scholarships/grants. This award is automatic on confirmed National Merit standing (finalist/semifinalist), hence automaticOnStats true.

  4. Visual & Performing Arts Scholarships and All-State Music Scholarships$4,000-$5,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Visual & Performing Arts Scholarships and All-State Music Scholarships

    $4,000-$5,000

    Published rangeNot 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 Visual & Performing Arts Scholarships and All-State Music Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    By audition/interview with art, music and theatre faculty; open to majors and non-majors. All-State musicians automatically receive $5,000 (Feb. 1 admission deadline). Music Department also awards scholarships up to full tuition.

    Worth knowing

    VPA awards valued up to $4,000; All-State Music at $5,000/yr.

  5. Iowa Kohawk Awards$2,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Iowa Kohawk Awards

    $2,000

    Published 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 Iowa Kohawk Awards

    Who qualifies

    Qualified applicants from Iowa high schools, automatically considered. Commuter students considered for $1,000/yr.

    How to keep it

    $8,000 over four years.

    Worth knowing

    Home-state award.

  6. Impact Awards$2,500Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Impact Awards

    $2,500

    Published 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.

    Open award details for Impact Awards

    Who qualifies

    Eligible admitted students notified of criteria at time of admission.

  7. National Kohawk Awards$2,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    National Kohawk Awards

    $2,000

    Published 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 National Kohawk Awards

    Who qualifies

    Admitted students awarded a Trustee Scholarship are automatically considered for this additional award.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for three years after the student's first year at Coe College.

    Worth knowing

    Out-of-state geographic-diversity award.

  8. Illinois Kohawk Award$8,400Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Illinois Kohawk Award

    $8,400

    Published 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.

    Open award details for Illinois Kohawk Award

    Who qualifies

    First-year students from Illinois admitted to Coe and eligible for the Illinois MAP Grant after filing the FAFSA. Matches the Illinois MAP Grant amount.

    Worth knowing

    Designed to match the Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant.

Lights up against Coe's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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What makes Coe different

Every first-year applicant is auto-considered for a Trustee Scholarship up to $42,000/yr, but a full-tuition Williston Jones or Merit Recognition award worth $42,000+ REPLACES all other Coe-funded aid rather than stacking on it.

Merit tiers81 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  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 Coe'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. Any such award valued at $42,000+ makes you ineligible for all other Coe-funded aid and REPLACES institutional scholarships/grants you were already offered — so winning the big award does not add to your other Coe money.

  2. The page states that to receive the FULL scholarship amount students are expected to live on campus; commuters are directed to contact Admission and (for the Iowa Kohawk award) are considered for the lower $1,000/yr figure.

  3. The educational-costs handbook states that when a student is approved to move off-campus, institutional financial aid (merit and need-based) may be adjusted.

  4. Coe publishes only a ceiling ('Up to $42,000') and tells students to apply to learn the exact amount — there is no stat grid.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

High-achieving students who want a large automatic discount (Trustee up to $42K) and competitive applicants chasing a full-tuition Williston Jones or National Merit award — who should know the biggest award caps out other Coe aid.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $71,890 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Coe, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$11,479
$30,001–$48,000$11,523
$48,001–$75,000$14,475
$75,001–$110,000$20,223
$110,001+$27,167
All income levels (average)$18,745

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$54,666
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$18,745

That works out to roughly a 72% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $67,372 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
66%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
73%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$57,125
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
39%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
69%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships may reduce a student's federal self-help aid (Direct Loans, work-study), but Coe affirmatively states it will not reduce institutional need-based gift aid because of outside scholarships.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): No. While outside scholarships may impact your federal need-based self-help aid (Direct loans, work study, etc.) they will not change the amount of institutional need-based gift aid you were awarded by Coe. In other words, Coe will not reduce the institutional aid we award you because of your outside scholarships. You benefit from receiving outside aid that does not need to be repaid or earned, even if it means your work study or federal loans are reduced.

Source

Other Coe scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,300EligibilitySelect undergraduates invited to interview for fellowship positions in the Coe College Writing Center; strong interest in writing across all academic areas. Interview dates Nov 15 2025, Jan 31 2026, Feb 14 2026.

Per year.

Source

Amount$500EligibilitySiblings of current Coe undergraduates or of Coe graduates.

Annual.

Source

Amount$1,000EligibilityStudents with parents or grandparents who are Coe alumni.

Annual.

Source

Coe merit aid FAQ

  • How do I find out my scholarship amount?

    Coe states: 'To learn the exact amount that you may be eligible to receive, simply apply to Coe College.' All first-year applicants are automatically considered for the Trustee Scholarship.

  • What is the All-State Music scholarship deadline?

    All-State musicians automatically receive a $5,000 scholarship with a February 1 admission deadline.

  • Does a National Merit award stack with my Trustee Scholarship?

    No. A Merit Recognition Award (or Williston Jones award) valued at $42,000 or more makes you ineligible for any other Coe-funded aid and replaces any institutional scholarships/grants.

  • How do full-tuition awards renew?

    They renew for three additional years at the tuition rate of your entering year plus a yearly $1,000 increase; Merit Recognition Awards additionally require Satisfactory Academic Progress.

See sources and other schools

How Coe compares

  • 14 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use no-displacement displacement.

    Coe is in the small minority (14 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.

    Coe 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Coe is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Coe’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Coe merit aid

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