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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?
University Merit Scholarship$10,000-$30,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
University Merit Scholarship
$10,000-$30,000 per year
Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
No minimum GPA required for consideration (holistic review)
SAT
No minimum (test-optional / holistic)
ACT
No minimum (test-optional / holistic)
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for University Merit Scholarship
Who qualifies
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.
How to keep it
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).
Worth knowing
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).
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“it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa
The fine print
Renewal ruleUniversity 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.
Bellarmine Hall at Fairfield University
What makes Fairfield different
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.
Merit tiers1See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards60%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025
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
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.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work 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.
Published yearly cost: Approximately $88,229 for 2026-2027. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Fairfield, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Fairfield, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$33,302
$30,001–$48,000
$35,155
$48,001–$75,000
$26,953
$75,001–$110,000
$44,077
$110,001+
$50,773
All income levels (average)
$48,095
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$58,350
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$48,095
That works out to roughly a 37% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $76,074 (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
84%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
91%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,000 (~$276/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$88,794
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
6%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
48%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
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.
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Fairfield’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
60%of admitsget merit
Average award$23,408Covers ~27% of $88,229 cost of attendance
At Fairfield, 60% of first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $23,408 — about 27% of total cost.
As filed in Fairfield's CDS Section H2A: of 1,460 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 877 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $23,408. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 3,201 of 5,326, averaging $23,395. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Receive institutional merit60%First-year students, Common Data Set 2024-2025
Average merit award$23,408Across recipients, Common Data Set 2024-2025
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own 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.
See sources and other schools+
How Fairfield compares
145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Fairfield 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.
Fairfield 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 Fairfield’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
