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Eckerd College · Florida

Eckerd scholarships and merit aid

Eckerd's automatic academic merit ($18,000-$27,000) is generous but explicitly TUITION-ONLY, so it can't touch the ~$26K of housing/food/fees that make up the rest of the bill.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is Eckerd worth a closer look?

Eckerd is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 6 published awards, and 3 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers63 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards30%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team
Armacost Library at Eckerd College

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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-$27,000 per year

Academic Achievement Scholarship (First-Year)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Based on internally calculated high-school GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Students admitted without conditions are automatically considered; for non-visa (domestic) students; awarded regardless of financial need

How to keep it

Renewable for up to four years; students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA (and 67% completion ratio for federal SAP).

Notes

TUITION-ONLY: 'These scholarships may be applied to tuition charges only.' Range stated for Fall 2026 entrants.

Source

$11,000-$18,000 per year (GPA grid)

Transfer Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5-4.0 = $18,000; 3.0-3.49 = $16,000; 2.75-2.99 = $11,000 (cumulative GPA of all previous college work)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Must be admitted without conditions; amount notified shortly after admission

How to keep it

Available for up to four years; 2.0 cumulative GPA to renew (Eckerd merit awards renew at 2.0).

Notes

Distinct transfer GPA grid (separate from the first-year academic award).

Source

Tuition…Tuition + mandatory fees + standard double housing + meal charges (in combination with institutional, federal and state aid), up to four years

Sunshine City Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Graduate from a Pinellas County high school in 2026; new first-year entering Autumn 2026; live on campus; admitted by March 1, 2026; submit Sunshine City application by March 1, 2026; FAFSA (code 001487) results received by Feb 1, 2026; selected on academics, activities, and demonstrated financial need

How to keep it

Up to four years.

Notes

Pinellas-County local exclusivity. Covers tuition+fees plus standard double housing and meals when combined with other aid — close to full cost for the standard package, but assembled from multiple sources.

Source

Up to $27,000

International Student Grant

Based on grades or scores
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

International first-year applicants who require a visa and have not taken college coursework are automatically considered; international students are not eligible for need-based aid

Notes

Parallel automatic award for visa-requiring international students.

Source

$4,000 per year…$4,000 per year (plus a $2,000 study-abroad grant)

Community Engagement and Leadership Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

New first-year students demonstrating academic excellence and leadership; application by February 1; Autumn Term/Fall Semester starters only

Notes

Competitive application-based award.

Source

$1,000 per year

Artistic Achievement Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Talent in creative writing, music, theatre, film or visual arts; application by February 1; Autumn Term/Fall starters only

How to keep it

To receive in subsequent years, recipients must meet with faculty in their discipline for specific renewal criteria.

Notes

Talent-based; applications by Feb 1.

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 Eckerd's published information.

  • Aid capHard $75,198 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Eckerd cannot push the package past $75,198. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Straight from the aid office

What Eckerd's aid office says

Per the Financial Aid Office, Eckerd College, August 2026. How we verify

Eligibility for Community Engagement and Leadership Scholars

Who is eligible for the Community Engagement and Leadership Scholarship?

The scholarship is awarded to new first-year students.

“The Community Engagement and Leadership Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to new first-year students.”
Application process for first-year scholarships

Is there an application process for this scholarship?

There is an application process for this and all other first-year scholarships once students are accepted.

“There is an application process for this and all other first-year scholarships once students are accepted.”
Office responsible for the scholarship

Which office administers this scholarship?

These scholarships are awarded by Admissions, so the family should contact their student's Admissions Counselor for more information.

“These scholarships are awarded by Admissions so I would connect with your student's Admissions Counselor for more information.”
Scholarship application opening date

When will the Community Engagement and Leadership scholarship application open?

The scholarship application will open no later than October 1st.

“The scholarship application will open no later than October 1st.”
Scholarship application deadline

By when must the student submit the scholarship application?

The student must submit the scholarship application no later than February 1st.

“Your student will need to submit the application for the scholarship no later than February 1st”
Admission requirement for consideration

Does the student need to be admitted to Eckerd to be considered for the scholarship?

The student must be accepted to Eckerd College to be considered for the scholarship.

“be accepted to Eckerd College to be considered for the scholarship”
Selection criteria

What do they look for when selecting scholarship recipients?

Selection is based on the quality of the application provided by the student.

“When we select students for the scholarship, we look for the quality of the application that is provided by the student.”
Application questions confidentiality

Can the office share the specific application questions?

