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?
Merit Scholarships (core, achievement-based)Amount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Merit Scholarships (core, achievement-based)
Amount not published
Published award termsNot 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 Merit Scholarships (core, achievement-based)
Who qualifies
Achievement-based; determined by the Office of Admissions from the application for admission. No separate application
How to keep it
Renewable for four years; renewal requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment.
Worth knowing
Dollar amount is withheld ('Scholarship amounts vary'). The widely-cited '$30,000 automatic' figure is THIRD-PARTY (Scholarships360), NOT stated on Earlham's official page — treat as unconfirmed.
Published coverage or packageNot 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 INspire Earlham Program
Who qualifies
Indiana students whose families are Pell and State of Indiana grant-eligible and earn up to $60,000/year; accepted and enrolled in the fall 2026 entering class; file FAFSA by March 1, 2026. No separate application
How to keep it
Must remain eligible for state (21st Century Scholars, Frank O'Bannon) and federal (Pell) aid.
Worth knowing
Residency + income gated (Indiana, family income ≤ $60,000). Other scholarships cannot push total funding above full tuition for INspire recipients.
Honors Scholarship$1,000Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Honors Scholarship
$1,000
Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.4 (renewal)
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Honors Scholarship
Who qualifies
Apply by EA/ED; accepted and enrolled; invited to and accept the Honors Program; submit a project presented on Scholarship Day
How to keep it
To remain eligible, participate in the first-year Honors seminar (HONR 150) in the fall and maintain a 3.4 GPA.
Worth knowing
INspire recipients may apply but cannot receive funding exceeding full tuition.
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 Quaker Fellows Scholarship
Who qualifies
Active interest in the Religious Society of Friends; scholarship application by January 5; must apply by EA/ED. Includes enhanced financial aid
How to keep it
Requires re-enrollment each year based on academic standing; sustained active interest in the Religious Society of Friends.
Worth knowing
Interest-based (Quaker).
Heartland Region Scholarship$2,000 (=$8,000 over 4 years)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Heartland Region Scholarship
$2,000 (=$8,000 over 4 years)
Published award termsNot 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 Heartland Region Scholarship
Who qualifies
Must live within 150 miles of Earlham (Indiana and regions of Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio). No separate application
How to keep it
$2,000 each year for up to four years.
Worth knowing
Geography-gated.
Community Scholars Program$2,000-$5,000Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Community Scholars Program
$2,000-$5,000
Published rangeNot 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 Community Scholars Program
Who qualifies
Demonstrated commitment to community service and social justice throughout high school; scholarship application by January 5; must apply EA/ED
How to keep it
Four-year, service-based program.
Worth knowing
Service/social-justice based.
Fine Arts Scholarships (Art, Music, Theatre Arts) + Rariden$1,000-$5,000Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Fine Arts Scholarships (Art, Music, Theatre Arts) + Rariden
$1,000-$5,000
Published rangeNot 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 Fine Arts Scholarships (Art, Music, Theatre Arts) + Rariden
Who qualifies
Art/music/theatre arts students (major or minor); $1,000-$2,500 annual. The Rariden Scholarship is a $5,000 annual award to one Indiana student in visual/performing arts. Scholarship application by January 5; must apply EA/ED
Worth knowing
Three parallel arts tracks each $1,000-$2,500, with a single $5,000 Rariden award layered in.
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 Creative Writing Scholarship
Who qualifies
Creative writing interest; scholarship application by January 5; must apply EA/ED
Carleton B. Edwards Chemistry ScholarshipStarts at $1,000Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Carleton B. Edwards Chemistry Scholarship
Starts at $1,000
Published award termsNot 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 Carleton B. Edwards Chemistry Scholarship
Who qualifies
Incoming students planning to major in chemistry or biochemistry; chosen by chemistry faculty on academic achievement, interest, references; application by January 5; must apply EA/ED
Worth knowing
Departmental, major-gated.
Elizabeth Thompson Jewish Studies Scholarship$1,500Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Elizabeth Thompson Jewish Studies Scholarship
$1,500
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 Elizabeth Thompson Jewish Studies Scholarship
Who qualifies
Students meaningfully involved in Jewish life on campus or pursuing Jewish Studies; application by January 5; must apply EA/ED
How to keep it
Renewable up to 4 years.
Worth knowing
Open to students of all backgrounds.
Davis UWC ScholarsPartial to 50% tuition (+ $20,000-$40,000 Davis Grant)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Davis UWC Scholars
Partial to 50% tuition (+ $20,000-$40,000 Davis Grant)
Published rangeNot 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 Davis UWC Scholars
Who qualifies
Graduates of United World College (UWC) schools; no separate application
Worth knowing
Earlham is one of 92 U.S. Davis Scholars institutions.
