How big are Denison's merit scholarships?

Denison says its merit scholarships 'can range from $5,000 to full tuition and do not require repayment,' and all of them are given for four years (eight semesters). The specific amount is set holistically from your admission application — Denison does not publish a stat-banded grid.

What is the Ohio Scholarship and who qualifies?

It is a $25,000-per-year award ($100,000 over four years) for any new student with a permanent Ohio address or who graduates from an Ohio public or private high school. There is no separate application or essay — you just submit your admission application by December 1. It stacks with need-based aid.

Denison· Renewal Rules

Keeping Denison’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 May 20268 days ago· B2-3

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 2 of 2
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 2
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Denison's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

Denison Merit Scholarships (general academic merit): SAP standards
Ohio Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Denison Merit Scholarships (general academic merit)
$5,000 to full tuition per year
To keep it: All Denison merit scholarships are given for four years (eight semesters). Each award carries a GPA requirement and the student must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to retain it each year.
Source: https://denison.edu/campus/finances/types-of-scholarships-aid
Ohio Scholarship
$25,000 per year ($100,000 over four years)
To keep it: Awarded for all four years. Stacks with need-based aid; Denison still meets 100% of demonstrated financial need beyond the award.
Source: https://denison.edu/campus/admission/ohio-initiative

How families lose this aid

Counting on an outside scholarship to add dollars on top of a near-full-tuition Denison award.
Denison requires outside awards to be reported and says an adjustment 'may or may not' be necessary, and total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance. If your Denison award is already close to full tuition, an outside scholarship may displace institutional aid rather than add to it. Confirm with the aid office first.

Renewal questions families ask

How big are Denison's merit scholarships?: Denison says its merit scholarships 'can range from $5,000 to full tuition and do not require repayment,' and all of them are given for four years (eight semesters). The specific amount is set holistically from your admission application — Denison does not publish a stat-banded grid.
What is the Ohio Scholarship and who qualifies?: It is a $25,000-per-year award ($100,000 over four years) for any new student with a permanent Ohio address or who graduates from an Ohio public or private high school. There is no separate application or essay — you just submit your admission application by December 1. It stacks with need-based aid.

How Denison compares across our verified dataset

178 of 203 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Denison is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 Denison’s own published materials.