A private Jesuit university in New York City with a tiered merit system running from the Presidential Scholarship (full cost of attendance for roughly 10 students per year) through full-tuition Fordham Scholarships (top 3% of admits), Dean's Scholarships starting at $25,000, and Loyola and Jogues awards from $1,000 to $12,500, all renewable for four years with a 3.0 GPA.
Verified May 20261 month ago· PT
Merit tiers5See requirements
Mid-50% SAT1340–1470CDS 2024-2025
Last verifiedMay 2026Analyst PT
Quick verdict
Worth chasing if you can win a competitive cut — nothing here triggers on stats alone, and the tuition-covering awards claw back outside scholarships.
Fordham runs no stat-triggered ladder. Every award, from the $1,000 Jogues floor to the full-tuition Fordham Scholarship and the Presidential, is competitively selected and test-optional, so academic strength only buys a seat at the table. Among the awards with concrete numbers, the biggest computable jump is Loyola's ceiling ($12,500) to the Dean's Scholarship floor ($25,000): +$12,500/yr, a doubling — and Dean's can climb further with documented FAFSA/CSS Profile need. The Presidential is the richest award (tuition, fees, room, board, plus up to $20,000 of enrichment over four years), going to roughly the top 20 admits, notified by April 1; note it still leaves books and transportation uncovered, so it is not a full ride. Stacking is mixed: Dean's/Loyola/Jogues use protective self-help-first displacement, but Presidential and the Fordham Scholarship are cut dollar-for-dollar by tuition-specific outside aid (half for non-tuition awards). At those top tiers, run the tuition-cap math before chasing an outside scholarship.
Rules that bite at Fordham
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Fordham's own published policy, not generic advice.
cliffOne ACT point can move the award by +$2,500/yr ($12,500 - $10,000)
Fordham publishes a tier ladder where crossing Jogues ceiling -> Loyola ceiling changes the marginal value by +$2,500/yr ($12,500 - $10,000). Modest step between the two fallback awards; Loyola also carries a higher 3.0 renewal GPA vs Jogues' 2.75.
renewalPresidential Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for four years (8 semesters). Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA, full-time enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, annual FAFSA filing, and compliance with University Code of Conduct. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
displacementDifferent aid types are displaced differently
Fordham treats loans, work-study, and institutional grant under different rules. The same $5,000 outside award can land against any of them depending on category.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Fordham
The Dean's Scholarship starts at $25,000 based on merit but can increase significantly based on demonstrated financial need from FAFSA and CSS Profile. Families who skip filing or file late receive only the $25,000 floor and leave money on the table.
For Presidential and Fordham Scholarship holders, non-tuition-specific outside awards reduce the Fordham scholarship by only half (the student keeps the other half). But for Dean's, Loyola, and Jogues holders with no unmet need, outside scholarships displace university grants dollar-for-dollar. The net benefit of an outside scholarship depends entirely on which Fordham tier the student holds.
The Fordham Scholarship covers full tuition only (no fees, no room, no board). The Presidential covers tuition, fees, room, board, plus enrichment funds. At a $102,720 total COA, full tuition of roughly $67,000 still leaves over $35,000 in room, board, fees, and living expenses uncovered.
Where each named award lands
Fordham awards are competitive, not stat-automatic. The profiles below describe the academic standing each tier typically implies per Fordham's own descriptions, not a guaranteed trigger. Admission is test-optional; no award is gated on a published test score.
Student profile
Likely outcome
Strong academics, no higher award · 2.75 GPA renewal floor
Jogues Scholarship - $1,000 to $10,000/yrLowest renewal bar of any tier (2.75 vs 3.0 elsewhere). Consolation award for first-years not offered something larger.
High academics + leadership, no higher award
Loyola Scholarship - $1,000 to $12,500/yrSame fallback role as Jogues but higher ceiling and 3.0 renewal. Open to first-year and transfer students.
Strong record in a rigorous curriculum · typically 10% of admitted students
Dean's Scholarship - from $25,000/yrHybrid merit-need: $25,000 is only a floor and scales up with FAFSA/CSS Profile need. Skip the CSS Profile or file late and you may be stuck at the floor.
