Hood Merit Aid

1. Assuming an outside/private scholarship simply adds on top of your Hood package.+

   Hood's FAQ states outside scholarships must be reported and 'may reduce the amount of a student's loan or work commitment. They may also reduce a portion of the College's grant aid' — so a private award can displace Hood grant money, not just loans.

2. Treating Hood's 'full-tuition' awards as full rides.+

   The Chair of the Board Scholarship covers 'all tuition costs'; the transfer page states explicitly that top awards are 'a percent of tuition (not including fees, room or board).' Fees (about $1,100/yr in 2026-27), housing and food remain the family's responsibility.

3. Missing the January 15 acceptance cutoff for the full-tuition Chair of the Board competition.+

   Only first-year students who have been accepted to Hood College by January 15 are considered, with Scholars' Day held in February — applying late removes you from the only full-tuition merit competition.

4. Letting GPA slip as a transfer-scholarship recipient.+

   Transfer scholarships carry a minimum semester GPA set in the acceptance letter; one bad semester triggers a warning, and 'two consecutive semesters below the minimum grade point average will result in a reduction to or elimination of the award.' (It can be recovered by hitting the required GPA again.)

5. Chair of the Board Scholars assuming the standard satisfactory-progress rule applies to them.+

   That award has a steeper renewal cliff: it is renewable only if the recipient 'maintains a GPA of no less than 3.5,' versus general satisfactory academic progress for the regular merit ladder.

6. Skipping the FAFSA after the first year because your scholarship is 'merit-based'.+

   Hood's FAQ says 'Students are required to complete the FAFSA each year to determine federal aid, state aid and institutional aid,' and scholarships are limited to the first eight semesters of full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credits).

7. Counting on transfer-scholarship dollar figures shown on the website.+

   The listed $21,250 / $18,170 / $14,128 values are 'Based on 2021-2022 tuition'; the awards are actually one-half, one-third and one-quarter of current tuition and 'will change annually based upon the tuition.'

8. Independent or off-campus students stacking aid above the cost of attendance.+

   The COA page warns that students living off campus without parents and independent students 'cannot receive more than the cost of attendance from any combination of institutional, federal, state or private funding source,' including merit aid, tuition benefits, ROTC awards and RA contracts.

9. Assuming the Hood Advantage Program covers your whole bill.+

   The page headline says 'Full-tuition grants' and that the program 'covers tuition for up to four years,' even though its bullets also mention room and board and books; families should confirm exactly what is covered, and note the income ($50,000 or less), Maryland-residency, 3.0 GPA and first-year-applicant gates.

Strong students who want sizable merit aid without extra applications — every applicant is automatically reviewed, and 98 percent of Hood students receive some form of merit-based aid. Top academic applicants who are admitted by January 15 can compete for one of four full-tuition Chair of the Board Scholarships, and Maryland students with household income of $50,000 or less and a 3.0 GPA can get full tuition through the Hood Advantage Program.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $71,374 for 2025-2026. Source

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.

Hood designates only its small Honors ($2,000), Legacy ($1,000) and — for transfers — Phi Theta Kappa ($2,000) awards as 'stackable' on top of a merit scholarship. Outside (private) scholarships must be reported and may reduce the student's loan or work commitment, and may also reduce a portion of Hood's own grant aid. Students living off campus (not with relatives) and independent students cannot receive aid above the cost of attendance from any combination of sources.

The first-year and transfer scholarship pages list specific 'Stackable Awards' (Honors, Legacy, Phi Theta Kappa) that 'may be awarded in addition to the above merit scholarships.' The Financial Aid FAQs state that outside scholarships may reduce a student's loan or work commitment and may also reduce a portion of the College's grant aid. The cost of attendance page adds a COA cap for off-campus/independent students covering all funding sources including merit aid.

Source

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

• Do I need a separate application for Hood's merit scholarships?

  No. All students applying for admission are automatically considered — 'No special application is required.' The only exception noted in Hood's FAQs is the Honors Program, which has its own application (Honors admits get a stackable $2,000 award).

• What are the scholarship and financial-aid deadlines?

  To be considered for the full-tuition Chair of the Board Scholarship, you must be accepted to Hood by January 15 (Scholars' Day follows in February). Hood's preferred FAFSA filing deadline for incoming first-years is Feb. 15, and need-based grants (Pell, FSEOG, Hood Grants) give priority to FAFSAs filed by March 1.

• How much are Hood's first-year merit scholarships?

  The published ladder is: Trustee $30,000, Presidential $28,000, Dean $24,000, Leadership $20,000, Achievement $15,000 and Pillar $2,000 per year, with stackable Honors ($2,000) and Legacy ($1,000) awards on top.

• Are the scholarships renewable?

  Yes — for eight semesters or completion of the bachelor's degree, whichever comes first, as long as you stay enrolled full-time (minimum 12 credits per semester) and maintain satisfactory academic progress. The Chair of the Board Scholarship additionally requires a GPA of at least 3.5, and transfer scholarships require a minimum semester GPA stated in your acceptance letter.

• What happens if I win an outside scholarship?

  You must notify the financial aid office. Outside scholarships may reduce your loan or work commitment, and may also reduce a portion of the College's grant aid.

• Does 'full tuition' include housing and food?

  No. Hood's full-tuition awards cover tuition only — the transfer page states awards are a percent of tuition 'not including fees, room or board.' In 2026-27, full-time tuition is $24,900 per semester; fees, housing and meal plans are billed separately.

• Johns Hopkins merit aid — Maryland private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Goucher merit aid — Maryland private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• McDaniel College merit aid — Maryland private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Washington College merit aid — Maryland private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

• Hood scholarship stacking — Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
• Does Hood displace outside scholarships? — The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.
• Hood four-year renewal rules — GPA floors, credit-hour pace, and the renewal cliffs that knock awards out by sophomore year.