Franklin Pierce Merit Aid

1. Reading the big merit number as cash in hand — it's a discount off a high sticker price.+

   Merit awards of $31,000-$35,000 go to 100% of incoming students, and the page itself frames the result as tuition capped at $13,500 (which excludes room, board, and fees). Compare net price, not award size.

2. Thinking Pierce Promise is a full ride.+

   It covers tuition and fees only. The page's own FAQ: you still pay room and board (~$16,000 average), books (~$1,100/yr), and personal/transportation (~$1,000/yr).

3. Missing the Pierce Promise gates: NH residency, $60,000 income cap, 3.0 GPA, FAFSA, and living on campus at Rindge.+

   All criteria must be met; commuters get only 'a prorated discount,' not free tuition.

4. Not reporting an outside scholarship.+

   Catalog policy: 'Students who receive private scholarships are required to notify the Office of Student Financial Services.' Under Pierce Promise, private money is directed at room/board/books rather than stacking on tuition.

5. Trying to stack a Tuition Exchange award with FPU merit aid.+

   'Tuition Exchange cannot be combined with other Franklin Pierce sources of financial aid,' and recipients pay a $700-per-term administrative fee.

6. Expecting total aid above the cost of attendance.+

   The catalog states all aid combined (e.g., with athletic awards) may 'not exceed cost of attendance.'

7. Online or non-Rindge students expecting the same merit package.+

   The catalog labels Franklin Pierce Merit Awards, the FP Grant, SEOG, state grants, and Tuition Exchange as 'Rindge Campus Study Only.'

DRAFT: Families who want a guaranteed large discount without a stats contest — every admitted student gets merit money — and especially New Hampshire residents with a 3.0 GPA and household income under $60,000, who can attend tuition-free via Pierce Promise.

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.

All aid combined (including athletic awards) cannot exceed the cost of attendance. Students must report private/outside scholarships to Student Financial Services. Under Pierce Promise, private scholarships/grants may be applied to room, board, and book expenses (they do not void the tuition coverage). Tuition Exchange scholarships CANNOT be combined with any other Franklin Pierce aid.

Catalog: athletic awards are 'calculated into the student's overall financial aid package, with all aid combined not to exceed cost of attendance.' Catalog: 'Students who receive private scholarships are required to notify the Office of Student Financial Services.' Catalog: 'Tuition Exchange cannot be combined with other Franklin Pierce sources of financial aid' (plus a $700/term administrative fee).

Source

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

• What is the scholarship deadline?

  No merit-scholarship deadline is published — the Admissions Office evaluates every application for merit at the time of admission, and 100% of incoming students receive an award. The 2026-2027 FAFSA is open now; filing it earns new Rindge undergrads a $500 tuition grant.

• How much merit aid will I get?

  For incoming Fall 2026 & Spring 2027 students, merit awards range from $31,000 to $35,000 based on high school academic achievement. No GPA/test breakdown is published; the net effect promised is tuition of no more than $13,500 for incoming domestic residential students in 2026-27.

• Who qualifies for free tuition under Pierce Promise?

  New Hampshire residents who are first-time, full-time incoming residential students at the Rindge campus with a 3.0+ HS GPA, a filed FAFSA, and household gross income under $60,000. Tuition and fees are covered 'even if they increase'; room, board, and books are not.

• Can I use outside scholarships too?

  Yes — but you must notify Student Financial Services. Under Pierce Promise, 'any private scholarship or grant may be applied to your room, board and book expenses.'

• SNHU merit aid — New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Institute of Art and Design at NEC merit aid — New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Dartmouth merit aid — New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Plymouth State merit aid — New Hampshire public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

• Franklin Pierce scholarship stacking — Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
• Does Franklin Pierce displace outside scholarships? — The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.
• Franklin Pierce four-year renewal rules — GPA floors, credit-hour pace, and the renewal cliffs that knock awards out by sophomore year.