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Drury University · Missouri

Drury scholarships and merit aid

Every admitted Drury first-year student gets an auto-renewable academic scholarship of $18,000-$24,000 a year, set automatically by GPA plus a 'pathway score' (test or essay) with no separate application, and a stack of small named activity/Meador awards can be layered on top.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Drury worth a closer look?

Drury awards automatic merit on admission. Drury does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers106 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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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.

$18,000 to $24,000 per year

Academic Scholarship (auto-renewable merit award)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Awarded on a combination of GPA and pathway score (test or essay); specific GPA cutoffs for each dollar tier are not published on the page
SAT
Optional 'pathway score' (test or essay); no minimum SAT published for the freshman award
ACT
Optional 'pathway score' (test or essay); no minimum ACT published for the freshman award
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Admitted as a traditional first-year student. Students may send updated test scores for a higher academic scholarship through December of senior year. No additional paperwork is necessary.

How to keep it

Auto-renewable. Renews if the student maintains satisfactory academic progress as defined by the U.S. Federal Government each year and has carried a full load each semester (minimum of 12 hours), for a maximum of 4 years (or 5 years for architecture & accounting majors) or upon completion of the bachelor's degree, whichever is first. The FAQ adds that Day School scholarships are automatically renewed at the same amount each year as long as the student maintains good academic standing.

Notes

Set automatically at admission; the admission counselor provides the specific amount once a student is admitted. The page publishes only the $18,000-$24,000 range for 2026-2027, not a tier-name-to-dollar grid for first-year students.

Source

$24,000 per year

IB Diploma Scholarship (top academic tier)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

IB diploma candidate

How to keep it

Auto-renewable on the same satisfactory-academic-progress / full-load terms as the academic scholarship.

Notes

IB diploma candidates receive the top academic scholarship tier automatically.

Source

$22,000/ year

Transfer Presidential Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA 3.6+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Transfer student with 30+ completed college credit hours

How to keep it

Auto-renewable on the standard satisfactory-academic-progress / full-load (12+ hours) terms.

Notes

Grid published for the 2025-2026 academic year for transfer students with 30+ credit hours; awarded automatically by transfer GPA.

Source

$20,000/ year

Transfer Provost Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA 3.3-3.59
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Transfer student with 30+ completed college credit hours

How to keep it

Auto-renewable on the standard satisfactory-academic-progress / full-load (12+ hours) terms.

Notes

Grid published for the 2025-2026 academic year for transfer students with 30+ credit hours.

Source

$17,000/ year

Transfer Deans Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA 3.0-3.29
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Transfer student with 30+ completed college credit hours

How to keep it

Auto-renewable on the standard satisfactory-academic-progress / full-load (12+ hours) terms.

Notes

Grid published for the 2025-2026 academic year for transfer students with 30+ credit hours.

Source

$1,000

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship (transfer)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Minimum 3.5 GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

30 credit hours at a community college; member of Phi Theta Kappa in good standing

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

Stacks on top of the academic/transfer scholarship per the 'Stackable Scholarships' section.

Source

$2,000 per year

Drury Springfield Promise (DSP) Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Admitted high school graduates from Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk, Taney, Stone, Webster and Lawrence counties (including all of Monett), plus Lebanon; awarded to all eligible students from the designated counties upon admission

How to keep it

Renewable if the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and remains enrolled full-time (12+ credit hours each semester).

Notes

Merit/admission-based regional award that stacks on the academic scholarship. A SEPARATE need-based DSP Grant (Pell-eligible only) caps out-of-pocket tuition + required fees at $3,000 — that grant is need-based and is captured in lesserKnownScholarships, not here. File the FAFSA by February 1, 2026.

Source

$1000

Legacy Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Incoming first-year students with Drury alumni family members

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated.

Notes

Listed under 'Stackable Scholarships' for incoming freshmen; stacks on the academic scholarship.

Source

$1,000

Dual Credit Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Domestic first-time applicants who completed Drury University dual-credit coursework

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated.

Notes

Listed under 'Stackable Scholarships' for incoming freshmen; stacks on the academic scholarship.

Source

$1,000-$2,000

Meador Center Study Abroad Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Political science majors only; deadline January 15

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated.

Notes

Listed under 'Stackable Scholarships'; competitive/major-restricted. Stacks on the academic scholarship.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Drury's published information.

  • Renewal ruleDrury Springfield Promise (DSP) Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable if the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and remains enrolled full-time (12+ credit hours each semester). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Outside awardsNo published displacement order

    Drury'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 families often miss

  1. The $18,000-$24,000 academic scholarship is automatic and auto-renewable — 'No additional paperwork is necessary.' Your admission counselor tells you the amount after you are admitted; you don't fill out a scholarship form for it.

