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Defiance scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$42,643per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Defiance is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

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.

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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. Dean's Scholarship$13,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Dean's Scholarship

    $13,000

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

    GPA
    Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff)
    SAT
    Used in combined calculation; no published cutoff
    ACT
    Used in combined calculation; no published cutoff
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Dean's Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Test-optional calculation (GPA only) available except for nursing, biology, or education majors

    How to keep it

    Scholarships are offered to eligible students and are renewed each year according to established requirements (specific renewal GPA not published on this page).

    Worth knowing

    For students entering Fall 2026. Eligibility is determined individually; the page does not publish a stat grid or state the award is automatic, so automaticOnStats is set false.

  2. Pilgrim Scholarship$12,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Pilgrim Scholarship

    $12,000

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

    GPA
    Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Pilgrim Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Test-optional option except nursing, biology, education majors

    How to keep it

    Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Worth knowing

    For students entering Fall 2026.

  3. Trustee Scholarship$9,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Trustee Scholarship

    $9,000

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

    GPA
    Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Trustee Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Test-optional option except nursing, biology, education majors

    How to keep it

    Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Worth knowing

    For students entering Fall 2026.

  4. Achievement Scholarship$6,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Achievement Scholarship

    $6,000

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

    GPA
    Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Achievement Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Test-optional option except nursing, biology, education majors

    How to keep it

    Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Worth knowing

    For students entering Fall 2026.

  5. Transfer Scholarship$6,000-$13,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Transfer Scholarship

    $6,000-$13,000

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.75-4.0+ = $13,000; 3.5-3.74 = $12,000; 3.0-3.49 = $9,000; 2.6-2.99 = $6,000 (cumulative GPA from all previously attended colleges/universities)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Transfer Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Accepted full-time transfer students

    How to keep it

    Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Worth knowing

    Published GPA grid; awarded based on academic performance at all previously attended institutions with no separate application stated.

  6. 1850 PromiseAmount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    1850 Promise

    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
    Cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for 1850 Promise

    Who qualifies

    Must qualify for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) via FAFSA; maintain commuter status; permanent residence in Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Fulton, Lucas, Putnam, Paulding, Van Wert, Williams, or Wood county

    How to keep it

    Program requirements include maintaining commuter status; other renewal specifics not published.

    Worth knowing

    Promise program 'designed for eligible area high school students to earn a debt-free bachelor's degree,' starting with the 2026-27 academic year. No dollar amount published — framed as debt-free outcome, not a stated award value.

  7. Presidential Service Leadership Award$5,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Presidential Service Leadership Award

    $5,000

    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 Presidential Service Leadership Award

    Who qualifies

    New students with a demonstrated record of service in their communities; separate application due May 1 (later applications wait-listed)

    How to keep it

    This award is renewable for 4 years.

    Worth knowing

    May not be combined with athletic or music scholarships.

Lights up against Defiance'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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The fine print

Outside awardsNo published displacement order

Defiance's policy doesn't specify whether outside scholarships hit loans, grants, or only the COA ceiling. Get a written aid-office answer before chasing private awards.

What makes Defiance different

DRAFT: Defiance publishes four flat-dollar academic scholarship tiers ($6,000-$13,000) determined from GPA/test scores, a transfer GPA grid, and a new 1850 Promise debt-free program for OCOG-eligible commuters from eleven northwest-Ohio counties.

Merit tiers71 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 Defiance's decision sheet

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

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What Defiance's aid office says

Per the financial aid office, Defiance College, August 2026. How we verify

GPA bands for merit scholarships

What GPA range corresponds to each merit scholarship amount?

Scholarship amounts are tied to GPA ranges: 3.75–4.0+ receives $13,000; 3.5–3.74 receives $12,000; 3.0–3.49 receives $9,000; and 2.6–2.99 receives $6,000.

“- 3.75 – 4.0+ $13,000 - 3.5 – 3.74 $12,000 - 3.0 – 3.49 $9,000 - 2.6 – 2.99 $6,000”
Order of reducing aid with private scholarships

When a private outside scholarship posts, what is reduced first?

When a private scholarship is received, federal or private loans are reduced first, depending on the amount and the student's budget.

“In regards to private scholarships, we always reduce any federal or private loan(s) first depending on the amount and budget associated for the student.”

What families often miss

  1. The scholarships page repeatedly footnotes these awards: 'May not be combined with athletic or music scholarships.' Recruited athletes and music-scholarship students cannot add them.

