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Elizabethtown scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$57,128per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

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

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 school sources to explore

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

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. Excelsior Scholarship$21,500AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Excelsior Scholarship

    $21,500

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    ~3.9 GPA, top of high school class
    SAT
    Test-optional
    ACT
    Test-optional (reviewed with or without scores)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Excelsior Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Most challenging curriculum; positive school/community contributions

    How to keep it

    Remain full-time in good academic and social standing; available for eight semesters (10 for 4+1 MOT, 12 for OTD, 8 for accelerated 5-year PA). Not for summer sessions.

    Worth knowing

    Top automatic merit tier for 2026-2027.

  2. Presidential Scholarship$21,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Presidential Scholarship

    $21,000

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Top percentages of HS class
    SAT
    Test-optional
    ACT
    Test-optional
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Challenging curriculum; leadership, citizenship, extracurricular achievement

    How to keep it

    Full-time, good academic and social standing; eight semesters; not for summer.

  3. Founders Scholarship$18,500AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Founders Scholarship

    $18,500

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Top 10 percent of HS class
    SAT
    Test-optional
    ACT
    Test-optional
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Founders Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Challenging curriculum; leadership, citizenship, extracurricular achievement

    How to keep it

    Full-time, good academic and social standing; eight semesters; not for summer.

  4. Deans Scholarship$16,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Deans Scholarship

    $16,000

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Excellent academic record
    SAT
    Test-optional
    ACT
    Test-optional
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Deans Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Challenging HS curriculum; leadership and service background

    How to keep it

    Full-time, good academic and social standing; eight semesters; not for summer.

    Worth knowing

    Entry rung of the named automatic ladder.

  5. Stamps Scholars ProgramFull tuition plus an enrichment fundNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Stamps Scholars Program

    Full tuition plus an enrichment fund

    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 Stamps Scholars Program

    Who qualifies

    Submit a completed application by January 15; interviews encouraged

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to eight semesters.

    Worth knowing

    Covers 100% of total cost of TUITION (not full COA) plus an enrichment fund for study abroad/internships/civic engagement.

Lights up against Elizabethtown's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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The fine print

Renewal ruleExcelsior Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Remain full-time in good academic and social standing; available for eight semesters (10 for 4+1 MOT, 12 for OTD, 8 for accelerated 5-year PA). Not for summer sessions. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Aid capHard $57,128 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Elizabethtown cannot push the package past $57,128. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

The Dell Gazebo at Elizabethtown College

The Dell Gazebo at Elizabethtown College

What makes Elizabethtown different

Elizabethtown auto-awards test-optional named merit ($16,000-$21,500), but the catch is on a separate page: those awards get cut if your total gift aid tops Tuition+Food+Housing, or if you receive an employer tuition benefit.

Merit tiers54 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  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 Elizabethtown'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. Merit (Excelsior/Presidential/Founders/Dean's) is reduced if your total gift aid exceeds the cost of Tuition + Food + Housing — a COA-SUBSET cap (it excludes books, transportation, personal, and even the comprehensive fee), so the ceiling is lower than full cost of attendance.

  2. Etown explicitly reduces merit scholarships if the student 'receives tuition benefits' — an employer/parent tuition-remission benefit can shrink your Etown merit award.

  3. Outside scholarships do NOT reduce merit; they first fill unmet need, then cut need-based gift aid (Trustee Scholarship) dollar-for-dollar — but the merit cap above can still bite if total gift aid is high.

  4. 'Late state grants received reduce institutional need-based gift aid by 100%' — a late PHEAA grant displaces Etown's own need-based aid dollar-for-dollar (PHEAA needs your FAFSA by May 1).

  5. Merit scholarships are available for eight semesters only (with program-specific exceptions for OT/PA tracks) and are not transferable to summer sessions.

  6. Music scholarship holders must participate in a designated College ensemble (pass grades) and take private lessons for credit with no less than a B- to keep the award.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong-GPA students who want a sizeable automatic, test-optional award (top of class wins the $21,500 Excelsior), and competitive applicants who can hit the Jan 15 Stamps deadline for full tuition.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $57,128 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Elizabethtown, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$17,776
$30,001–$48,000$17,113
$48,001–$75,000$20,967
$75,001–$110,000$25,064
$110,001+$31,198
All income levels (average)$26,598

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$37,950
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$26,598

That works out to roughly a 48% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $50,865 (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
76%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
84%
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)
$62,399
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
24%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
73%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships first fill unmet need (including need-based self-help); if they exceed unmet need, the College reduces its need-based gift aid (e.g., Trustee Scholarship) dollar-for-dollar. Merit scholarships (Excelsior/Presidential/Founders/Dean's) are NOT reduced by outside scholarships, BUT are reduced if the student receives tuition benefits or if total gift aid exceeds the cost of Tuition, Food, and Housing (a COA-subset cap). Late PA state grants reduce institutional need-based gift aid 100%.

From the dedicated outside-scholarship page. The merit cap is on a SUBSET of COA (Tuition + Food + Housing), not the full COA, and employer/tuition-benefit receipt independently triggers a merit reduction.

Source

Other Elizabethtown scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,000EligibilityIncoming students who reside outside Pennsylvania

Renewable for four years (8 semesters)

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityAll new full-time transfer students entering the traditional day program (since 2022)

Automatic, renewable, no separate application

Source

Amount$1,000 per academic yearEligibilityTransfer students who are PTK members

Additional to merit

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityOutstanding performing musicians (music and non-music majors); first-year and transfer

Must participate in a College ensemble and take private lessons for credit; 'pass' in ensembles and no less than B- in lessons to keep

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityChildren or grandchildren of Elizabethtown alumni

Renewable up to 8 consecutive semesters in good academic/disciplinary standing

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityDemonstrated commitment to diversity; all accepted students considered

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityCommitment to service, leadership, civic engagement, social justice

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityActive members of the Church of the Brethren at admission

Source

Elizabethtown merit aid FAQ

  • What is the Stamps Scholarship deadline?

    Submit a completed application by January 15; interviews are encouraged. Stamps covers 100% of tuition plus an enrichment fund, renewable up to eight semesters.

  • Can outside scholarships reduce my Elizabethtown aid?

    Outside awards first fill unmet need, then reduce need-based gift aid (Trustee Scholarship) dollar-for-dollar; they do not reduce merit scholarships. However, merit is reduced if total gift aid exceeds Tuition + Food + Housing or if you receive tuition benefits.

  • How long do the merit scholarships last?

    Eight semesters for most programs (10 for the 4+1 MOT, 12 for the OTD, 8 for the accelerated 5-year PA program), contingent on full-time enrollment and good academic and social standing; not available in summer.

See sources and other schools

How Elizabethtown compares

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

    Elizabethtown 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

  • Marywood merit aid. Pennsylvania private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Messiah merit aid. Pennsylvania private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Misericordia merit aid. Pennsylvania private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Muhlenberg merit aid. Pennsylvania private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Elizabethtown merit aid

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