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Harding University · Arkansas

Harding scholarships and merit aid

Harding's Academic Achievement Scholarship is automatic on a combination of test scores and high-school GPA, paying $7,000-$11,000/year, and top stats unlock a full-tuition Trustee Scholar award (3.5 GPA + ACT 31 / SAT 1390 / CLT 100).

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Harding worth a closer look?

Harding awards automatic merit on admission. Harding does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

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.

$7,000 to $11,000 per year

Academic Achievement Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Combination of high school GPA and test scores (no single cutoff published; exact grid not on the page)
SAT
Used in the calculation; no published cutoff for amount
ACT
Used in the calculation; no published cutoff for amount
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded to admitted freshmen; students may retake the ACT, SAT or CLT through July after senior year to increase the amount

How to keep it

Recipients must be enrolled full time (12 hours) and maintain a GPA of 3.0. Renewable for four years or eight semesters.

Notes

Calculated automatically on a combination of test scores and high school GPA for admitted freshmen; the page does not publish the dollar-by-stat grid, so the exact award within $7,000-$11,000 for a given GPA/score is not knowable from public pages. CLT is also accepted.

Source

Full tuition

Trustee Scholar Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
High school GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
SAT
SAT combined Critical Reading and Math score of 1390 or higher
ACT
ACT score or superscore of 31 or higher
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

OR a CLT score of 100 or higher; requires a Trustee Scholar application and an interview; official scores must be received before January 1 of the enrollment year. Includes admission into the Honors College.

How to keep it

Trustee Scholars are expected to uphold a minimum GPA of 3.25 and reside in on-campus housing.

Notes

Not purely automatic on stats — meeting the GPA + test threshold makes a student eligible, but the award requires a separate Trustee Scholar application and a successful interview, and it goes to a select group of incoming freshmen. Includes Honors College admission.

Source

Full undergraduate tuition

National Merit Semifinalist Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Be a National Merit Semifinalist

How to keep it

Recipients must maintain a GPA of 3.25 and live in campus housing.

Notes

Awarded to National Merit Semifinalists; covers full undergraduate tuition.

Source

Full undergraduate tuition and a…Full undergraduate tuition and a $2,000 annual stipend

National Merit Finalist Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Be a National Merit Finalist

How to keep it

Recipients must maintain a GPA of 3.25 and live in campus housing.

Notes

Awarded to National Merit Finalists; covers full undergraduate tuition plus a $2,000 annual stipend.

Source

$4,000 per year

Christian Ministers and Educators Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Unmarried dependents of full-time ministers or missionaries serving/living outside the U.S., or full-time K-12 Christian school employees, or full-time Christian college employees at qualifying institutions (K-12 school must be a member of the NCSA or CESA)

How to keep it

Valid for a maximum of four years (eight semesters) of undergraduate education.

Notes

Eligibility-based (ministry/education family), not stat-based. May be combined with other institutional scholarships but may not exceed full tuition.

Source

$2,000 per year

Homeschool Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Graduating from a homeschool; apply to Harding and submit a homeschool transcript

How to keep it

Renewable for four years.

Notes

Eligible to stack with other Harding-funded scholarships up to full tuition.

Source

$10,000 per year

Carter Business Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Business student who supports the mission of COBA, desires to be active in Christian service upon graduation, and is in financial need; preference to students from northwest Arkansas; selection by the Dean of COBA

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated. Typically divided among four students each year at approximately $2,500 per student per year.

Notes

Departmental (College of Business) award with a financial-need component; deadline March 15. The headline '$10,000 per year' is typically split ~four ways (~$2,500/student).

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 Harding's published information.

  • Renewal ruleAcademic Achievement Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Recipients must be enrolled full time (12 hours) and maintain a GPA of 3.0. Renewable for four years or eight semesters. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What families often miss

  1. Harding publishes only the $7,000-$11,000 range and says the amount is 'calculated on a combination of test scores and high school GPA' — the dollar-by-stat grid is not public, so you must ask admissions for your specific number.

  2. Harding lets students 'retake the ACT, SAT or CLT through July after their senior year to improve their scores and increase their scholarship amount' — but the full-tuition Trustee Scholar award requires official scores 'before January 1 of the student's enrollment year,' so the retake window differs by award.

