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Jacksonville University · Florida

Jacksonville University scholarships and merit aid

Jacksonville University awards every first-year applicant an automatic, unweighted-GPA-based academic scholarship on a published six-band grid running from $14,000 up to $33,000 per year — no separate application required.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Jacksonville University worth a closer look?

Jacksonville University is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 12 published awards, and 6 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers126 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards24%First-year students, CDS 2022-2023 (school-estimated)
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.

$30,000 – $33,000 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 1

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.8+ unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-year applicants are determined by academic record; awarded upon acceptance for admission

How to keep it

Institutional scholarships and grants are awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits). Final award amounts are confirmed in the official offer letter and may include renewal criteria; specific renewal GPA not published on the tier page.

Notes

Top band of the published six-band first-year grid. Amounts shown are annual. Awarded automatically on the unweighted HS GPA at the time of admission — no separate scholarship application.

Source

$26,000 – $29,999 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 2

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.50 – 3.799 unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on academic record at time of admission

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Second band of the published first-year grid; annual amount.

Source

$23,000 – $25,999 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 3

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.25 – 3.499 unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on academic record at time of admission

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Third band of the published first-year grid; annual amount.

Source

$20,000 – $22,999 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 4

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.00 – 3.249 unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on academic record at time of admission

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Fourth band of the published first-year grid; annual amount.

Source

$17,000 – $19,999 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 5

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.75 – 2.999 unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on academic record at time of admission

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Fifth band of the published first-year grid; annual amount.

Source

$14,000 – $16,999 per year

JU Academic Scholarship (First-Year) — GPA Band 6

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.50 – 2.749 unweighted HS GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic on academic record at time of admission; lowest published band

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Bottom band of the published first-year grid; annual amount. The grid does not publish an award below a 2.50 GPA.

Source

Up to $23,000 per year (transfer)

JU Transfer Student Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Transfer students from accredited colleges; awards based on previous college performance and other factors

How to keep it

Awarded for up to four years or normal degree completion (120 earned credits); final amounts confirmed in the official offer letter.

Notes

Average transfer award; the affordability summary elsewhere states 'Transfer: up to $25,000' as a ceiling. Determined by previous college record, not a published grid.

Source

$1,000 per year for up to 4 years

Legacy Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Incoming undergraduate with an alumni relationship — father, mother, sibling, or grandparent who is a JU alum; designate on the admissions application

How to keep it

Stated as $1,000 per year for up to 4 years upon verification of the legacy relationship.

Notes

Add-on award; relationship must be designated on the admissions application and verified.

Source

$2,500 per year for up to 4 years

Sibling Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Incoming first-degree undergraduate with a sibling currently enrolled in a JU undergraduate program; awarded to the youngest sibling

How to keep it

Stated as $2,500 per year for up to 4 years (to the youngest sibling) upon verification.

Notes

Add-on award; goes to the youngest sibling and requires verification of the sibling relationship.

Source

Varies (not published)

Honors Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Qualify for the Honors threshold based on GPA and test scores (threshold not published)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Fully accepted for admission; must complete a separate application to the Honors program to accept the offer

How to keep it

Renewable for four consecutive academic years, eight semesters, provided the student remains in good academic standing and enrolled in the Honors program. If the student leaves the Honors Program, the Honors Scholarship may be replaced with an alternative award of lesser value. Must file FAFSA by March 15 each year. Does not cover course overloads or books.

Notes

Competitive/Honors-gated. The page does not publish the GPA/test threshold or the dollar value — both must be confirmed with admissions/Honors. Tied to continued Honors enrollment.

Source

Full ride — tuition…Full ride — tuition, double room, full meal plan, and books (up to 2 awards/year)

Jacksonville Commitment Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Must attend a Duval County public high school, qualify for the federal Pell grant program, and be accepted to JU; apply to Jacksonville Commitment directly and submit an additional essay

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated on the page; awarded in the spring prior to the start of freshman year.

