Are OEM Excellence Scholarships really test-blind?

Yes. IU's published policy: 'OEM Excellence Scholarships are awarded based on high performance in academic coursework, and test scores are not considered in the awarding of these merit scholarships.' Award decisions use high school GPA, grades in required courses, and rigor (AP, IB, honors course performance). Submitting test scores by January 15 may help with other scholarship consideration, but OEM Excellence itself is decided on the academic record alone. This is one of the few major automatic merit awards at any Big Ten school that is genuinely test-blind.

How are the Cox Scholarships different from OEM Excellence?

OEM Excellence is merit-based and not need-based — it goes to high-GPA students regardless of family income. Cox Scholarships are need-based AND merit-based, restricted to Indiana residents, and require a 10-12 hour/week service or research commitment that doubles as paid work. A Cox award can pay up to full Cost of Attendance, which is well above any OEM Excellence amount; for IN-resident families with financial need, Cox is the higher-dollar pathway. The two can be considered together based on the November 1 application; OSFA picks the package that maximizes the student's award.

Do scholarships renew for all four years?

OEM Excellence is a four-year scholarship subject to continued enrollment and academic standing. Hutton Honors College scholarships renew for 3 years beyond freshman year IF the student remains enrolled, takes 12+ credits/semester, and stays in good HHC standing. Some HHC awards also require annual FAFSA confirmation of financial need. National Merit and Wells Scholars have program-specific renewal rules. Cox Scholarship renewal terms are detailed in the offer letter.

Indiana· Renewal Rules

Keeping Indiana’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year — minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified May 20265 days ago· PT

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 6 of 6
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 6
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Indiana's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating — survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

Indiana Excellence Scholarship (in-state): See notes
National Excellence Scholarship (out-of-state): See notes
Global Excellence Scholarship (international): See notes
Wells Scholars Program: See notes
National Merit Finalist Scholarship (IU): See notes
Hutton Honors College Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Indiana Excellence Scholarship (in-state)
Award amounts vary, four-year scholarship
To keep it: Four-year scholarship for incoming first-year students; renewal contingent on continued enrollment and academic standing.
Source: https://scholarships.indiana.edu/future-scholars/iu-academic-scholarships.html
National Excellence Scholarship (out-of-state)
Award amounts vary, four-year scholarship
To keep it: Four-year scholarship for incoming first-year students; renewal contingent on continued enrollment and academic standing.
Source: https://scholarships.indiana.edu/future-scholars/iu-academic-scholarships.html
Global Excellence Scholarship (international)
Award amounts vary, four-year scholarship
To keep it: Four-year award; renewal terms in offer letter.
Source: https://scholarships.indiana.edu/future-scholars/iu-academic-scholarships.html
Wells Scholars Program
Full tuition, mandatory and course-related fees, and a living stipend for four years; plus study abroad funding, summer grants, and Hutton Honors College membership
To keep it: Four-year award; renewal contingent on Wells Scholar program standards.
Source: https://wellsscholars.indiana.edu/
National Merit Finalist Scholarship (IU)
$2,000 per year for 4 years
To keep it: Four-year award; renewal subject to maintaining National Merit Scholar status.
Source: https://scholarships.indiana.edu/future-scholars/first-year-scholarships.html
Hutton Honors College Scholarship
$1,000 – $4,000 per year, conditionally renewable
To keep it: Renewable for 3 years beyond freshman year IF student remains enrolled, takes 12+ credits/semester, and stays in good standing as an HHC member. Some HHC scholarships also require annual FAFSA confirmation of financial need for renewal.
Source: https://hutton.indiana.edu/funding/scholarships/freshmen-scholarship.html

How families lose this aid

Out-of-state National Merit Finalists not listing IU as #1 choice with NMSC.
IU's $2,000/year for 4 years NMF award requires designating IU Bloomington as first-choice through the National Merit Scholarship Program. NMFs who are admitted to IU but do NOT change their NMSC first-choice listing are not eligible. This is a $8,000 award over 4 years that is forfeited by a single missing form on the NMSC side.

Renewal questions families ask

Are OEM Excellence Scholarships really test-blind?: Yes. IU's published policy: 'OEM Excellence Scholarships are awarded based on high performance in academic coursework, and test scores are not considered in the awarding of these merit scholarships.' Award decisions use high school GPA, grades in required courses, and rigor (AP, IB, honors course performance). Submitting test scores by January 15 may help with other scholarship consideration, but OEM Excellence itself is decided on the academic record alone. This is one of the few major automatic merit awards at any Big Ten school that is genuinely test-blind.
How are the Cox Scholarships different from OEM Excellence?: OEM Excellence is merit-based and not need-based — it goes to high-GPA students regardless of family income. Cox Scholarships are need-based AND merit-based, restricted to Indiana residents, and require a 10-12 hour/week service or research commitment that doubles as paid work. A Cox award can pay up to full Cost of Attendance, which is well above any OEM Excellence amount; for IN-resident families with financial need, Cox is the higher-dollar pathway. The two can be considered together based on the November 1 application; OSFA picks the package that maximizes the student's award.
Do scholarships renew for all four years?: OEM Excellence is a four-year scholarship subject to continued enrollment and academic standing. Hutton Honors College scholarships renew for 3 years beyond freshman year IF the student remains enrolled, takes 12+ credits/semester, and stays in good HHC standing. Some HHC awards also require annual FAFSA confirmation of financial need. National Merit and Wells Scholars have program-specific renewal rules. Cox Scholarship renewal terms are detailed in the offer letter.

How Indiana compares across our verified dataset

70 of 78 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Indiana is one of them. The cohort minority (8 schools) only awards one-year scholarships — meaning the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
38 of 78 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Indiana 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 renewal claim is checked against Indiana’s own published materials.