GWU Merit Aid

1. Telling GW about an outside scholarship before May 1.+

   GW's policy treats outside resources as part of the need-based award package — which means they typically displace institutional aid dollar-for-dollar against the cost of attendance and the federal aid cap. The only exception is outside scholarships awarded to new students after May 1, which apply to unmet need instead. Students whose outside scholarship notification timing is flexible should consider reporting later in the cycle when possible. (Do not lie about timing — the certification language on GW's outside-resources form explicitly requires accurate reporting.)

2. Combining Tuition Exchange with a GW merit award.+

   GW policy: students cannot combine GW Employee Benefits or Tuition Exchange with Merit Awards, the GW Family Grant, or the University and Alumni Award. When multiple non-combinable awards are offered, the student receives only the largest one. Children of higher-education employees using Tuition Exchange should not budget for stacked GW merit on top.

3. Assuming the Presidential Academic Scholarship has a published amount.+

   GW does not publish a tier table for the Presidential Academic Scholarship. Award size is decided by Admissions on a holistic basis and disclosed in the decision letter. Forum-sourced anchors ('Presidential is usually $25k') are not reliable. Use the GW Net Price Calculator as the primary budget tool.

4. DC residents skipping the SJT nomination.+

   The Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship requires a counselor nomination from a regionally accredited D.C. high school — students cannot self-apply. The award is generous: full tuition + fees + room + board + book allowance (sitting on top of DC TAG). DC families should explicitly ask their counselor whether they have been nominated, and whether the counselor plans to do so.

Strong students drawn to a DC location and policy/government adjacency; especially valuable for DC residents nominated for SJT and for outside-scholarship winners who can time their award notification to be after May 1.

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.

Outside resources are treated as part of the need-based aid package, not as additive to it. The one exception is outside scholarships awarded to new students after May 1 — those apply to unmet need rather than displacing institutional aid. GW Employee Benefits and Tuition Exchange cannot combine with most GW merit and grant awards.

Per GW's Office of Student Financial Assistance, outside resources (scholarships, grants, fellowships, employer tuition benefits, ROTC, VA benefits, etc.) are treated as part of the need-based award package. Outside awards cannot reduce the family contribution. Tuition-based scholarships combined cannot exceed full tuition, and total aid cannot exceed the estimated cost of attendance — excesses cause GW awards to be adjusted down. The May 1 timing rule is the only path to non-displacement: outside scholarships received by new students after that date are applied toward unmet need rather than reducing GW aid.

Source

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

• What merit scholarships does GWU offer?

  GW awards two main first-year merit scholarships. The Presidential Academic Scholarship is auto-considered for all applicants (amount not published; given to 'the most competitive applicants in the pool') and is tuition-specific. The Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship is a full-ride award (tuition, fees, room and board, book allowance, beyond DC TAG) reserved for D.C. residents from regionally accredited D.C. high schools nominated by their counselors.

• How long do GW merit scholarships last?

  Up to 10 consecutive semesters of continuous full-time enrollment with satisfactory academic progress. That covers a standard four-year degree plus a fifth-year cushion for approved program structures.

• Will outside scholarships reduce my GW aid?

  Usually yes. GW treats outside resources as part of the need-based award package, which means they generally displace GW aid dollar-for-dollar against the cost-of-attendance and federal-aid caps. The only published exception is outside scholarships awarded to new students after May 1 — those apply to unmet need rather than displacing GW aid.

• Can I stack Tuition Exchange with a GW merit award?

  No. GW policy is explicit: GW Employee Benefits and Tuition Exchange cannot be combined with Merit Awards, the GW Family Grant, or the University and Alumni Award. Students offered multiple non-combinable awards receive only the largest. Tuition Exchange replaces merit; it does not add to it.

• What is the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship?

  The SJT Scholarship is GW's flagship local-pipeline full-ride for outstanding graduates of regionally accredited D.C. high schools nominated by their counselors. It covers full tuition and fees (beyond DC TAG), room and board, and a book allowance. Candidates must be D.C. residents and must have applied for financial assistance. The award is auto-considered when nominated — no separate student application.