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Edward Waters scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

Edward Waters may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
1 school source to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

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The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Presidential ScholarshipUp to full tuition and feesNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Presidential Scholarship

    Up to full tuition and fees

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.80 (cumulative)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Incoming high school seniors; essay required; must apply for financial aid.

    How to keep it

    Renewable up to eight semesters by maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA; must register for and earn at least 12 credit hours per semester.

    Worth knowing

    Cannot generate any refund to the student.

  2. Honors ScholarshipUp to $10,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Honors Scholarship

    Up to $10,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.25 (cumulative)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Honors Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Incoming high school seniors; essay required; must apply for financial aid.

    How to keep it

    Renewable up to eight semesters by maintaining a 3.00 GPA; must register for and earn at least 12 credit hours per semester.

    Worth knowing

    Cannot generate any refund to the student.

  3. Merit ScholarshipUp to $5,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Merit Scholarship

    Up to $5,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.00 (cumulative)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Merit Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Incoming high school seniors; offered once all admissions documents have been received; must apply for financial aid.

    How to keep it

    Renewable up to eight semesters by maintaining a 3.0 GPA; must register for and earn at least 12 credit hours per semester.

    Worth knowing

    Page text reads 'up to $5.000' (apparent typo for $5,000). Cannot generate any refund.

  4. Transfer ScholarshipUp to $3,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Transfer Scholarship

    Up to $3,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    2.5
    Open award details for Transfer Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Transferring from another college/institution with a minimum of 24 transferable credit hours.

    Renewal terms

    Non-renewable; good for one academic year only.

    Worth knowing

    Cannot generate a refund to the student.

  5. Freshman GrantUp to $2,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Freshman Grant

    Up to $2,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    2.50 (cumulative)
    Open award details for Freshman Grant

    Who qualifies

    High school seniors.

    Renewal terms

    Non-renewable; good for one academic year only.

    Worth knowing

    Cannot generate a refund to the student.

  6. Florida Bright Futures Scholarship ProgramAmount not publishedNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

    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.

    Open award details for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

    Who qualifies

    Florida high school graduates; must submit a fully completed, error-free application during the last year of high school, before graduation, or forfeit all future eligibility.

    Worth knowing

    State lottery-funded program usable at EWU; EWU's page publishes no award amounts for it.

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The fine print

Outside awardsGrant-first displacement = outside wins can pay the school

Edward Waters reduces institutional grant before any other aid line when an outside award arrives. A $5,000 community-foundation win can leave the family bill unchanged.

What makes Edward Waters different

Jacksonville's HBCU runs a simple GPA ladder (full tuition+fees at 3.80 down to a $2,000 grant at 2.50) — but every institutional award is strictly last-dollar: it only fills direct costs left after other aid and can never generate a refund.

Merit tiers6See who qualifies
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.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. 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.

Take Edward Waters's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The page is explicit: institutional awards are made after all other aid is determined, exist 'only to pay for direct college expenses not met by other forms of assistance,' 'cannot generate any refund,' and 'may be reduced should additional aid be received after disbursement (other than work-study and loans).'

  2. Every tier is phrased as 'up to' ($10,000, $5,000, $3,000, $2,000, full tuition and fees) — the actual award depends on remaining direct costs after other aid.

  3. Both the Presidential (3.80 GPA) and Honors (3.25 GPA) scholarships state 'Students must also submit an essay to be eligible.'

  4. 'Students must apply for financial aid to be eligible for the institutional scholarships.'

  5. The Transfer Scholarship 'is non-renewable and is only good for one academic year' — budget years two through four without it.

  6. EWU's page warns: 'Apply during his/her last year in high school, before graduation, or you will forfeit all future eligibility for a Bright Futures Scholarship.'

  7. Renewable awards require registering for and earning at least 12 credit hours per semester; renewal GPA cliffs are 3.25 (Presidential) and 3.0 (Honors, Merit).

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students with a 3.0+ GPA who will live with 'up to' amounts that shrink as other grants arrive; Florida residents can layer EASE, FSAG, Bethune, and Bright Futures state money underneath.

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Edward Waters, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$12,380
$30,001–$48,000$12,113
$48,001–$75,000$9,743
$75,001–$110,000$21,661
$110,001+$20,865
All income levels (average)$13,649

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$26,617
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$16,366
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$13,649

That works out to an average 49% 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
28%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
54%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$34,782
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
81%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
62%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

EWU institutional scholarships are last-dollar awards: they are packaged after all other aid, may only cover direct costs (tuition, fees, on-campus room and board) not met by other assistance, can never produce a refund, and are reduced if additional aid (other than work-study and loans) arrives after disbursement.

Awards are made after all other financial aid is determined; additional grant/scholarship aid received later reduces the EWU award; work-study and loans are explicitly excluded from triggering a reduction.

Source

Other Edward Waters scholarships worth checking

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

AmountVariesEligibilityIndividual talent in choir or band

Renewable up to eight semesters; contact Choir Director (904) 470-8883 or Band Director (904) 323-0899.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityAthletic ability

Renewable up to eight semesters; contact Athletics (904) 470-8276.

Source

Amount$500-$5,000/yrEligibilityEWU students; based on need, GPA, major, and application completion

Administered by UNCF.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityUndergraduates meeting scholastic requirements who demonstrate financial need

State program; 'awarded to the students with the highest need first. The funds are limited at each participating Institution.'

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFlorida residents (12+ consecutive months, non-education purpose) at eligible private FL nonprofits

Must earn 12 credit hours each semester and maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Source

Edward Waters merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    No institutional scholarship deadline is published. The page states scholarships 'are offered to potential students once all admissions documents have been received by the Admissions office,' and students must apply for financial aid to be eligible.

  • Is the Presidential Scholarship a full ride?

    No — it is 'up to the full cost of tuition and fees' only. Room and board are covered only to the extent other Grant-In-Aid programs apply, and the award can never generate a refund.

  • What GPA keeps my scholarship?

    Presidential: 3.25. Honors: 3.00. Merit: 3.0. All renewable up to eight semesters with at least 12 credit hours registered and earned per semester. Transfer Scholarship and Freshman Grant are one-year, non-renewable awards.

  • What happens if I win an outside scholarship after my aid disburses?

    Your EWU institutional award 'may be reduced should additional aid be received after disbursement (other than work-study and loans) for direct costs.'

See sources and other schools

How Edward Waters compares

  • 19 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use grant-first displacement.

    Edward Waters is in the small minority (19 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • Grant-first displacement is the rarest published policy in our dataset.

    It also produces the worst family-dollar outcome on outside scholarships. Edward Waters sits in this small minority, so treat outside-award strategy here as conservatively as you would at a school with no published policy at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Edward Waters merit aid

The next chapter

Where does Edward Waters fit in your plan?

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Inside the sample

Jordan’s playbook

Same student.
Four schools.
Four very different bills.

An illustrative student profile, with a school order, scholarship research and a to-do list. Open the sample to see how it works.

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