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MeritPlaybook / Take-home research

Kenyon
Decision sheet

Ohio · Research checked 2026-07-02 · School research, not an aid offer

The starting point

Need-forward Ohio liberal arts college that meets 100% of demonstrated need; merit exists but is comparatively modest ($15,000-$35,000) and holistic, with separate competitive talent scholarships in writing, music, and studio art.

Selection beyond grades and scores. These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

Awards to discuss

First 3 of 4 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.

Kenyon Merit Scholarship

$15,000–$35,000 per year · Published range

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: All first-year applicants are considered automatically with no additional application, without regard to financial need. Awards recognize academic excellence and meaningful school or community involvement; Kenyon does not publish a GPA/test-banded ladder mapping a profile to a specific amount. Named tiers include the Kenyon Excellence Award, Kenyon Honors Scholarship, President's Scholarship, and Distinguished Academic Scholarship.

Renewal: Renewable for up to eight semesters; recipient must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA by the end of the second academic year.

https://www.kenyon.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/scholarships-grants/

Writing Scholarship

$25,000 per year · Published amount

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Competitive talent scholarship requiring a separate application. Awarded based on an evaluation of the Common Application or Coalition Application essay and a required portfolio of original creative work.

Renewal: Renewable for all four years.

https://www.kenyon.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/scholarships-grants/

Music Scholarship

$25,000 per year · Published amount

Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.

Eligibility: Competitive talent scholarship requiring a separate application. Awarded for exemplary musical ability in any instrumental or vocal category in which the Department of Music offers private instruction.

Renewal: Renewable for all four years.

https://www.kenyon.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/scholarships-grants/

Ask before you decide

  1. Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
  2. What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
  3. How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?

Recorded stacking policy: Outside scholarships can reduce institutional grant or scholarship dollars; see the sourced policy for the exact mechanism.

Our unanswered questions / Family notes

Keep the sources with the decision

Full research, award details and source context: https://meritplaybook.com/colleges/kenyon-college/merit-aid

The research date is not a guarantee that a policy still applies. Confirm current amounts, deadlines and conditions with the school before making a financial decision.