  2. Drury lets you send updated test scores for a shot at a higher academic scholarship through December of your senior year — a stronger 'pathway score' can move you up within the $18,000-$24,000 band.

  3. The $2,000/yr DSP Scholarship is merit/admission-based for students from the designated counties. The DSP Grant — which limits out-of-pocket tuition and required fees to $3,000 — is need-based, Pell-eligible-only, and NCAA athletic-scholarship recipients are excluded from it. Don't assume you get both.

  4. Several stackable awards (Music/Marching Band/Theatre/Color Guard auditions, Meador Local Community Engagement, Meador Pre-Law, Meador Study Abroad) carry a January 15 deadline. Miss it and you lose the add-on even though your base academic scholarship is automatic.

  5. These scholarships apply against tuition; Drury's traditional day-school tuition/room/board figures were not retrievable as a clean total during this extract, so do not treat the scholarship as covering full cost of attendance. Confirm the current COA with Student Financial Services.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong students who want a large, no-application automatic merit scholarship at a small private Missouri university; especially IB diploma candidates (top tier), local Greater-Springfield students (Springfield Promise), transfers with 30+ credits, and students who can layer activity/Meador awards on top.

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Drury, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$18,759
$30,001–$48,000$15,769
$48,001–$75,000$17,552
$75,001–$110,000$20,558
$110,001+$24,458
All income levels (average)$20,831

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$48,846
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$36,745
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,831

That works out to an average 57% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
62%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
79%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,979 (~$222/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$40,694
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
23%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
50%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Drury explicitly stacks: 'In addition to your academic scholarship, you might also qualify for various awards and need-based aid from Drury that can be stacked on top of your academic scholarship.' Named activity/Meador/Legacy/Dual-Credit/PTK awards add on top of the academic scholarship. No published rule was found describing how third-party OUTSIDE/private scholarships displace institutional aid; the FAQ only tells students to notify the Financial Aid Office of outside awards.

Internal Drury awards stack on top of the academic scholarship. For OUTSIDE awards, the only published guidance is a reporting instruction ('If the check is made out only to you, you should notify the Financial Aid Office of the amount and source of the award.'); the pages do not state whether an outside scholarship reduces institutional merit aid, need-based aid, or self-help/loans first. Treated as unclear.

Source

Other Drury scholarships worth checking

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

AmountLimits out-of-pocket expenses to $3,000 for tuition and required student feesEligibilityPell Grant-eligible students from the designated Greater-Springfield counties; NCAA athletic-scholarship recipients ineligible for the grant.

NEED-BASED (not merit). File the FAFSA by February 1, 2026. Renewable on Satisfactory Academic Progress and full-time enrollment.

Source

Amount$100-$500EligibilityAny major.

Listed under Stackable Scholarships; stacks on the academic scholarship.

Source

Amount$250EligibilityDeadline January 15.

Stackable competitive award.

Source

Amount$250EligibilityDeadline January 15.

Stackable competitive award.

Source

AmountAmount varies (not published)EligibilityAudition required by January 15.

Non-need activity awards that stack on the academic scholarship.

Source

AmountScholarships vary by athletic programEligibilityRecruited athletes.

Non-need activity award; varies by program.

Source

AmountAmount varies (not published)EligibilityDesign and Visual Arts majors.

Stackable activity award.

Source

Drury merit aid FAQ

  • Is the academic scholarship automatic?

    Yes. Drury's academic scholarship is 'an auto-renewable award based on a combination of GPA and pathway score (test or essay)' and 'No additional paperwork is necessary.' For 2026-2027 it ranges from $18,000 to $24,000, with IB diploma candidates getting the top $24,000 tier.

  • Can I stack other Drury awards on top of my academic scholarship?

    Yes. Drury states: 'In addition to your academic scholarship, you might also qualify for various awards and need-based aid from Drury that can be stacked on top of your academic scholarship.' Stackable awards include Legacy ($1000), Dual Credit ($1,000), Phi Theta Kappa ($1,000 for transfers), the $2,000 Springfield Promise scholarship, Meador awards, and activity awards.

  • How is my scholarship renewed?

    It auto-renews if you maintain satisfactory academic progress and carry a full load each semester (minimum 12 hours), for up to 4 years (5 for architecture & accounting majors) or until you finish your bachelor's degree. The FAQ adds that Day School scholarships renew at the same amount each year as long as you stay in good academic standing (not on probation or suspension).

  • Can I raise my scholarship amount after applying?

    Yes — you may send updated test scores for the opportunity at a higher academic scholarship through December of senior year.

See sources and other schools

How Drury compares

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

    Drury 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.

    Drury 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

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  • Mizzou merit aid. Missouri public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Drury merit aid