Exceptional academics · typically 3% of admitted students
Fordham Scholarship - full tuition (fees not included)Covers tuition only; fees, room, and board are still on you. No standalone tuition-only dollar figure is published. Cut dollar-for-dollar by tuition-specific outside aid.
Top of class · roughly the top 20 admits per year
Presidential Scholarship - full tuition, mandatory fees, average double room, average meal plan + up to $20,000 enrichment over four yearsThe richest award here, but not a full ride: books and transportation/miscellaneous (about $5,400/yr of COA) are not covered. Notification by April 1. Same dollar-for-dollar tuition-cap exposure as the Fordham Scholarship.
The dollar jumps between Fordham tiers
These deltas are arithmetic differences between named tiers. Because no Fordham award is stat-gated, these are selection cliffs (which award you win), not test-score thresholds. Range-based tiers are compared at their stated ceilings or floors. The Fordham Scholarship and Presidential are omitted from the math because the verified data gives no standalone tuition-only dollar figure for them.
Threshold
Marginal value
Jogues ceiling -> Loyola ceiling
+$2,500/yr ($12,500 - $10,000)Modest step between the two fallback awards; Loyola also carries a higher 3.0 renewal GPA vs Jogues' 2.75.
Loyola ceiling -> Dean's floor
+$12,500/yr ($25,000 - $12,500)A doubling from the Loyola ceiling, and the largest computable jump among the tiers with published dollar figures. Dean's can climb further with documented need, so the real gap is often larger.
Who this school is for
Families targeting a research university in New York City where holistic merit review rewards leadership and service alongside academics. Fordham is test-optional for all scholarship tiers, so students who chose not to submit scores are not disadvantaged. The Dean's Scholarship is a hybrid that starts at $25,000 on merit and scales up with demonstrated financial need, making it unusually valuable for middle-income families who file FAFSA and CSS Profile on time.
Cost of attendance$98,331 for 2025-2026Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$98,331
$68K
$25K
Tuition & fees
Housing & food
Books
Personal
Travel
Rose Hill, Fall 2025 entrants, resident. Official page publishes 2025-2026; input year/total not yet published.
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.
Full tuition, mandatory fees, average double room, average meal plan, plus up to $20,000 over four years for academic enrichment
Presidential Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Competitive selection from the top ~20 admitted students per year (corrected from prior ~10 figure per Fordham's own scholarships page snippet via Google: 'the scholarship being awarded to the top 20 admitted students each year'). Recipients typically rank in the top 1-2% of their high school class. Based on excellent academic achievement, test scores (if submitted), and personal characteristics. Test-optional: applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT to be considered. Notification by April 1.
Renewal terms
Renewable for four years (8 semesters). Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA, full-time enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, annual FAFSA filing, and compliance with University Code of Conduct.
Notes
Formerly the Maurice J. and Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe Presidential Scholarship. Actual scholarship amount equals tuition and fees, less Federal Pell Grant, state assistance, other tuition-specific resources, and half the amount of any external non-tuition-specific resources.
Competitive. Typically 3% of admitted students. Based on excellent academic performance in a highly demanding curriculum, exceptional personal characteristics, commitment, leadership, and/or service. Notification at time of admission. Test-optional.
Renewal terms
Renewable for four years (8 semesters). Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Notes
Actual amount equals tuition less Pell, state aid, tuition-specific resources, and half of non-tuition-specific outside resources. Does not cover fees, room, or board.
Starts at $25,000 per year, increases based on demonstrated financial need via FAFSA and/or CSS Profile
Dean's Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Competitive. Typically 10% of admitted students. Based on strong academic performance in a rigorous curriculum plus exceptional personal characteristics, commitment, leadership, and/or service. Also available to transfer students. Notification at time of admission. Test-optional.
Renewal terms
Renewable for four years (8 semesters). Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA, full-time enrollment, annual FAFSA filing.
Notes
Hybrid merit-need award: the base is merit-driven but the amount scales with financial need documentation. Families who skip CSS Profile or file FAFSA late may receive only the $25,000 floor.
