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The merit-aid verdict at King's College (PA)
King's College awards a named merit scholarship ($20,000-$30,000) to every accepted first-year automatically at acceptance, plus a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship for the top 5% and a flagship-price Tuition Match for CT/DE/NJ residents.
Rules that bite at King's College (PA)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from King's College (PA)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalFirst-time, Full-time Undergraduate Scholarships (named merit ladder): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to eight undergraduate semesters of full-time enrollment (summer excluded) or completion of undergraduate degree requirements, whichever occurs first. 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 King's College (PA)
King's FAQ states outside scholarships first fill unmet need; after that, they 'reduce or replace federal loan or work-study eligibility.' You must also report every outside award to the aid office. The displacement is loan-first (it trims borrowing, not your King's merit), but it does not lower your family's net price dollar-for-dollar once need is met.
Presidential consideration requires the complete application (transcripts, and SAT 1310/ACT 28 if not test-optional) by December 1, and King's recalculates GPA using only math, science, English, history, and foreign language — a 3.8 minimum on the recalculated scale. Electives that inflate a school GPA don't count, so students near 3.8 may miss the cutoff.
Only the Presidential Scholarship is described as covering 'any increase in tuition.' The named first-year and transfer scholarships are stated as fixed dollar amounts ($20,000-$30,000) renewable for eight semesters, with no published escalation — as tuition rises each year, a fixed award covers less. Ask the aid office whether named merit amounts ever increase.
Full tuition was $43,000 in 2025-26, but the published first-year resident cost of attendance was $67,255 — fees, housing, food, and indirect costs remain. Likewise, the Tuition Match covers only the tuition-and-fees difference, explicitly not housing, meals, books, or transportation.
Both program pages state that a student who defers enrollment at any time for any length is no longer eligible; students must remain consecutively enrolled.
The LLEO page warns: 'If a family declines the Federal Direct Subsidized loan, the LLEO Program will not cover remaining costs, and a balance may appear on your bill for the amount these funds would have covered.' LLEO also has a hard income gate ($50,000 or less family income on the FAFSA) and May 1 acceptance/FAFSA deadlines.
King's scholarships and grants renew only with full-time undergraduate enrollment and satisfactory academic progress; Tuition Match and LLEO additionally require a 2.00 cumulative GPA and a new FAFSA every year. Merit renewal is capped at eight semesters (summer excluded).
King's states (Tuition Match page) that 'Total funding that a student receives from all sources (e.g., financial aid, King's College aid, private scholarships) cannot exceed their total cost of attendance' — and on the LLEO page the cap is direct costs. Large outside awards can therefore trigger aid adjustments.
Who this school is for
Strong B+-to-A students who want guaranteed five-figure merit with no extra application, top-5% students (3.8 recalculated GPA, 1310 SAT/28 ACT) chasing the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, and CT/DE/NJ families who want private-college tuition matched to their state flagship price.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $67,255 for 2025-26. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at King's College (PA), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at King's College (PA), academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$17,283
$30,001–$48,000
$17,259
$48,001–$75,000
$19,692
$75,001–$110,000
$23,657
$110,001+
$28,391
All income levels (average)
$23,093
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$44,100
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$23,093
That works out to roughly a 60% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $57,973 (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
60%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
76%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$59,498
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
40%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
84%
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.
Full tuition
Presidential Scholarship (Full Tuition)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Minimum recalculated 3.8 GPA (King's recalculates high school GPA using only mathematics, science, English, history, and foreign language)
SAT
Minimum 1310 (if not applying test optional)
ACT
Minimum 28 (if not applying test optional)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Top 5% of applicants; exemplary leadership, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, and/or community service; application with official transcripts by December 1; invited interview with the Scholarship Committee
Renewal terms
Non-transferable and covers any increase in tuition for four years (eight semesters) of undergraduate academic study; alternatively covers three years (six semesters) for students in partnership or dual enrollment programs (e.g., 3+2 or 3+3).
Notes
Competitive, interview-based. A May 2026 King's news release says the Fall 2026 cohort was two students, drawn from an applicant pool whose invited group represented the top four percent with an average GPA of 3.96.
Awarded automatically at acceptance based on high school academic success; no separate application. Test-optional applicants are reviewed individually. Per-tier GPA/test cutoffs are not published.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to eight undergraduate semesters of full-time enrollment (summer excluded) or completion of undergraduate degree requirements, whichever occurs first.
Notes
Amounts listed are valid only for incoming Fall 2026 first-year students. Seven named levels: Christ the King $30,000; Blessed Basil Moreau $28,000; St. Joseph $26,000; St. Andre Bessette $26,000; Father James Connerton $26,000; Royal Regent Award $22,000; Monarch Achievement Award $20,000.
Transfer Undergraduate Scholarships (named merit ladder)
AutomaticRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Considered automatically upon acceptance; criteria include high school academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and the college transcript. Per-tier cutoffs are not published.
Renewal terms
The scholarships page's renewal sentence (eight undergraduate semesters of full-time enrollment) appears under the merit scholarships heading; the page does not state a separate transfer renewal term — confirm with the aid office.
Notes
Five named levels: St. Francis $30,000; Father Lane $28,000; Moreau $26,000; Christi Regis $24,000; Deprizio $22,000. King's states 99% of full-time transfer students received merit scholarships (2024-2025 statistic).
Amount not published…Amount not published (reduces tuition and fees to the student's state-flagship in-state price: CT $21,336, DE $17,660, NJ $17,930 for 2025-26)
Tuition Match Program (Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey residents)
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Resident of Connecticut, Delaware, or New Jersey; accepted to King's College; FAFSA filed each year. Eligible students are identified through the completed college application and FAFSA — no separate application.