  2. The page states final scholarships 'are coordinated with other federal, state, and Defiance College sponsored awards and may be influenced by the student's on-campus or commuter status' — moving off campus or commuting can change the package.

  3. The test-optional GPA-only calculation is available only to students who are NOT in nursing, biology, or education majors — those majors must submit ACT/SAT for scholarship calculation.

  4. Applications for the $5,000 Presidential Service Leadership Award are due May 1; later applications are placed on a waiting list rather than considered outright.

  5. It is gated three ways: students must qualify for the need-based Ohio College Opportunity Grant via FAFSA (an income test), maintain commuter status (no campus housing), and hold permanent residence in one of eleven listed northwest-Ohio counties.

  6. If the four-year teaching service obligation in a high-need field is not completed, the TEACH Grant converts to a loan that must be repaid with interest.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Solid students seeking predictable flat-dollar merit at a small Ohio college — and especially lower-income commuter students from the eleven eligible counties, who can target a debt-free degree via the 1850 Promise.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $42,643 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Defiance, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$27,196
$30,001–$48,000$26,105
$48,001–$75,000$25,884
$75,001–$110,000$24,554
$110,001+$26,637
All income levels (average)$26,337

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$29,320
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$26,337

That works out to roughly a 51% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $53,667 (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
31%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
56%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,813 (~$284/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$49,351
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
66%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
79%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Final scholarships are coordinated with other federal, state, and Defiance College awards and can be influenced by on-campus vs. commuter status; several specific awards (Presidential Service Leadership, Alumni Legacy Grant, UCC Grant, Defiance College Grant) may not be combined with athletic or music scholarships. Treatment of private outside scholarships is not addressed on the pages opened.

The scholarships page states awards are 'coordinated' and housing status can change amounts, but publishes no formula. The repeated asterisk rule bars combining the listed awards with athletic or music scholarships. No policy on outside/private scholarship displacement was found.

Source

Other Defiance scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,000EligibilityDependents of DC alumni demonstrating financial need.

Awarded annually; may not be combined with athletic or music scholarships. Contact financial aid if a parent attended or graduated from DC.

Source

Amount$500EligibilityActive members of a UCC church demonstrating financial need; verification from a church official may be required.

Awarded annually; may not be combined with athletic or music scholarships.

Source

AmountVaries by needEligibilityFull-time students who demonstrate need as determined by FAFSA.

Need-based, not merit; may not be combined with athletic or music scholarships.

Source

Amount$3,772 (grants first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2021)EligibilityUndergraduates agreeing to teach full-time for at least four years in a high-need field at a low-income-serving school.

Converts to a loan with interest if the service obligation is not completed.

Source

Defiance merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    The academic scholarships have no published deadline — eligibility is calculated from GPA and ACT/SAT at admission. The Presidential Service Leadership Award application is due May 1; applications after that date are placed on a waiting list.

  • How much are the freshman academic scholarships for Fall 2026?

    Dean's Scholarship $13,000; Pilgrim Scholarship $12,000; Trustee Scholarship $9,000; Achievement Scholarship $6,000 — annual amounts based on full-time enrollment, determined individually from GPA and ACT/SAT (test-optional GPA-only calculation available outside nursing, biology, and education).

  • How much is the transfer scholarship?

    By transfer GPA: 3.75-4.0+ gets $13,000; 3.5-3.74 gets $12,000; 3.0-3.49 gets $9,000; 2.6-2.99 gets $6,000.

  • What does Defiance College cost for 2026-27?

    Full-time tuition is $14,250 per semester ($28,500/year), the all-inclusive fee is $550 per semester ($1,100/year), and housing & food are $6,521.50 per semester ($13,043/year), plus a $90/year parking fee — about $42,643 in published charges before books and personal expenses.

  • What is the 1850 Promise?

    A debt-free bachelor's degree program starting in 2026-27 for commuter students with a 3.0+ high school GPA who qualify for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant via FAFSA and permanently reside in Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Henry, Fulton, Lucas, Putnam, Paulding, Van Wert, Williams, or Wood county.

See sources and other schools

How Defiance compares

  • 133 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.

    Defiance is in a recognizable cluster (133 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 133 of 749 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.

    Defiance is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.

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

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Defiance merit aid

The next chapter

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