Presidential, Fordham, and Excellence in Theatre scholarships are reduced dollar-for-dollar by tuition-specific outside aid and by half for non-tuition-specific outside aid. Dean's, Loyola, Jogues, and need-based grants are adjusted dollar-for-dollar after outside scholarships fill unmet need, displacing subsidized loans, then work-study, then university grants.
Fordham's outside aid policy distinguishes between tuition-specific and non-tuition-specific outside scholarships. For Presidential, Fordham Scholarship, and Excellence in Theatre holders, tuition-specific outside awards reduce the Fordham scholarship dollar-for-dollar, while non-tuition-specific outside awards reduce it by only half (the student keeps the other half for living expenses). For all other scholarships and grants (Dean's, Loyola, Jogues, need-based), outside aid first fills any remaining unmet need; if no unmet need exists, outside scholarships displace in order: Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, then College Work Study, then University Grants. Total tuition-specific aid from all sources may not exceed Fordham's tuition charges. Students must report all outside awards on the Outside Aid Disclosure Form.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$15,000 per yearEligibilityCommuter students whose permanent residence is in New York City or surrounding areas. Cannot be combined with Presidential, Theatre, or Fordham Scholarship (student receives the higher award).
Renewable for four years. Requires 2.0 GPA. This is $60,000 over four years that many families overlook because it requires commuting rather than living on campus.
Amount$1,000 to $10,000 per year based on financial needEligibilityEntering Fordham College at Rose Hill first-year students, U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, strong academic performance, declared STEM major interest, financial need. First year funded by NSF, years 2-4 by Fordham.
Does Fordham require SAT or ACT scores for merit scholarship consideration?
No. Fordham is test-optional for all scholarship tiers, including the Presidential Scholarship. Their published policy states applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered. Strong test scores, if submitted, are considered as part of holistic review, but students who choose not to submit are not disadvantaged in scholarship selection.
What GPA does my student need to keep a Fordham merit scholarship?
Presidential, Fordham, Dean's, and Loyola scholarships require a 3.0 cumulative GPA. The Jogues Scholarship requires a 2.75 GPA. The UPS Foundation Scholarship requires a 2.0 GPA. All merit scholarships also require full-time enrollment, annual FAFSA filing, and compliance with the University Code of Conduct. Falling below the threshold results in nonrenewal.
Will outside scholarships reduce my student's Fordham merit award?
It depends on the tier. Presidential and Fordham Scholarship holders see their award reduced dollar-for-dollar by tuition-specific outside aid but only by half for non-tuition-specific outside aid, keeping the other half for living expenses. Dean's, Loyola, and Jogues holders have outside scholarships fill unmet need first; if no unmet need exists, outside awards displace subsidized loans, then work-study, then university grants dollar-for-dollar.
How many students receive merit scholarships at Fordham?
About 20 students per year receive the Presidential Scholarship (per Fordham's published scholarships page; the prior ~10 figure was understated), roughly 3% of admitted students receive the full-tuition Fordham Scholarship, and about 10% receive the Dean's Scholarship. Loyola and Jogues awards go to a broader group of high-performing students. Based on historical CDS data, approximately 25% of first-year students with no financial need have received some form of institutional non-need-based merit aid.
Is the Dean's Scholarship purely merit-based or does financial need matter?
Both. The base award starts at $25,000 on academic merit, but the amount can increase above $25,000 based on demonstrated financial need from the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Filing both forms fully and on time is critical to maximizing this award. This makes the Dean's Scholarship unusually valuable for middle-income families compared to fixed-amount merit awards at other schools.
How Fordham compares across our verified dataset
22 of 232 verified schools in our dataset use mixed displacement.
Fordham is in the small minority (22 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
207 of 232 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Fordham is one of them. The cohort minority (25 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
63 of 232 verified schools publish a marginal-value cliff table we can quantify.
Fordham is one of them. Most schools won't tell families what one ACT point is actually worth. At the schools that do, a strategic retake is sometimes mathematically more valuable than test-optional positioning.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Fordham’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
