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Freed-Hardeman University · Tennessee

Freed-Hardeman scholarships and merit aid

FHU stacks automatic, stats-based merit ($4,000-$12,000/yr, automatic at a 19 ACT / 3.00 GPA) up to an $18,000/yr Trustees' Scholarship at a 30 ACT / 3.80 GPA, but caps total unfunded institutional aid at $15,000/yr per student.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Freed-Hardeman worth a closer look?

Freed-Hardeman is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and 3 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers73 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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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.

$4,000-$12,000 per year

Merit Scholarships

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.00 high school GPA
SAT
990 (Reading/Writing and Math)
ACT
19 composite
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatically considered on submission of application + 3-year transcript + ACT/SAT/CLT score; preference to early submitters (Aug/Sep of senior year). Cannot be combined with athletic scholarships.

How to keep it

First-time freshmen and students who transfer fewer than 30 hours must maintain at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA during the first academic year; upperclassmen and students who transfer more than 30 hours must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Reviewed after each semester.

Notes

Headline on the page reads 'MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS (up to $12,000 annually)'; body states range $4,000-$12,000. A January 2024 FHU news article gives an older range of $3,000-$11,000 — superseded by the current page. Subject to a $15,000/yr institutional cap on total unfunded institutional aid.

Source

$18,000 per year

Trustees' Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.80 high school GPA
SAT
1360 (Reading/Writing and Math only)
ACT
30 composite
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on stats; National Merit Finalists also receive the Trustees' Scholarship. Cannot be combined with athletic scholarships. Must be full-time and live in university housing.

How to keep it

Applied to a maximum of eight regular semesters provided the student maintains a 3.4 college cumulative GPA, reviewed at the end of each semester. Recipient must be full-time and live in university housing or a lesser award is given.

Notes

CONFLICT: the current grants page states '$18,000 per year' and a '3.80 high school GPA'; FHU's own January 2024 news releases state '$17,500' and list only the 30 ACT / 3.00 GPA threshold (no 3.80 GPA). Used the live grants page ($18,000, 3.80 GPA) as authoritative; flagged for aid-office confirmation. The 3.80 GPA requirement here matches the Honors Scholarship Competition eligibility on the same page.

Source

Varies…Varies (competition-based; stackable on Trustees' up to the $27,050 comprehensive charge)

Honors Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.80 weighted high school GPA (Trustees' eligibility)
SAT
1360
ACT
30 composite
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded via a competition held each Fall semester; must qualify for the Trustees' Scholarship first. Cannot be combined with athletic scholarship or employee remission.

How to keep it

Conditional, renewable for up to four years, subject to annual review by the Dean of the Honors College. Recipients must participate in the Freshman Honors program, join the Honors College within their first year and remain in good standing, take at least 12 hours each semester, and maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

Notes

Amount not published on the page — competition-determined. The only award FHU explicitly says stacks on top of the Trustees' Scholarship (other awards are capped at $15,000/yr total unfunded institutional aid). 'Stackable up to the total cost of FHU's Comprehensive charge ($27,050 for the 2026-2027 school year).' Amount left as 'Varies' because no dollar figure is published.

Source

$1,000-$7,000 per year…$1,000-$7,000 per year (college-GPA basis); merit basis $2,000-$12,000

Transfer Scholarships

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.0 college GPA and above for the transfer-scholarship track; merit track uses cumulative HS GPA + highest ACT/SAT
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Transfer students are eligible for the same scholarships and discounts as first-time freshmen. Students graduating from a participating community college may be eligible for a minimum guaranteed scholarship. Cannot be combined with athletic scholarships.

How to keep it

Same maintenance rules as merit awards; students who transfer fewer than 30 hours must maintain 2.75 cumulative GPA the first year, more than 30 hours must maintain 3.0.

Notes

Two tracks: (1) the freshman merit grid on HS GPA + ACT/SAT ($2,000-$12,000), or (2) a college-GPA transfer scholarship ($1,000-$7,000, available at a 2.0 college GPA and above). Header reads 'up to $11,000 annually'; body lists the $2,000-$12,000 and $1,000-$7,000 ranges.

Source

$4,000-$6,000 over 4 years

Artist Scholarship Award (FHU Artist Award)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Covers four performing-arts degree programs: theatre, music, visual arts, and photography. Requires an audition or portfolio review with the Awards Committee during a Maroon & Gold Day (or by appointment). Selected by program director.

How to keep it

Spread over four years; renewal terms not specified beyond the four-year value.

Notes

Talent award; audition/portfolio required. Page states '$4,000 - $6,000 over 4 years' (i.e., not per-year). Theatre decisions made by late April each year.

