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Keene State College · New Hampshire

Keene State Merit Aid

Keene State awards every admitted first-year and transfer student an automatic, GPA-based merit scholarship with no separate application — but every award is tuition-only and out-of-state students get materially larger dollar amounts than New Hampshire residents.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· CC
Merit tiers94 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC

Rules that bite at Keene State

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Keene State's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • renewalPresident's Award: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the President's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Keene State

  1. Out-of-state merit awards are materially larger than in-state at every tier — e.g., President's is up to $6,500 in-state but a flat $9,000 out-of-state, and the out-of-state Promise ($5,000) is more than three times the in-state Promise ($1,500). The grid is calibrated 'relative to the costs of in-state and out-of-state attendance.'

  2. The page is explicit: 'these funds are used to pay for your tuition only (not housing, meal plans, books, or other costs).' A $6,500 award does not shrink your $10,500 room bill or $4,886 meal plan — it only reduces tuition.

  3. Merit is automatic on GPA and needs no essay, but it is 'awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.' For tiers with a range (in-state President's/Dean's, out-of-state Dean's/Enrichment), applying late can land you at the lower end of the range or risk funds running out.

  4. STEM ($3,000) requires a declared science major, and Talent ($1,000–$4,500) requires an audition or a submission of work — these are not awarded purely on GPA the way the President's/Dean's/Enrichment/Promise grid is.

  5. The Granite Guarantee covers in-state tuition but is need-based: it requires being Pell Grant-eligible, a NH resident, and a first-time student, and renewal requires staying Pell-eligible and filing a renewal FAFSA by March 1. It is not a merit award.

  6. Renewal GPAs differ by award — President's and Dean's need a 3.0, Enrichment a 2.5, Promise a 2.0 — and a merit scholarship 'will not be renewed if funding is lost due to being placed on academic probation or in cases of required withdrawal or suspension.'

Who this school is for

Out-of-state students who want a sizable, automatic, GPA-tiered merit award at a public liberal-arts college, and New Hampshire residents (especially Pell-eligible ones eyeing the Granite Guarantee). Strongest value for out-of-state applicants, whose merit dollars are notably higher than in-state.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $43,586 for 2026-2027. 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.

$5,500–$6,500 per year…$5,500–$6,500 per year (NH) / $9,000 per year (out-of-state)

President's Award

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.5-4.0 high school GPA
Requirements & details
Eligibility

First-year or transfer applicant attending full-time; considered automatically at the time the admissions application is reviewed; no separate application or essay

Renewal terms

Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the President's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

Notes

Highest merit tier. In-state amount varies by high school GPA ($5,500–$6,500); out-of-state is a flat $9,000. Funds apply to tuition only (not housing, meals, books, or other costs). Awarded first-come, first-served.

Source

$4,500–$5,000 per year…$4,500–$5,000 per year (NH) / $8,000–$8,500 per year (out-of-state)

Dean's Award

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.0-3.49 high school GPA
Requirements & details
Eligibility

First-year or transfer applicant attending full-time; considered automatically at the time the admissions application is reviewed; no separate application or essay

Renewal terms

Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Dean's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

Notes

Both in-state and out-of-state amounts vary by high school GPA. Funds apply to tuition only. Awarded first-come, first-served — apply early to secure the higher end of the range.

Source

$3,000 per year…$3,000 per year (NH) / $5,000–$7,500 per year (out-of-state)

Enrichment Award

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
2.4-2.99 high school GPA
Requirements & details
Eligibility

First-year or transfer applicant attending full-time; considered automatically at the time the admissions application is reviewed; no separate application or essay

Renewal terms

Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Enrichment Award is a cumulative 2.5; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

Notes

In-state is a flat $3,000; out-of-state varies by high school GPA ($5,000–$7,500). Funds apply to tuition only.

Source

$1,500 per year…$1,500 per year (NH) / $5,000 per year (out-of-state)

Promise Award

AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Below 2.4 high school GPA
Requirements & details
Eligibility

First-year or transfer applicant attending full-time; considered automatically at the time the admissions application is reviewed; no separate application or essay

Renewal terms

Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Promise Award is a cumulative 2.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

Notes

Lowest merit tier, for students with a high school GPA below 2.40. Funds apply to tuition only. Out-of-state Promise ($5,000) is more than three times the in-state Promise ($1,500).

Source

$3,000 per year

STEM Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Incoming first-year student who has declared a science-related major at Keene State; decisions made by the Admissions Office at the time of acceptance

Renewal terms

Renewable for an additional three years if the student maintains a 3.0 GPA and remains enrolled in an eligible program.

Notes

Major-restricted (science-related majors). Decided by Admissions at acceptance — no separate application is mentioned, but it is tied to the declared major.

