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Hanover College · Indiana

Hanover scholarships and merit aid

Hanover guarantees every admitted first-year a renewable academic merit award on a transparent weighted-GPA grid ($20,000 to $36,000) — test scores explicitly don't count — but caps all aid at the cost of tuition.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is Hanover worth a closer look?

Hanover is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and 4 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers74 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 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.

$20,000-$36,000

Academic Merit Scholarships (weighted-GPA grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Weighted GPA tiers: 4.25+ ($36k); 4.0-4.24 ($34k); 3.75-3.99 ($30k); 3.50-3.74 ($28k); 3.25-3.49 ($24k); 3.24 and below ($20k)
SAT
Not used for merit
ACT
Not used for merit
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

All applicants automatically reviewed; decision based on weighted GPA from the high school transcript at time of applying.

How to keep it

Renewable academic merit scholarship; renewal tied to academic standing (Satisfactory Academic Progress). Tuition is locked for four years for new first-years.

Notes

Test scores are considered in admission review but do NOT affect merit scholarship consideration. Entering Fall 2026.

Source

Full ride…Full ride (tuition, standard room, board, and books)

Spencer Scholarship for Engineering

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Two awards/year for Engineering or Engineering Science majors with significant financial need and the highest levels of academic achievement. Separate scholarship application, two STEM teacher recommendations, essay, possible interview.

How to keep it

Renewable; to maintain eligibility students must major in engineering or engineering science.

Notes

'Full-ride indicates that tuition, standard room, board and books will all be covered.' Scholarship application due December 15, 2025; FAFSA by January 31, 2026 (code 001801).

Source

$4,000-$6,000 (first year)

Campus Visit Award

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

All domestic admitted students who visit campus (or attend a one-on-one virtual admission event) during senior year. $4,000 for first visit; additional $2,000 for a second visit.

How to keep it

After year one, the $6,000 is available for annual renewal as the Student Success Award.

Notes

Stacks with merit (subject to the tuition cap). Becomes the renewable $6,000 Student Success Award for years 2-4.

Source

$6,000

Student Success Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

First-year students; FAFSA required each year.

How to keep it

Renewable for years two through four if making Satisfactory Academic Progress AND continuing to complete the FAFSA each year.

Notes

Requires filing the FAFSA every year to keep — a renewal condition families miss.

Source

Full tuition

National Pell Promise

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Weighted high school GPA of at least 3.25
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

File FAFSA by April 15; Student Aid Index (SAI) from -1,500 to 0. For Indiana residents, must also meet state aid requirements annually.

How to keep it

Renewable each year upon filing the FAFSA, continuing to meet the qualifying SAI, and meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Notes

Hanover assists in meeting full tuition (combination of aid). FAFSA deadline April 15.

Source

Tuition…Tuition + standard housing (+ meal plan at higher GPA)

Indiana Pell Promise+ / Pell Promise++

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
GPA 4.0+ → tuition + housing + meal plan; GPA 3.75-3.99 → tuition + housing only
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Pell-eligible Indiana residents with a -1,500 Student Aid Index (SAI). Indiana residency required.

How to keep it

Must complete the FAFSA by April 15 each year; Indiana residents must also meet state aid requirements annually.

Notes

Indiana-resident-only. Pell Promise+ (GPA 4.0+) covers tuition, standard housing, and a meal plan; Pell Promise++ (GPA 3.75-3.99) covers tuition and standard housing (student pays the meal plan).

Source

$5,000

Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Approximately four first-year students, preferably from Ohio, planning to major in a STEM discipline.

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Preference for Ohio residents pursuing STEM. Funded by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation.

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 Hanover's published information.

  • Aid capHard $63,819 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Hanover cannot push the package past $63,819. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. Hanover's merit grid is based solely on weighted high school GPA. The page states test scores 'will be considered in application review, but will not affect merit scholarship consideration.'

  2. All forms of aid and grants are capped at the cost of TUITION ($46,232), not the $63,819 direct cost. Awards above tuition are not paid out.

  3. Decisions use the WEIGHTED GPA as provided on your high school transcript at the time of applying — so the 4.25+/$36,000 top tier assumes a weighted scale.

  4. The $6,000 Student Success Award (years 2-4) requires both Satisfactory Academic Progress and completing the FAFSA each year; missing the FAFSA forfeits it.

  5. Indiana Pell Promise+/++ (tuition + housing, sometimes + meals) requires Indiana residency, Pell eligibility, and a -1,500 SAI. Non-Indiana Pell students instead look to the National Pell Promise (full tuition, weighted GPA 3.25+).