Source

$500-$2,000

FHU Competitive Departmental Awards (Garfield / Biblical Studies)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

James A. Garfield Award for Law & Politics and History majors (essay/writing-sample competition; submissions due April 14, 2026 for 2026-27); Biblical Studies Scholar Award for Bible, Missions, and Youth & Family Ministry majors. Selected by program directors; cannot be combined with athletic scholarship.

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

Competitive, major-specific. Page lists the range '$500 - $2,000' for Competitive Departmental Awards as a group.

Source

Up to $1,500 per year

Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Maintain 2.5 GPA to renew
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Recipient list comes from Lads to Leaders headquarters for students who completed the Lads to Leaders Scholarship Application and listed FHU as a top choice. Cannot be combined with athletic scholarships.

How to keep it

Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA; renewed at the end of every spring semester. Recipients must be enrolled full-time.

Notes

NOT stackable with Trustees', Test-Optional Merit, or Athletic scholarships (explicit on the page) — a real trap for high-stat Church-of-Christ students who also do Lads to Leaders.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Freed-Hardeman's published information.

  • Renewal ruleTrustees' Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Applied to a maximum of eight regular semesters provided the student maintains a 3.4 college cumulative GPA, reviewed at the end of each semester. Recipient must be full-time and live in university housing or a lesser award is given. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $36,310 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Freed-Hardeman cannot push the package past $36,310. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. Total UNFUNDED institutional aid is capped at $15,000/yr per student. Discounts combine with merit only up to that cap, and discounts don't stack on other discounts. Only the Honors Scholarship is stated to stack on the Trustees' Scholarship beyond the cap (up to the $27,050 comprehensive charge).

  2. The comprehensive charge ($27,050/yr) is tuition/fees only. Standard room ($4,580) and a 14-meal board plan ($4,680) bring the full 2026-27 total to $36,310/yr, and books (~$300-500/semester) and travel-course costs are still extra.

  3. FHU Promise is a need-based, last-dollar program that requires a Federal Pell Grant each semester, on-campus living, and a 21 ACT / 3.0 GPA. No Pell, no Promise — it is not a pure-merit award.

  4. The Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes Scholarship (up to $1,500) is explicitly NOT stackable with the Trustees', Test-Optional Merit, or Athletic scholarships — so a high-stat applicant generally can't add it to a Trustees' award.

  5. Discounts (Chester County, Participating School, Children of Minister's) must be applied for and accepted by May 15 for first-time freshmen and June 15 for transfers, or the award is forfeited.

  6. Merit is automatic on stats, but first-year freshmen must hold a 2.75 cumulative GPA (3.0 for upperclassmen/30+-hour transfers); the Trustees' requires a 3.4 college GPA and on-campus residence, and the Honors Scholarship a 3.5 GPA — fall below and the award is reduced or lost.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Christian (Churches of Christ) students who want a predictable, stats-based automatic merit award at a small faith-based university, especially high-stat applicants (30 ACT, 3.80 GPA) chasing the Trustees' + Honors stack and Tennessee residents who can layer the state HOPE Scholarship on top.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $36,310 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Freed-Hardeman, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$20,988
$30,001–$48,000$21,788
$48,001–$75,000$19,639
$75,001–$110,000$21,308
$110,001+$23,618
All income levels (average)$21,574

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$25,620
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$21,574

That works out to roughly a 44% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $38,315 (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
71%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,500 (~$228/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$47,485
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
27%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
49%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

FHU caps total UNFUNDED institutional aid at $15,000/yr per student. Discounts (Chester County, Participating School, Children of Minister's) may combine with other institutional awards (excluding other discounts) only up to that $15,000 cap. The Honors Scholarship is the explicit exception — it stacks on top of the Trustees' Scholarship up to the full $27,050 comprehensive charge. Endowed and Nursing scholarships are stated to SUPPORT merit awards and do NOT stack on top of them. The Church Scholarship Match (up to $2,500) may stack above the institutional cap up to the comprehensive charge. No dedicated 'outside / third-party scholarship displacement' page exists; the governing ceilings are the $15,000 unfunded-institutional cap and the comprehensive charge.

The $15,000/yr cap is on unfunded institutional aid, so it primarily limits how FHU's own scholarships and discounts combine, not necessarily how an external/private scholarship displaces aid. The Church Scholarship Match and the FHU Promise both explicitly cap total awards at the comprehensive charge / cost of attendance. How a true third-party (e.g., a Rotary or corporate) scholarship reduces FHU institutional merit is NOT published — confirm with the aid office (see Section C).