Source

$1,000–$4,500 per year

Talent Scholarships

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

First-time incoming student majoring in art & design, music, theatre & dance, or film studies; an audition or portfolio/work submission is required

Renewal terms

Renewable for an additional three years provided the renewal criteria are met; renewable per departmental approval — typically students need to remain in the major and meet minimum GPA requirements.

Notes

NOT automatic — requires extra steps (an audition or submission of work). Major-restricted to the named arts disciplines.

Source

$500 per year…$500 per year (NH) / $2,500 per year (out-of-state)

Housing Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

U.S. resident students who choose to live in a Keene State residence hall

Renewal terms

Renewable each year. Stated as available to all new incoming students for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Notes

Not GPA-based; tied to living on campus. Unlike the tuition-only merit awards, this one offsets housing. Page language references the 2025-2026 academic year — confirm 2026-2027 availability with the aid office.

Source

$1,000 (one-time, non-renewable)

Visit Scholarship

Application
View requirements
Eligibility

Incoming student who has completed a registered visit to the Keene State campus

Notes

Earned by completing a registered campus visit. One-time only, not renewed in later years.

Source

Up to $7,000 per year

International Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Non-U.S. resident (international) students attending Keene State; merit-based per College guidelines; limited funding

Renewal terms

Renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

For international (non-U.S.-resident) students only; merit-based but limited. May be used toward tuition, housing, and student fees (broader than the tuition-only domestic merit awards).

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

Keene State applies a cost-of-attendance cap: total financial aid cannot exceed the COA. If a student is over-awarded, KSC reduces aid in a fixed order — student loans first, then work study, then gift aid (scholarships/grants) last. Outside/private scholarships must be reported and may reduce eligibility for other aid or loans; KSC frames private scholarships as primarily reducing the loan or work commitment.

Two official statements govern displacement. First: 'A student's total financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance ... If a student is over-awarded ... KSC must reduce some portion of their aid awarded. The KSC Student Financial Services will reduce aid in the following order: student loans, work study, gift aid.' Second: private scholarships 'help to reduce the amount of student loan or the student work commitment.' So outside awards hit loans and work-study before touching gift aid — but students must report all outside resources and 'in certain instances, these outside resources or awards may reduce eligibility for other financial aid or loans.' Whether a merit scholarship itself would be cut at the COA ceiling is not spelled out beyond the loans→work-study→gift-aid order.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Keene State

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

Amount$500 (one-time)EligibilityIncoming students who complete the FAFSA (school code 002590) and enroll at Keene State.

One-time incentive just for filing the FAFSA. More than 98% of Keene State students receive aid from Keene State.

Source

AmountCovers full cost of in-state tuition (gap-filler)EligibilityFirst-time, Pell Grant-eligible New Hampshire students enrolling full-time at KSC; automatic with no extra steps.

NEED-BASED (Pell-eligible) — not pure merit. Bridges the gap between total federal/state/institutional gift aid and in-state tuition. Renewal requires continuous full-time enrollment, continued Pell eligibility, SAP, and a renewal FAFSA by March 1.

Source

Amount$2,000/year (NH Scholars) or $1,000/year (others)EligibilityPell-eligible New Hampshire residents who graduated from a NH high school and are first-time college students; awards limited and not guaranteed.

State (not institutional) award. NH Scholars designation gets $2,000/yr; renewal needs 2.5 GPA for NH Scholars, 2.0 for others. Cannot transfer to another school.

Source

Keene State merit aid FAQ

  • Do I have to apply separately for Keene State merit scholarships?

    No — for the GPA-based awards (President's, Dean's, Enrichment, Promise). 'As a first-year or transfer student applicant, you are considered for all merit awards, and you don't have to submit an additional application or essay.' Talent scholarships are the exception: they require an audition or submission of work.

  • Are the merit amounts the same for in-state and out-of-state students?

    No. Out-of-state awards are higher at every tier. For example, the President's Award is $5,500–$6,500/year in-state versus a flat $9,000/year out-of-state, and the Enrichment Award is $3,000 in-state versus $5,000–$7,500 out-of-state.

  • What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship each year?

    Renewal GPAs are President's and Dean's 3.0, Enrichment 2.5, and Promise 2.0. Awards renew for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if you pursue a double major), and you must stay enrolled full-time (12+ credits), make progress toward your degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

  • If I win an outside scholarship, will it cut my Keene State merit award?

    You must report all outside resources to Student Financial Services. If your total aid would exceed the cost of attendance, KSC reduces aid in this order: student loans first, then work study, then gift aid — so outside awards reduce loans/work before touching scholarships. But 'in certain instances, these outside resources or awards may reduce eligibility for other financial aid or loans,' so confirm your specific case with the aid office.

How Keene State compares across our verified dataset

  • 99 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Keene State is in the modest minority (99 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Keene State is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Keene State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • Plymouth State merit aid — New Hampshire public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • New Hampshire merit aid — New Hampshire public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Saint Anselm merit aid — New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • SNHU merit aid — New Hampshire private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Keene State merit aid