  6. These cover tuition only; recipients are explicitly responsible for room, board, and books.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

An applicant with a strong weighted high school GPA who wants a predictable, automatic award (no test scores needed); Indiana and Pell-eligible students gain additional full-tuition/housing promises.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $63,819 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Hanover, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$16,832
$30,001–$48,000$18,773
$48,001–$75,000$16,944
$75,001–$110,000$23,824
$110,001+$27,030
All income levels (average)$21,829

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$44,638
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$21,829

That works out to roughly a 63% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $58,821 (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
67%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
82%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$25,250 (~$268/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$53,957
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
31%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
55%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Every form of institutional aid combined is capped at the cost of tuition. Awards generally stack up to that ceiling. Awards designated for tuition (institutional scholarships/grants, Pell, Indiana state grants, and outside scholarships) together may not exceed tuition.

The page repeats 'All forms of aid and grants cannot exceed the cost of tuition' under every award. A separate statement on outside scholarships: 'All financial awards designated for tuition (institutional scholarships/grants, Pell grant, Indiana state grants, and outside scholarships), may not exceed the cost of tuition in an academic year.'

Source

Other Hanover scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$2,500 (renewable)EligibilityAdmitted students; separate scholarship application by December 15, 2025; FAFSA by December 15, 2025.

Four-year experiential program with paid internship.

Source

Amount$2,500 (renewable)EligibilityTop applicants interested in concert band, orchestra (strings), or choir; audition (in-person or video).

Renewable upon continued ensemble participation + SAP. App by Dec 15, 2025.

Source

Amount$2,500 (renewable)EligibilityPerformers or technicians; audition, resume/portfolio, interview.

Renewable upon continued department participation. App by Dec 15, 2025.

Source

AmountFull tuitionEligibilityThree awards; Indiana residents who are members of/nominated by Purpose of Life Ministries (Indianapolis). Recipients pay room, board, books.

Apply for admission by Dec 15, 2025; FAFSA by Dec 15, 2025.

Source

AmountFull tuitionEligibilityTwo students; active members of the Muhammad Ali Center Council of Students (Louisville, KY). Recipients pay room, board, books.

Apply for admission by Dec 15, 2025.

Source

AmountFull tuitionEligibilityOne incoming first-year; Indiana resident and confirmed Starfish Scholar. Covers tuition for four years; recipient pays room, board, books.

Apply for admission by Dec 15, 2025.

Source

Amount$2,500EligibilityFirst-years whose parent/legal guardian is employed by an accredited Indiana K-12 school (public or private). One award per family.

Requires FAFSA + employment verification.

Source

Amount$2,000 (renewable)EligibilityImmediate relatives of Hanover alumni and current students.

FAFSA required; renewable with SAP.

Source

Amount$2,000 (renewable)EligibilityIncoming students who are siblings of current Hanover students.

Source

AmountUp to full tuitionEligibilityChildren of those who died in the line of duty (military, police, emergency workers) or as a direct result of service. Documentation required.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityTen awards to admitted students who participated in a FIRST Robotics Competition or FIRST Tech Challenge team. Form + recommendation by February 1, 2026.

No STEM major required.

Source

AmountValue of housing, food, and laundry fees (4-yr renewable)EligibilityLilly Endowment scholars (in addition to the Lilly Endowment scholarship). FAFSA by April 15.

Also fully funds a May term off-campus experience.

Source

Amount$2,500EligibilityMembers of Phi Theta Kappa (two-year college honor society); first-year college students not eligible (transfer-oriented).

Source

Hanover merit aid FAQ

  • Do I have to apply separately for the academic merit scholarship?

    No. All students who apply for admission are automatically reviewed for a renewable academic merit scholarship based on weighted high school GPA.

  • Do my SAT/ACT scores affect my merit scholarship?

    No. Test scores are considered in admission review but do not affect merit scholarship consideration; the merit grid is based on weighted GPA.

  • Can my scholarships and aid exceed the cost of attendance?

    No — all forms of aid and grants are capped at the cost of tuition ($46,232 for 2026-2027).

  • What is the deadline for the competitive scholarships (Spencer Engineering, Social Justice, Music, Theatre)?

    Admitted students must submit the separate scholarship application by December 15, 2025 (Spencer also requires the FAFSA by January 31, 2026).

  • Is my tuition rate locked?

    Yes. New first-year students have their tuition rate locked for four years.

See sources and other schools

How Hanover compares

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

    Hanover 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.

    Hanover 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 Hanover’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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