Every admitted Fairfield student is automatically considered for a merit scholarship of $10,000-$30,000 per year (tuition-only), awarded by holistic review with no minimum GPA or test-score cutoff and renewable for up to eight semesters.
Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers1See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC
Rules that bite at Fairfield
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Fairfield's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalUniversity Merit Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to eight consecutive semesters of full-time undergraduate study provided the recipient earns the required minimum GPA for renewal. The GPA renewal requirement varies by level of award and is stated in the student's initial admission award notification; it is measured at the end of each academic year. Students who drop below the required GPA may appeal for merit scholarship probation (up to two consecutive semesters to regain the required cumulative GPA). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Fairfield
Merit scholarships at Fairfield are 'applicable towards tuition only' — they do not reduce room ($13,134 avg.), board ($8,430 unlimited plan), or fees. Even a top $30,000 award leaves a large gap against the ~$88,229 first-year total cost of attendance.
Every admit is automatically CONSIDERED, but the dollar amount within the $10,000-$30,000 range is set by holistic review, not a published stat grid. There are 'no minimum grades or standardized test scores required,' which also means there is no published formula that guarantees a specific amount.
Merit scholarships renew for up to eight consecutive semesters only if you earn the required minimum GPA, which varies by award level and is stated in your admission award letter (measured at year-end). Falling short means losing the award unless you win a merit-scholarship-probation appeal (up to two semesters to recover).
Outside awards first replace loans/work-study; they only reduce Fairfield grants/scholarships when your combined institutional aid plus the outside award would exceed the total cost of attendance — so a near-full package can cap the benefit of an outside scholarship.
The Fairfield Tuition Grant is explicitly need-based, requires the CSS Profile, and is awarded on ability to pay — it is separate from the automatic merit scholarship and is not earned on academics.
Who this school is for
Students who want a guaranteed automatic-consideration merit award at a Jesuit (Catholic) liberal-arts university without published stat cutoffs — strong holistic applicants can land toward the $30,000 top of the range, but the exact amount is discretionary, not formula-based.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $88,229 for 2026-2027. Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$10,000-$30,000 per year
University Merit Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
No minimum GPA required for consideration (holistic review)
SAT
No minimum (test-optional / holistic)
ACT
No minimum (test-optional / holistic)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
All admitted students are automatically considered; award determined by holistic review of the full application (academic record, strength of program, extracurricular involvement). Applicable toward tuition only.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to eight consecutive semesters of full-time undergraduate study provided the recipient earns the required minimum GPA for renewal. The GPA renewal requirement varies by level of award and is stated in the student's initial admission award notification; it is measured at the end of each academic year. Students who drop below the required GPA may appeal for merit scholarship probation (up to two consecutive semesters to regain the required cumulative GPA).
Notes
AUTOMATIC CONSIDERATION, not automatic on stats: every admitted student is considered, but the actual award amount within the $10,000-$30,000 range is set by holistic review, not a published GPA/test grid. The award is applicable toward TUITION ONLY (not room, board, or fees).
Outside (third-party) scholarships are applied first to unmet need, then to replace loans and/or work-study, and only 'if necessary' do they reduce institutional grants/scholarships — and Fairfield generally does NOT reduce institutional aid for an outside award unless the combined institutional aid plus the outside scholarship exceeds the cost of attendance. In practice this is a loan/work-study-first treatment with a cost-of-attendance cap on institutional grants and scholarships.
The published order is: outside awards first applied to unmet financial need, then replace loans and/or work-study, and 'if necessary' reduce institutional grants. Fairfield states it generally does not reduce institutional aid (merit or need-based) when a student receives an outside scholarship, except where the combined institutional aid plus outside scholarship(s) exceeds the cost of attendance (a COA-cap condition). The merit scholarship may also be reduced if merit on top of an employee tuition benefit exceeds tuition and the university fee.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountVaries (need-based; no published amount)EligibilityNEED-BASED, not merit. Awarded after a thorough analysis of a family's ability to pay; need = total cost of education minus expected family contribution. Requires the CSS Profile in the student's first year. Eligible for eight consecutive undergraduate semesters from first-year enrollment (study-abroad semesters count toward the limit; transfers pro-rated).
Need-based grant — listed for context, not a merit award. Requires CSS Profile.
AmountVaries (no published amount)EligibilityListed on the Scholarships & Grants index; eligibility tied to partner-company affiliation. Details on a dedicated page; no amount published on the index.
Named on the Scholarships & Grants index page; amount/eligibility not stated on the pages reviewed.
AmountVaries (no published amount)EligibilityListed on the Scholarships & Grants index; partner-organization affiliated. No amount published on the index.
Named on the Scholarships & Grants index; amount/eligibility not stated on the pages reviewed.
AmountVaries (no published amount)EligibilityListed on the Scholarships & Grants index; appears tied to Bridgeport, CT residency. No amount published on the index.
Named on the Scholarships & Grants index; amount/eligibility not stated on the pages reviewed.
Do I have to apply separately for a Fairfield merit scholarship?
No. All students admitted to Fairfield are automatically considered for a merit scholarship, whether or not you file for financial aid. The amount (between $10,000 and $30,000 per year, applicable to tuition only) is set by holistic review of your application.
Is there a minimum GPA or test score to qualify?
No. Fairfield states there are 'no minimum grades or standardized test scores required for merit scholarship consideration' — awards are determined by a holistic review of your academic record, program rigor, and involvement.
How long does the merit scholarship last and what GPA do I need to keep it?
It is renewable for up to eight consecutive semesters of full-time study, provided you earn the required minimum renewal GPA. That GPA varies by award level and is stated in your initial admission award letter; it's checked at the end of each academic year. If you fall below it, you may appeal for merit-scholarship probation (up to two more semesters to recover the required cumulative GPA).
If I win an outside scholarship, will it reduce my Fairfield aid?
Outside awards are applied first to unmet need, then to replace loans and/or work-study, and only 'if necessary' to reduce institutional grants/scholarships. Fairfield generally does not cut institutional aid for an outside award unless your combined institutional aid plus the outside scholarship would exceed the cost of attendance.
How Fairfield compares across our verified dataset
99 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Fairfield is in the modest minority (99 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Fairfield is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Fairfield’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
