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MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

CSU Bakersfield
Decision sheet

California · Research checked 2026-06-07 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

CSUB is a low-cost, overwhelmingly need-based CSU campus with NO automatic GPA/test merit grid — institutional scholarships are competitive, donor-funded, and typically range $300-$2,500, applied for through one Roadrunner Scholarship Universe application.

Selection beyond grades and scores. 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.

Awards to discuss

The 2 awards in this school's research. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.

Fine Arts Merit Award Scholarship (FAMAS)

$1000 each year (four-year scholarship) · Published award terms

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Incoming freshmen from Kern County; an audition or interview, a short essay, and a letter of recommendation are required. Apply for CSUB admission and complete the scholarship application at csub.scholarshipuniverse.com.

Renewal: Described as a 'four-year scholarship'; awardees 'receive $1000 each year.' Specific renewal GPA/conditions are not published on the page.

Other terms: Competitive arts award, NOT automatic on stats. Restricted to incoming freshmen from Kern County who pursue Fine Arts (administered via the Theatre Program). The $1,000/yr figure is the only published fixed merit dollar amount found for an incoming freshman at CSUB.

https://www.csub.edu/theatre/future-students/scholarships.shtml

CSUB Academic Scholarships (Roadrunner Scholarship Universe)

Typically $300 to $2,500 (usually disbursed over multiple terms) · Published range

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Competitive. One general application on csub.scholarshipuniverse.com matches the student to scholarships they meet criteria for; awards are based on academic achievement, financial need, and/or other donor-established criteria. Priority application period January 1 - March 2.

Renewal: Not stated; awards are selected by donors and/or scholarship committees each cycle and 'are usually disbursed over multiple terms.' Renewal is donor/committee-dependent, not a published institutional rule.

Other terms: This is the umbrella pool for most CSUB institutional scholarships — NOT an automatic GPA/test merit grid. Amounts and criteria are set per-donor. There is no guaranteed award. The $300-$2,500 figure is the published typical range across all CSUB academic scholarships, not a single award.

https://catalog.csub.edu/general-information/csub-information/financial-aid-scholarships/

Ask before you decide

  1. Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
  2. What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
  3. How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?

Recorded stacking policy: CSUB requires all outside scholarships to be disclosed; they are treated as a resource and added to the financial aid package as an externally awarded scholarship, with a revised award notification issued. Total aid from all sources is coordinated against Cost of Attendance/unmet need. Merit scholarships and fee waivers are themselves 'included when determining unmet need,' so outside awards can reduce other need-based aid rather than the merit award. No grant-vs-loan displacement order is published, so the precise displacement order is unclear — confirm with the aid office.

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/csu-bakersfield/merit-aid

The research date is not a guarantee that a policy still applies. Confirm current amounts, deadlines and conditions with the school before making a financial decision.