  3. Meeting 3.5 GPA + ACT 31 / SAT 1390 / CLT 100 only makes you eligible; the award is 'specially extended to a select group of incoming freshmen,' requires a separate Trustee Scholar application and an interview, and obligates you to keep a 3.25 GPA and live on campus.

  4. Institutional aid is capped: awards 'may not exceed full tuition' and 'all institutional aid is limited to the tuition cap,' so stacking two large awards will not produce a credit beyond tuition.

  5. The $39,950/year is 'Billable Costs Payable to Harding' (tuition $28,350 + technology fee $1,200 + freshman housing $5,000 + all-access meal plan $5,400) and does not include books, transportation, or personal expenses, which raise the full cost of attendance.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Christian (Churches of Christ-affiliated) students with solid stats who want a predictable, automatic merit award scaled to their ACT/SAT/CLT and GPA; high scorers (ACT 31+/SAT 1390+/CLT 100+, 3.5 GPA) can reach full tuition through the Trustee Scholar award and Honors College.

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Harding, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$15,418
$30,001–$48,000$17,430
$48,001–$75,000$19,832
$75,001–$110,000$22,017
$110,001+$26,284
All income levels (average)$22,130

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$39,534
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$26,262
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$22,130

That works out to an average 44% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
69%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,500 (~$281/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$52,876
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
23%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
46%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Institutional scholarships may be combined but total institutional aid is capped at full tuition ('the tuition cap'). Multiple official scholarship descriptions repeat the 'may not exceed full tuition' / 'up to full tuition' limit. The Missionary Children Grant page states plainly that all institutional aid is limited to the tuition cap. No published rule was found describing how third-party OUTSIDE scholarships specifically displace institutional aid.

The Christian Ministers and Educators Scholarship 'may be combined with other institutional scholarships but may not exceed full tuition'; the Homeschool Scholarship is 'eligible to stack with other Harding-funded scholarships up to full tuition'; the Missionary Children Grant is 'stackable with institutional aid' but 'all institutional aid is limited to the tuition cap.' The cap is on institutional aid; the effect of outside private scholarships on institutional awards is not published.

Source

Other Harding scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityUndergraduate dependent children of U.S. missionaries serving on foreign mission fields.

Stackable with institutional aid (including the Christian Ministers and Educators Scholarship), but all institutional aid is limited to the tuition cap.

Source

Amount$3,000EligibilitySubmit FAFSA and be accepted for undergraduate admission.

Need-aware (requires FAFSA); applies to admitted undergraduates.

Source

Amount$3,000 per yearEligibilityBusiness majors; academic performance, leadership, diligence and financial need; preference to Florida applicants; selected by the Dean of COBA.

Departmental award with a need component; deadline March 15.

Source

AmountAward amount variesEligibilityMale and female members of a Church of Christ based on financial need; one letter of recommendation required.

Need-based; annual deadline February 15.

Source

Harding merit aid FAQ

  • Is the Academic Achievement Scholarship automatic?

    Yes — it is 'awarded to admitted freshmen and calculated on a combination of test scores and high school GPA,' ranging from $7,000 to $11,000 per year. You must enroll full time (12 hours) and maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep it. The exact amount for your stats is not published; ask admissions.

  • How do I get full tuition at Harding?

    The Trustee Scholar Award offers full tuition to a select group of incoming freshmen with a 3.5 GPA and an ACT 31 / SAT 1390 / CLT 100 (or higher); it requires an application and interview, official scores before January 1, a 3.25 renewal GPA, and on-campus residence. National Merit Semifinalists also receive full undergraduate tuition, and Finalists add a $2,000 annual stipend.

  • Can I stack Harding scholarships?

    Institutional scholarships can be combined, but total institutional aid 'may not exceed full tuition' — there is a tuition cap. Some awards (Homeschool, Christian Ministers and Educators, Missionary Children Grant) explicitly stack 'up to full tuition.' How outside/private scholarships affect institutional aid is not published; confirm with the financial aid office.

  • What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?

    The Academic Achievement Scholarship requires a 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment; the Trustee Scholar Award and both National Merit awards require a 3.25 GPA (and on-campus housing).

See sources and other schools

How Harding compares

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

    Harding 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.

    Harding 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Harding is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Harding’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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