Source

Other Freed-Hardeman scholarships worth checking

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

AmountUp to $5,000 per yearEligibilityChester County residents who graduated from Chester County High School or were homeschooled and intend to pursue full-time undergraduate study at FHU.

Can combine with other scholarships (excluding additional discounts and athletic scholarships) up to $15,000/yr. Accept by May 15 (freshmen) / June 15 (transfers).

Source

AmountUp to $5,000 per year ($10,000 if parent is full-time faculty/staff at a participating Christian college/university)EligibilityStudents who graduate from, or whose parent is full-time faculty/staff at, a K-12 school in the National Christian School Association (NCSA).

May combine with other institutional awards (excluding discounts) up to $15,000/yr. One discount per student.

Source

AmountUp to $5,000 per yearEligibilityChildren of full-time Church of Christ pulpit or youth ministers (40 hrs/wk paid, employed full-time as a minister at least five years prior). Form signed by two elders, due May 15.

Must be full-time and live on-campus (housing + meal plan). Graduate students not eligible. Combines with other institutional awards (excluding discounts) up to $15,000/yr.

Source

AmountMatches a church scholarship up to $2,500 per year (up to $5,000 combined)EligibilityNew full-time freshman/transfer living on-campus whose church operates a bona fide scholarship program; pass-through arrangements excluded.

May stack above the $15,000 institutional cap up to the comprehensive charge. Renewable up to four years; must keep receiving an equal/greater church scholarship, 12+ hrs/semester, 2.75 GPA first year then 3.0.

Source

AmountCovers up to 90% of the comprehensive charge not met by other aid; caps freshman out-of-pocket at $240/semester tuition & feesEligibilityNEED-BASED. 21 ACT (1060 SAT), 3.0 HS GPA, receives a Federal Pell Grant each semester, lives on campus, admitted before May 15.

Requires a Pell Grant, so it is need-gated, not pure merit. Cannot combine with athletic scholarship or employee remission. The grants page caps the freshman-year gap at $9,500; the FHU Promise page frames it as no more than $6,250/semester for tuition, room and board — confirm which figure governs.

Source

Amount$4,500/yr (freshmen & sophomores), $5,700/yr (juniors & seniors)EligibilitySTATE award, not FHU merit. Tennessee resident (1 yr by Sep 1), 21 ACT (1060 SAT) on a national/state test date OR weighted 3.0 GPA, graduate from a TN-eligible high school. GAMS (+$1,000) and ASPIRE (+$1,500) supplements available.

Layers on top of FHU institutional aid for TN residents; governed by the Tennessee Education Lottery, not FHU. Renewal reviewed at 24/48/72/96 attempted hours (2.75 then 3.0 cumulative TELS GPA).

Source

Freed-Hardeman merit aid FAQ

  • Is FHU merit aid automatic?

    Yes. Any applicant with at least a 19 ACT (990 SAT) and a 3.00 high school GPA is automatically considered for a Merit Scholarship of $4,000-$12,000/yr; a 30 ACT (1360 SAT) and 3.80 GPA automatically qualifies for the $18,000/yr Trustees' Scholarship. Submit your application, 3-year transcript, and ACT/SAT/CLT score — no separate scholarship application is required, and earlier submission is given preference.

  • What's the deadline?

    There's no hard merit deadline, but FHU gives preference to early applicants and begins awarding in August or September of senior year. Discounts must be accepted by May 15 (freshmen) / June 15 (transfers). FHU Promise requires admission before May 15. Competitive departmental awards (Garfield) close April 14, 2026 for 2026-27.

  • Can I combine FHU scholarships?

    Up to a point. Total unfunded institutional aid is capped at $15,000/yr. Discounts combine with merit only up to that cap (and not with each other). The Honors Scholarship is the one award stated to stack on top of the Trustees' Scholarship up to the $27,050 comprehensive charge. Endowed and Nursing scholarships support — but don't stack on top of — merit awards. Most FHU awards can't be combined with athletic scholarships.

  • How do I keep my merit scholarship?

    First-time freshmen and sub-30-hour transfers must maintain a 2.75 cumulative GPA in the first academic year; upperclassmen and 30+-hour transfers need a 3.0. The Trustees' Scholarship requires a 3.4 college GPA, full-time status, and living in university housing; the Honors Scholarship requires a 3.5 GPA and active Honors College participation. GPA is reviewed after each semester.

See sources and other schools

How Freed-Hardeman compares

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

    Freed-Hardeman 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.

    Freed-Hardeman 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 Freed-Hardeman’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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