High Point · North Carolina

High Point Merit Aid

North Carolina experiential-luxury private with a genuinely published four-level merit grid — High Point Scholarships up to Presidential Founders ($40,000 to full tuition) — banded by GPA and SAT, plus a $3,000 Honors/Fellows add-on.

Verified May 20268 days ago· B2-2
Merit tiers44 automatic on stats
Last verifiedMay 2026Analyst B2-2

Common merit-aid mistakes at High Point

  1. High Point lists 'Average GPA' and 'Average SAT' at each level — e.g., 4.0 / 1550 for Presidential Founders. These are the typical profile at the tier, not minimum thresholds. A student slightly below the average can still earn the tier, and a student at the average is not guaranteed it; the rest of the application matters.

  2. The Founders tier is measured against tuition, not the total. Tuition and fees are $50,628 for 2026-27, while the $71,429 figure adds Tier 1 housing, food, and dining tax. Even a full-tuition award leaves roughly $20,801 of housing and food for the family.

  3. High Point states that 'For full consideration under the Presidential Scholarship Program or High Point Scholars, students must submit their application for admission by November 15.' Applying after that date can reduce scholarship consideration even for a strong applicant.

Presidential Founders Scholarship — High Point's top tier, $40,000 to full tuition

The Presidential Founders Scholarship is High Point's highest published merit level at '$40,000-Full Tuition,' aimed at applicants with an 'Average GPA: 4.0 (unweighted)' and 'Average SAT: 1550.' Unlike schools that hide their ladder, High Point publishes a four-level grid with stat averages at each step, so families can roughly self-place. The award is part of the Presidential Scholarship Program and is 'renewable over four years, as long as renewal GPA requirements are met.' For full consideration, 'students must submit their application for admission by November 15.' The figures are averages, not hard cutoffs — High Point frames them as the typical profile at each level, so a student slightly below the average SAT can still land the tier on the strength of the rest of the application. Honors Scholars and Fellows also receive a $3,000 scholarship on top of the Presidential award.

Source

Who this school is for

High-stat students (think 1.5k+ SAT, near-4.0 GPA for the top tier) drawn to High Point's amenity-heavy campus who want a transparent, stat-anchored merit ladder rather than a discretionary black box. The Founders tier rewards the strongest applicants with up to full tuition.

Cost of attendance$80,686 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$80,686
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal
  • Loan fees

Official COA total $80,686 (Tier 2 default housing incl. higher-tier upcharge). Housing combines Tier 2 ($9,348) + higher room tier ($4,890); food combines meals ($10,728) + NC dining tax ($724). Input total $71,429 reflects base direct costs only.

High Point cost-of-attendance source

Institutional merit aid tiers

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.

$40,000–Full Tuition per year

Presidential Founders Scholarship

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
4.0
SAT
1550
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Published figures are averages for the tier (Average GPA 4.0 unweighted, Average SAT 1550), not hard cutoffs. Awarded within the admission review; no separate scholarship application.

Renewal terms

Renewable over four years as long as renewal GPA requirements are met. For full consideration, apply by November 15.

Source

$12,000–$20,000 per year

Presidential Fellowships

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.8
SAT
1363
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Published figures are tier averages (Average GPA 3.8 unweighted, Average SAT 1363), not hard cutoffs.

Renewal terms

Renewable over four years as long as renewal GPA requirements are met. Apply by November 15 for full consideration.

Source

$10,000–$17,000 per year

Presidential Scholarships

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.58
SAT
1235
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Published figures are tier averages (Average GPA 3.58 unweighted, Average SAT 1235), not hard cutoffs.

Renewal terms

Renewable over four years as long as renewal GPA requirements are met. Apply by November 15 for full consideration.

Source

$5,000–$10,000 per year

High Point Scholarships

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.26
SAT
1157
Requirements & details
Eligibility

Published figures are tier averages (Average GPA 3.26 unweighted, Average SAT 1157), not hard cutoffs.

Renewal terms

Renewable over four years as long as renewal GPA requirements are met. Apply by November 15 for full consideration.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at High Point

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

Amount$3,000 per year (renewable)EligibilityHonors Scholars and students in the nine discipline-specific Fellows programs receive a $3,000 scholarship renewable annually based on academic performance and continued participation, in addition to any Presidential Fellowship, Presidential Scholarship, or High Point Scholarship.

Source

High Point merit aid FAQ

  • Does High Point publish its merit scholarship amounts?

    Yes — unusually clearly. High Point lists four levels with dollar ranges and stat averages: Presidential Founders ($40,000-Full Tuition, avg GPA 4.0 / SAT 1550), Presidential Fellowships ($12,000-$20,000), Presidential Scholarships ($10,000-$17,000), and High Point Scholarships ($5,000-$10,000 per year).

  • Are the listed GPA and SAT numbers required to get the scholarship?

    No. High Point publishes them as the 'Average GPA' and 'Average SAT' for each tier, not as cutoffs. They describe the typical recipient profile; placement is decided in the admission review, so the surrounding application still matters.

  • When do I need to apply to be considered for the top scholarships?

    By November 15. High Point states that 'For full consideration under the Presidential Scholarship Program or High Point Scholars, students must submit their application for admission by November 15.'

  • Do the Fellows and Honors programs add money on top?

    Yes. 'Honors Scholars and fellows will receive a $3,000 scholarship renewable annually based on academic performance and continued participation in the program,' layered on top of any Presidential Fellowship, Presidential Scholarship, or High Point Scholarship.

  • Does a full-tuition Founders award cover the whole bill?

    No. It covers tuition. For 2026-27, tuition and fees are $50,628, but the published total of $71,429 also includes Tier 1 housing, food, and dining tax — roughly $20,801 of housing and food that a full-tuition award does not touch.

How High Point compares across our verified dataset

  • 207 of 232 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    High Point is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 High Point’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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