Kettering (Flint, MI co-op engineering/business; formerly GMI) awards a holistic core Merit Scholarship whose dollar amount is withheld and that applies to TUITION ONLY and never increases, plus published named/endowed and co-op-employer scholarships (GM, PHINIA, Piston) that can reach full remaining tuition. (DRAFT)
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers91 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Kettering
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Kettering's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalKettering University Merit Scholarship (core): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Available up to five years (10 undergraduate academic terms). Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress per the Undergraduate Catalog. Awards are set at admission and NOT increased during enrollment; proportionally reduced if you drop below full-time (and that term still counts toward the 10-term limit). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
displacementDifferent aid types are displaced differently
Kettering treats loans, work-study, and institutional grant under different rules. The same $5,000 outside award can land against any of them depending on category.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Kettering
The Kettering Merit Scholarship is applicable to TUITION ONLY — it cannot offset housing, food, or fees — and the dollar amount is not published (set at admission). Budget the rest of the cost of attendance separately.
Merit awards are 'determined by the academic information on file at the time of admission and are not increased during your enrollment,' so the dollar amount stays flat while tuition rises. They also last only up to 5 years / 10 terms.
Merit Scholarships are proportionally reduced if you drop below full-time status and your tuition is reduced — and that term still counts as one of your 10 eligible terms.
You must report outside scholarships; they 'will not typically reduce your Merit Scholarship,' but 'in certain circumstances this may happen.' VA tuition benefits may also adjust the award.
The richest awards (GM STEM, PHINIA, Piston Group, Ford, Lear) require being placed as a paid co-op with that specific company, plus a 3.0 GPA and FAFSA — no co-op placement, no scholarship. Robotics applications close Feb 15; most others April 1; the Michigander program ends June 30, 2026.
Who this school is for
STEM/management students who thrive in a co-op model: strong academics earn a (tuition-only) merit award, robotics/esports competitors and Kettering/GMI family members get named awards, and students placed in a partner co-op (GM, PHINIA, Piston) can cover most remaining tuition. (DRAFT)
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $67,986 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.
Amount not published
Kettering University Merit Scholarship (core)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Holistic review including GPA (no published grid)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Awarded to accepted applicants by a scholarship review committee from the admission file; transfers based on GPA from a minimum of 12 credit hours earned
Renewal terms
Available up to five years (10 undergraduate academic terms). Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress per the Undergraduate Catalog. Awards are set at admission and NOT increased during enrollment; proportionally reduced if you drop below full-time (and that term still counts toward the 10-term limit).
Notes
TUITION ONLY. Dollar amount is withheld on the public page (set at admission). VA tuition benefits may adjust the award.
Entering freshman or transfer who is a sibling of a current student OR has a parent/step-parent in residence/grandparent who graduated from GMI/Kettering. Meet BOTH criteria for $3,000; one criterion = $2,000. Financial need may be considered
Notes
Tuition only; restrictions may apply. Rolling; apply before first term via Scholarship Universe.
Admitted freshman/transfer active in FIRST, VEX, OCCRA, Drones or similar; one recommendation letter; short answers. Deadline February 15. Tuition only
Notes
Competitive; tuition only; restrictions may apply.
New entering, full-time students who are active competitors engaged with the Kettering Esports team; submit a tracker link. Deadline April 1. Tuition only
Renewal terms
Renewed annually based on continuing participation.
Incoming freshman/transfer; placed as a paid co-op rotating among Piston Group companies; major in Electrical/Engineering (BSE)/Industrial/Mechanical; FAFSA + demonstrated need
Notes
Covers remaining tuition, room & board after other gifts/scholarships. Requires Piston Group co-op placement.
You must report all outside scholarships. Outside scholarships will NOT typically reduce the Merit Scholarship, but in certain circumstances they may (the office will inform you). VA tuition benefits may adjust the Merit Scholarship. Co-op employer scholarships (GM, Piston) explicitly fill remaining tuition/room-and-board after all other aid is applied.
Outside scholarship displacement is conditional ('in certain circumstances this may happen'); some co-op awards are last-dollar (cover the remainder after other aid).
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountUp to $10,000EligibilityUp to $5,000 for two completed co-op terms with a Michigan partner company, or $10,000 for accepting a full-time offer and staying in Michigan 12 months; GPA 2.0+; EE/IE/CE/CS preference
PROGRAM ENDING June 30, 2026 — apply by May 22, 2026. Only Winter 2026/Spring 2026 terms remain.
AmountVariable (based on student need)EligibilityAdmitted incoming student residing in Flint or Michigan; 3.0 GPA; FAFSA; U.S. citizen/PR; placed as a Ford co-op
AmountVariable (based on student need)EligibilityChildren of Lear employees admitted to Kettering; FAFSA (or FSA Estimator for non-US); Lear co-op placement
The amount is not published — it is set at admission through a holistic review that includes GPA, applies to tuition only, and does not increase during enrollment. It is available for up to 5 years (10 terms).
What are the scholarship deadlines?
Robotics and Drone: February 15. Esports and Endowed Scholarships: April 1. Co-op employer scholarships are largely rolling until positions are filled. The Michigander Scholars Program ends June 30, 2026 (apply by May 22, 2026).
Can a scholarship cover more than tuition?
The core Merit and most named awards are tuition-only. A few co-op employer scholarships go further — PHINIA includes room & board freshman year, and Piston Group covers remaining tuition plus room & board after other aid.
What does Kettering cost?
For 2026-27, full-time tuition is $26,335/term ($52,670/year). The in-state on-campus total cost of attendance is $67,986 (direct billed costs $63,740).
How Kettering compares across our verified dataset
31 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use mixed displacement.
Kettering is in the modest minority (31 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Kettering is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 Kettering’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