Free Merit Check
Check the rules that could cut this.
The free Merit Check shows which Earlham award your student's numbers reach, and the rules that could change it. About 30 seconds.
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The fine print
Renewal ruleMerit Scholarships (core, achievement-based): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for four years; renewal requires a 2.0 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
What makes Earlham different
Earlham (Quaker, Richmond IN) gives an achievement-based Merit Scholarship automatically from the admission application whose dollar amount is NOT published ('amounts vary'), plus published named/departmental awards and a free-tuition INspire program for income-eligible Indiana residents. (DRAFT)
Merit tiers11See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards13%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
Selection beyond grades and scores
Start with the selection process.
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.
Read the selection rules
Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.
Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
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.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award+
What families often miss
Earlham's official page says core Merit Scholarship 'amounts vary' and does NOT publish a dollar figure. The widely-repeated '$30,000 automatic merit' number comes from a third-party site (Scholarships360), not Earlham — do not count on it; ask Admissions for your actual award.
INspire Earlham covers free tuition only for Indiana residents whose families are Pell- and State-of-Indiana-grant-eligible and earn up to $60,000/year, who enroll in fall 2026 and file the FAFSA by March 1, 2026. And for INspire recipients, other scholarships cannot push total funding above full tuition.
The Honors Scholarship ($1,000) renews only if you take the first-year Honors seminar (HONR 150) in the fall AND maintain a 3.4 GPA — a higher bar than the 2.0 GPA used for the core merit scholarship.
Most named/departmental scholarships (art, music, theatre, chemistry, creative writing, Jewish Studies, Quaker Fellows, Community Scholars) require a scholarship application by January 5 AND that you apply by the Early Action or Early Decision deadlines.
The Heartland Region Scholarship ($2,000/yr, $8,000 total) requires living within 150 miles of Earlham, the Rariden ($5,000) goes to one Indiana arts student, and INspire is Indiana-only — out-of-area students won't qualify for these.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Strong applicants receive an automatic (undisclosed-amount) merit award; arts/chemistry/writing/Quaker-interest students can add a named award by applying EA/ED by Jan 5, and income-eligible Indiana residents should target the INspire free-tuition program. (DRAFT)
Published yearly cost: Approximately $73,526 for 2026-2027. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Earlham, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Earlham, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$17,178
$30,001–$48,000
$15,658
$48,001–$75,000
$19,768
$75,001–$110,000
$26,136
$110,001+
$31,058
All income levels (average)
$24,714
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$53,930
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$24,714
That works out to roughly a 63% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $67,684 (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
69%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
77%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$23,488 (~$249/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$50,797
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
25%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
55%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
You must notify Earlham of any outside scholarships. Outside scholarships will, in most cases, reduce your least advantageous aid (loans or work-study) first. For INspire Earlham recipients, additional scholarships cannot exceed full tuition.
Outside scholarships reduce loans/work-study before gift aid; INspire recipients are capped at full tuition for total institutional funding.
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Earlham’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
13%of admitsget merit
Average award$35,537Covers ~48% of $73,526 cost of attendance
At Earlham, roughly 1 in 8 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $35,537 — about 48% of total cost.
As filed in Earlham's CDS Section H2A: of 202 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 26 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $35,537. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 119 of 625, averaging $32,051. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Receive institutional merit13%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$35,537Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
Amount$1,000EligibilityStudents whose parents/guardians are employed by a member of the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce; separate application + eligibility verification
Earlham does not publish the amount — the achievement-based Merit Scholarship is determined by the Office of Admissions from your application and 'amounts vary.' It renews for four years with a 2.0 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment.
Is there a free-tuition program?
Yes — INspire Earlham offers free tuition to Indiana students whose families are Pell- and State-of-Indiana-grant-eligible and earn up to $60,000/year, who enroll fall 2026 and file the FAFSA by March 1, 2026.
When are the named scholarship applications due?
Most named/departmental scholarship applications are due January 5, and you must apply by the Early Action or Early Decision deadlines.
How do outside scholarships affect my aid?
Outside scholarships, in most cases, reduce your least advantageous aid first — loans or work-study — rather than your gift aid. You must report them to Earlham.
What does Earlham cost?
For 2026-27, on-campus billed costs are: tuition $56,784, housing $8,300, meal plan $7,462, fees $980 — total $73,526.
See sources and other schools+
How Earlham compares
145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Earlham is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Earlham 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 Earlham’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