Notes

Competitive full-ride (up to two per year). Need-linked (Pell-eligible) plus a separate application and essay. Covers tuition + double room + full meal plan + books.

Source

$10,000 – $25,000 (program-specific)

JU & Brooks Rehabilitation Nursing Excellence Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Enrolled in JU's accelerated or traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program; tied to a Brooks Rehabilitation work-agreement/employment pathway

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated; amount based on program track and work-agreement length. Funds applied directly to tuition and paired with an employment opportunity at Brooks.

Notes

Departmental/nursing-only award tied to a work agreement; not a general merit scholarship. Amount varies by program track and agreement length.

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 Jacksonville University's published information.

  • Aid capHard $48,500 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Jacksonville University cannot push the package past $48,500. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Straight from the aid office

What Jacksonville University's aid office says

Per the Student Financial Services, Jacksonville University, August 2026. How we verify

Stacking outside scholarships

If my student wins an outside scholarship, is it allowed on top of JU's aid?

JU allows students to stack outside scholarship funds with their existing awards.

“If a student receives outside scholarship funds, we will allow them to stack these awards.”
Order of reduction for outside scholarships

Does an outside scholarship reduce loans first or JU's own award?

Outside scholarship funds will replace loans first.

“They will replace any loans first.”
Reduction of JU aid when total aid exceeds costs

Can JU scholarships or grants be reduced if total aid is too high?

JU scholarships and grants may be reduced if a student's total gift aid exceeds their direct costs, defined as tuition and on-campus room and board.

“Jacksonville University scholarships and grants may be reduced if the total gift aid available to a student is more than the student's direct costs, defined as tuition and on-campus room and board.”
Scholarships covering books

Do scholarships and grants cover the cost of books?

Scholarships and grants do not cover books unless specifically stated otherwise.

“Unless specifically stated, scholarships and grants do not cover books.”
SAT score consideration

Will an updated SAT score be considered, and can it be submitted after a new test date?

The SAT will be considered as part of the overall academic profile, and the student may submit an updated score after his fall test date.

“His SAT will also be considered as part of his overall academic profile, and he is welcome to submit his updated score after his fall test date.”
Timing of application submission

Should we wait to submit the application until after the fall SAT scores are in?

The counselor suggests waiting to fully submit the application until the new fall SAT scores are available.

“has another SAT planned this fall, I would suggest waiting to fully submit his application until those new scores are available.”
Locking of scholarship decision

Can the scholarship decision be reconsidered after it's released if new scores come in?

Once a decision has been released, JU cannot make changes to the application or reconsider the scholarship based on updated information.

“Once a decision has been released, we will not be able to make changes to the application or reconsider the scholarship based on updated information.”

What families often miss

  1. The first-year academic scholarship is automatic: it is set by your unweighted high school GPA at the time of admission and confirmed in the official offer letter. The separate applications are for Honors, Jacksonville Commitment, Legacy/Sibling verification, and the Brooks nursing award.

  2. The grid is explicitly based on UNWEIGHTED high school GPA. A weighted GPA can push you into the wrong band in your estimate; a 3.8+ unweighted is required for the top $30,000-$33,000 band.

  3. JU scholarships and grants may be reduced when total gift aid exceeds your direct costs — defined narrowly as tuition plus on-campus room and board, not the full cost of attendance. Stacking Legacy/Sibling/Honors on top of a large academic award can hit that cap.

  4. 2026-27 tuition alone is $48,500 before the comprehensive fee, housing, meals, and books. Even the top band covers roughly two-thirds of tuition; only Jacksonville Commitment is a true full ride (tuition + double room + meal plan + books).