Renewal terms
Offered for up to eight consecutive semesters of undergraduate study; students must file a FAFSA each year, maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA, and meet Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress; deferring enrollment at any time ends eligibility.
Notes
Page describes the program for students accepted 'for the 2025-26 academic year' — confirm 2026-27 continuation. Covers only the tuition-and-fees difference; housing, meals, and indirect costs are not covered. Non-transferable, no cash value.
Outside scholarships must be reported. They first fill any unmet financial need; once need is met, they reduce or replace federal loans or work-study before touching grants or merit — a loan-first displacement policy. Separately, on the Tuition Match and LLEO program pages King's states total funding from all sources cannot exceed cost of attendance (or direct costs for LLEO).
Per the Financial Aid FAQ: outside awards are applied to unmet need first; if need is met and the student receives federal/state aid, the outside award reduces or replaces federal loan or work-study eligibility. The Tuition Match page adds an all-sources cap at total cost of attendance; the LLEO page caps all-source funding at direct costs (tuition and fees, plus housing and meals if living on campus).
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountRemaining tuition and fees after financial aid (amount varies)EligibilityFirst-time or transfer students who attended/graduated from a Luzerne or Lackawanna County high school (plus listed border schools/homeschool zones), accepted by May 1, FAFSA filed before May 1, total family income $50,000 or less on the FAFSA.
Need/geography-based, not merit. King's pays the tuition-and-fees balance after scholarships, grants, PA State Grant, and the Federal Direct Subsidized loan are applied; declining the subsidized loan leaves a balance. Renewal requires yearly FAFSA by May 1, 2.00 cumulative GPA, and SAP. Does not cover housing, meals, or indirect costs.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityDeserving students who require additional financial assistance to continue or complete their undergraduate studies; request via finaid@kings.edu.
Retention-focused fund for students facing financial difficulties mid-degree.
AmountUp to full tuitionEligibilityQualified ROTC applicants/enrollees.
Army ROTC: up to full tuition, $900 for books, monthly stipend $300 (freshmen) to $500 (seniors), plus free housing and meals upon enrollment for four-year/three-year advanced designee scholarships. Air Force ROTC: full tuition, lab and incidental fees, textbook reimbursement.
Amount$500 per academic yearEligibilityCurrent LVHN employees and their dependents accepted and enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program; all application materials due prior to the January 1 deadline.
Application fees also waived for LVHN employees and dependents.
AmountOne-third tuition discountEligibilityBaccalaureate alumni and their spouses taking undergraduate courses part-time (up to eleven credit hours per semester) for grad/professional school prerequisites, second majors, or certificates, on a space-available basis.
Does not cover lab fees; undergraduate courses only.
Amount$2,300EligibilityFull-time undergraduates at an AICUP school with extraordinary community-service commitment; cannot reapply if a previous recipient. Deadline May 20, 2026.
Amount$5,150 (eight available)EligibilityFull-time undergraduates in a Nursing or Physician Assistant program at an AICUP school; minimum 3.0 GPA; campus leader and community volunteer; previous recipients may not reapply. Deadline May 20, 2026.
Do I need a separate application for King's merit scholarships?
No. 'Upon acceptance to King's College, merit evaluation automatically occurs, and a separate application is not required.' Your award is announced in your acceptance letter. Test-optional applicants are reviewed for scholarships on an individual basis.
What is the scholarship deadline?
For the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, the complete application (with transcripts, and SAT 1310/ACT 28 scores if not test-optional) must be in by December 1; finalists are invited to interview. The regular named merit awards have no separate deadline — they are assigned at acceptance. King's preferred FAFSA filing deadline is February 15 for incoming first-year students (April 15 for returning students), and PA residents must file by May 1 for the PA State Grant.
How much merit can a first-year student get?
Every accepted first-year is evaluated automatically. The named ladder for Fall 2026 runs from the Monarch Achievement Award ($20,000) up to the Christ the King Scholarship ($30,000), with the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship reserved for the top 5% of applicants who meet the December 1/3.8 recalculated GPA criteria.
Do transfer students get merit aid?
Yes — transfer scholarships range from the Deprizio Award ($22,000) to the St. Francis Scholarship ($30,000), based on high school record, SAT/ACT scores, and the college transcript. King's reports 99% of full-time transfer students received merit scholarships (2024-25).
Is the Presidential Scholarship a full ride?
No — it is full tuition (and it covers tuition increases for eight semesters; six semesters for 3+2/3+3 partnership programs). Fees, housing, food, and indirect costs are not included; published 2025-26 first-year resident cost of attendance was $67,255 versus $43,000 tuition.
What happens if I win an outside scholarship?
You must notify the Office of Financial Aid. Outside awards first fill unmet need; once need is met and you receive federal/state aid, the outside award 'will first be used to reduce or replace federal loan or work-study eligibility.'
How do scholarships renew?
Merit scholarships renew for up to eight undergraduate semesters of full-time enrollment (summer excluded). King's scholarships and grants renew each year you are enrolled full-time and meeting satisfactory academic progress; you must file a renewal FAFSA each year for federal/state aid. Tuition Match and LLEO also require a 2.00 cumulative GPA and consecutive enrollment.
How King's College (PA) compares across our verified dataset
147 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
King's College (PA) is in a recognizable cluster (147 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
King's College (PA) 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 King's College (PA)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