The office cannot provide the specific questions asked on the application.

“I am unable to provide the questions that are asked on the application”
Number of application questions

How many questions will the student answer for the scholarship application?

There are 5 separate questions that the student will answer for the scholarship.

“there are 5 separate questions that the student will answer for the scholarship”

What families often miss

  1. Eckerd states the Academic Achievement Scholarship 'may be applied to tuition charges only' — it cannot offset housing, food, or fees (~$26K of the cost), so the net price is higher than subtracting merit from total cost.

  2. The COA table embedded on the financial-aid page lists tuition of $49,668 — a prior-year figure. The current 2026-27 full-time tuition is $54,270 per the Bursar's '2026-27 Tuition & Fees (Effective July 1, 2026)' page; use the Bursar page for current numbers.

  3. Eckerd College merit awards and grants are 'Renewable for up to four years. Students must maintain a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average,' and falling below 2.0 also makes you ineligible for institutional and state aid.

  4. It is limited to students graduating from a Pinellas County high school in 2026, requires living on campus, and has hard March 1 admission/application deadlines plus a Feb 1 FAFSA-results target.

  5. 'Total awards cannot exceed your cost of attendance' — a COA cap. Additionally a named donor scholarship can replace part or all of your Eckerd College Grant, and a Yellow Ribbon grant replaces previously awarded Eckerd scholarships/grants.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Solid-GPA first-year students who can use a tuition-directed award (and will still budget for housing/food), transfer students who slot into the published GPA grid, and Pinellas County residents who can compete for the near-full-cost Sunshine City Scholarship.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $75,198 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Eckerd, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$29,615
$30,001–$48,000$34,524
$48,001–$75,000$34,294
$75,001–$110,000$35,840
$110,001+$43,955
All income levels (average)$38,071

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$51,884
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$38,071

That works out to roughly a 45% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $68,944 (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
66%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
76%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$51,819
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
23%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
48%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Total awards cannot exceed the cost of attendance (a COA cap). The need-based Eckerd College Grant may at any point be replaced in whole or part by a named (donor) scholarship. Veterans' Yellow Ribbon institutional grant explicitly REPLACES any previously awarded Eckerd scholarship or grant.

Financial-aid page: 'Total awards cannot exceed your cost of attendance.' Types page: 'The Eckerd College Grant program is partially funded by the college's endowment therefore, at any point, a student may see a named scholarship replace all or a portion of the previously awarded Eckerd College Grant.' Yellow Ribbon: 'The institution's portion of Yellow Ribbon Grant will replace any previously awarded Eckerd College scholarship or grant.' The pages do not spell out the displacement order for private third-party outside scholarships beyond the overall COA cap.

Source

More school data

From the Eckerd Common Data Set 2023-2024:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Eckerd’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
30%of admitsget merit
Average award$19,528Covers ~26% of $75,198 cost of attendance

At Eckerd, roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $19,528 — about 26% of total cost.

As filed in Eckerd's CDS Section H2A: of 534 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 158 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $19,528. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 673 of 1,923, averaging $19,967. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit30%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$19,528Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024

Source: Common Data Set 2023-2024 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other Eckerd scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$2,000EligibilityTransfer students who are PTK members (proof required); dual-enrolled first-year PTK members not eligible

Renewable annually for transfers maintaining a 2.0 Eckerd GPA

Source

AmountOne-year stipend up to $1,000Eligibility~25 incoming first-year students; based on HS record; application by Feb 1; Autumn Term only

Work with a faculty member on research

Source

AmountNeed-based (amount not published)EligibilityPresbyterian Church members; church/community involvement + financial need; pastor recommendation; apply by Feb 1

Source

Eckerd merit aid FAQ

  • What GPA do I need to keep my Eckerd scholarship?

    Eckerd College merit awards and grants are renewable for up to four years as long as you maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA (and meet the 67% completion ratio for federal aid).

  • What is the Sunshine City Scholarship deadline?

    Be admitted and submit the Sunshine City application by March 1, 2026, and file the FAFSA (Eckerd code 001487) so results arrive by February 1, 2026. It is limited to Pinellas County high-school graduates who live on campus.

  • Can my academic scholarship pay for housing or food?

    No. The Academic Achievement Scholarship may be applied to tuition charges only; housing, food, and fees must be covered by other funds.

See sources and other schools

How Eckerd compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Eckerd is in a recognizable cluster (235 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.

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

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