Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

No for the Excellence Scholarship — it is automatic and included with your admission notification, based on high school GPA or test score (whichever yields the greater amount). The Presidential Scholarship requires no separate application either; qualified students (at least 3.85 GPA or 30 ACT) are invited to participate after admission. Talent scholarships DO require separate applications by Feb. 1.

Are merit scholarships renewable?

Yes — per the catalog, incoming students offered a merit/performance scholarship may receive funding for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first, provided they meet the renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines. The Concordia Promise is renewable for up to four years with an annual FAFSA and continued eligibility.

Concordia College (Moorhead)· Renewal Rules

Keeping Concordia College (Moorhead)’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 6 of 6
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 6
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Concordia College (Moorhead)'s published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

Excellence Scholarships: Full-time enrollment
Presidential Scholarship (National Alumni Board Presidential Scholarship / Presidential Gold Scholarship): See notes
The Concordia Promise: See notes
Talent Scholarships (Music, Speech and Debate, Theatre, Visual Arts): See notes
Community Achievement Scholarship (CAS): See notes
Transfer Excellence: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Excellence Scholarships
$13,000-$19,000
Entry requirements: Tiered: <=3.00 = $13,000 up to 3.97+ = $19,000 GPA · Tiered: <=21 = $13,000 up to 33+ = $19,000 ACT
To keep it: Catalog: merit/performance scholarships may be funded 'for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first, provided the student meets the necessary renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.' Institutional scholarships require full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits) and are only available fall and spring semesters.
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/admission/commitment/value/
Presidential Scholarship (National Alumni Board Presidential Scholarship / Presidential Gold Scholarship)
$26,500
Entry requirements: 3.85 (minimum to be invited) GPA · 30 (minimum to be invited) ACT
To keep it: Catalog general rule: merit/performance scholarships funded for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, subject to renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/tuition-aid/concordia-scholarships/presidential-scholars/
The Concordia Promise
Full tuition
Entry requirements: None ('There is not a GPA requirement to be eligible for the program'), but must maintain satisfactory academic progress GPA
To keep it: Renewable each year for up to four years or until the point of graduation, whichever comes first. Students must submit a FAFSA annually and continue to meet eligibility requirements (including AGI under $90,000 and 15 credits per term).
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/admission/the-concordia-promise/
Talent Scholarships (Music, Speech and Debate, Theatre, Visual Arts)
Amount not published
To keep it: Catalog general rule: merit/performance scholarships funded for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, subject to renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/tuition-aid/concordia-scholarships/
Community Achievement Scholarship (CAS)
Full tuition, room, and board
Entry requirements: No GPA requirement to apply ('Scholarship decisions will be made based on the student's video submission and interview.') GPA
To keep it: Renewable for up to four years (per the CAS page: 'Covers tuition, food, and housing; renewable for up to four years').
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/tuition-aid/concordia-scholarships/community-achievement-scholarship/
Transfer Excellence
$13,000-$19,000
Entry requirements: Based on college GPA (no published grid for transfers) GPA
To keep it: Catalog general rule: merit/performance scholarships funded for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, subject to renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Source: https://www.concordiacollege.edu/admission/transfer-students/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

Dropping below full-time enrollment and losing institutional scholarships, or below 15 credits and losing the Promise.
Catalog: 'Institutional scholarships and grants are only available during fall and spring semesters and require full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 semester academic credits each semester).' The Concordia Promise separately requires enrollment in 'a minimum of 15 credits per term.'
Assuming merit scholarships last beyond four years.
Catalog: incoming students offered a merit/performance scholarship 'may receive funding for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first,' subject to renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Renewal questions families ask

Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?: No for the Excellence Scholarship — it is automatic and included with your admission notification, based on high school GPA or test score (whichever yields the greater amount). The Presidential Scholarship requires no separate application either; qualified students (at least 3.85 GPA or 30 ACT) are invited to participate after admission. Talent scholarships DO require separate applications by Feb. 1.
Are merit scholarships renewable?: Yes — per the catalog, incoming students offered a merit/performance scholarship may receive funding for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first, provided they meet the renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines. The Concordia Promise is renewable for up to four years with an annual FAFSA and continued eligibility.

Rules that bite at Concordia College (Moorhead)

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Concordia College (Moorhead)'s own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalExcellence Scholarships: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Catalog: merit/performance scholarships may be funded 'for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first, provided the student meets the necessary renewal criteria and Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.' Institutional scholarships require full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits) and are only available fall and spring semesters. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Concordia College (Moorhead) compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Concordia College (Moorhead) 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 renewal claim is checked against Concordia College (Moorhead)’s own published materials.