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Defiance· Renewal Rules

Keeping Defiance’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
7 of 7
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
7
Renewal risk profile
low

Renewal risk profile

Defiance'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.

  • Dean's Scholarship: See notes
  • Pilgrim Scholarship: See notes
  • Trustee Scholarship: See notes
  • Achievement Scholarship: See notes
  • Transfer Scholarship: See notes
  • 1850 Promise: See notes
  • Presidential Service Leadership Award: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • Dean's Scholarship

    $13,000

    Entry requirements: Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff) GPA · Used in combined calculation; no published cutoff SAT · Used in combined calculation; no published cutoff ACT

    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).

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

  • Pilgrim Scholarship

    $12,000

    Entry requirements: Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff) GPA

    To keep it: Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

  • Trustee Scholarship

    $9,000

    Entry requirements: Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff) GPA

    To keep it: Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

  • Achievement Scholarship

    $6,000

    Entry requirements: Calculated individually from GPA and ACT/SAT combination (no published cutoff) GPA

    To keep it: Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

  • Transfer Scholarship

    $6,000-$13,000

    Entry requirements: 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) GPA

    To keep it: Renewed each year according to established requirements (specifics not published).

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

  • 1850 Promise

    Amount not published

    Entry requirements: Cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher GPA

    To keep it: Program requirements include maintaining commuter status; other renewal specifics not published.

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/1850-promise/

  • Presidential Service Leadership Award

    $5,000

    To keep it: This award is renewable for 4 years.

    Source: https://www.defiance.edu/scholarships-and-grants/

How families lose this aid

  • Going test-optional in nursing, biology, or education.

    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.

  • Assuming the 1850 Promise is open to any 3.0 student.

    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.

  • Treating the TEACH Grant as free money.

    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.

Renewal questions families ask

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.

How Defiance compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Defiance 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 Defiance’s own published materials.

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