  5. That range appears on an older/Master-of-Public-Policy admissions page. The current 2026-27 first-year undergraduate grid runs $14,000-$33,000. Confirm your band against the affordability/tier page, not the lower legacy figure.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students who want a transparent, automatic GPA-based merit award at a mid-size private Florida university; strong applicants can layer Honors and named awards on top, and Duval County Pell-eligible students can compete for a full-ride Jacksonville Commitment.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $48,500 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Jacksonville University, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$21,893
$30,001–$48,000$19,733
$48,001–$75,000$23,974
$75,001–$110,000$27,936
$110,001+$29,653
All income levels (average)$25,180

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$47,830
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$25,180

That works out to roughly a 61% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $63,969 (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
51%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
75%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$22,000 (~$233/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$68,010
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
36%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
49%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

JU institutional scholarships and grants are subject to a direct-cost cap: combined gift aid that exceeds a student's direct costs (tuition + on-campus room and board) may be reduced. No separate displacement rule is published for third-party OUTSIDE scholarships, so outside awards plausibly count toward that same cap.

The reduction is triggered when total gift aid exceeds direct costs, defined narrowly as tuition and on-campus room and board (not the full cost of attendance). Unless specifically stated, scholarships and grants do not cover books. Institutional aid is for fall/spring only, terminates if full-time enrollment is interrupted (other than summer), and is not available for study abroad. The outside-scholarship page is only a Scholarship Universe matching resource and states no displacement order (loan-first vs grant-first).

Source

More school data

From the Jacksonville University Common Data Set 2022-2023 (school-estimated figures):

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Jacksonville University’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
24%of admitsget merit
Average award$26,897Covers ~55% of $48,500 cost of attendance

At Jacksonville University, roughly 1 in 4 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $26,897 — about 55% of total cost.

As filed in Jacksonville University's CDS Section H2A: of 700 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 165 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $26,897. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 592 of 2,335, averaging $22,861. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

The 2022-2023 column is marked "estimated" in the school's own CDS filing — school-projected figures, not final audited counts.

Receive institutional merit24%First-year students, Common Data Set 2022-2023 (school-estimated)
Average merit award$26,897Across recipients, Common Data Set 2022-2023 (school-estimated)

Source: Common Data Set 2022-2023 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other Jacksonville University scholarships worth checking

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

AmountCapped at the value of a double room and a full meal planEligibilityOn-campus resident students who receive a full-tuition ROTC scholarship funded by a branch of the military.

Award is reduced by any state aid; covers room and board on top of an ROTC full-tuition benefit.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityEnrolled/deposited JU students; access granted after submitting the $500 enrollment deposit.

Matching portal for external/private scholarships, not a JU award itself.

Source

Jacksonville University merit aid FAQ

  • Is the academic scholarship automatic?

    Yes. JU determines the first-year academic scholarship from your unweighted high school GPA at the time of admission across a published six-band grid ($14,000-$33,000/yr). No separate scholarship application is required; the final amount is confirmed in your offer letter.

  • What GPA do I need for the top award?

    A 3.8+ unweighted high school GPA places you in the top band ($30,000-$33,000/yr). The grid steps down to $14,000-$16,999/yr at a 2.50-2.749 GPA; no first-year award is published below 2.50.

  • Can I stack other JU scholarships on top?

    You can layer awards like Legacy ($1,000/yr), Sibling ($2,500/yr) and Honors, but JU scholarships and grants may be reduced if your total gift aid exceeds your direct costs (tuition + on-campus room and board). Books are generally not covered unless stated.

  • Does winning an outside scholarship reduce my JU aid?

    JU does not publish a specific outside-scholarship displacement rule. Because institutional aid is capped at direct costs, outside awards could count toward that cap. Ask Student Financial Services whether an outside scholarship reduces your JU award and, if so, whether it reduces loans or grants first.

  • When should I file the FAFSA?

    For Honors scholarships, JU requires filing the FAFSA by March 15 each year. JU's FAFSA process is rolling/first-come, and the FAFSA opens each October — apply early while funds remain. Confirm the first-year priority deadline with the aid office.

See sources and other schools

How Jacksonville University compares

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

    Jacksonville University 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

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