Lee University gives every admitted freshman one stat-based general merit scholarship ($2,000-$10,000/year via the Ignite/Dean's/Presidential tiers, awarded automatically on high-school GPA and ACT/SAT/CLT), renewable for four years at a 3.0 college GPA; the top 10 applicants compete for the full-tuition Charles Paul Conn Centennial Scholarship.
Verified Jun 20268 days ago· CC
Merit tiers63 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst CC
Rules that bite at Lee University
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Lee University's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalIgnite Scholarship (general merit): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for a maximum of four years or eight semesters; requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each semester). 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 Lee University
Lee states 'Students may receive only one general merit scholarship.' The three tiers are mutually exclusive — you are placed in one based on your GPA and test score, not stacked.
Those figures are described as the AVERAGE recipient profile for each tier, and the awards 'start at' their dollar amounts. Lee does not publish a fixed automatic grid, so your exact tier and amount come from the admissions/aid review of GPA + score.
The current Centennial is a competitive full-tuition award (10 freshmen, separate application). The catalog also describes a different, retired Centennial Scholarship for students who began Fall 2020-Fall 2022 worth an additional $5,000/year (max $20,000 over 4 years) on top of a Presidential Scholarship. They are not the same program.
Only students who complete ALL of FAFSA + Lee Admissions + Scholarship Profile prior to December 1 are Early Action candidates with priority/guaranteed decision by the holiday break. The competitive named awards (Centennial, Rymer, Poiema) also require a separate application by March 15.
On the official tuition PDF, $17,945 (full-time with room and meals) is labeled ESTIMATED AVERAGE COST PER SEMESTER, and it excludes personal expenses, books, and special program fees. The full direct-cost year is roughly double that plus books/personal — confirm the current total with Student Financial Services.
Lee 'may reduce awards if total aid exceeds the cost of attendance.' Winning a big outside scholarship can push your total aid past the COA cap and trigger a reduction; report outside awards to the Financial Aid Office early and ask which aid gets cut first.
Who this school is for
Solid-to-strong students (roughly 3.0-3.5+ HS GPA, ACT 21-28) who want a predictable, automatic merit award at a mid-size Church-of-God Christian university in Tennessee; the very top of the pool (high stats) can chase a competitive full-tuition Centennial award.
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.
Starts at $2,000 per year
Ignite Scholarship (general merit)
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Average Ignite Scholar has a high school GPA greater than 3.0
SAT
Equivalent to ACT 21
ACT
Average ACT of 21 (or equivalent SAT/CLT)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
First-time freshman enrolling as a traditional, on-campus student; ACT/SAT must be taken on a national test date; one of three general merit tiers (students may receive only one general merit scholarship). Test-optional applicants are considered for general merit based on HS GPA and academic experience.
Renewal terms
Renewable for a maximum of four years or eight semesters; requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each semester).
Notes
This is the entry tier of Lee's general merit scholarship, which the scholarships page describes as ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 for beginning freshmen. The page states the award 'starts at $2,000' — actual amount may be higher within the published range. Awarded automatically on GPA + test score; only one general merit scholarship per student.
Average Dean's Scholar has a high school GPA greater than 3.3
SAT
Equivalent to ACT 24
ACT
Average ACT of 24 (or equivalent SAT/CLT)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
First-time freshman, traditional on-campus; ACT/SAT on a national test date; one of three general merit tiers (only one general merit scholarship per student).
Renewal terms
Renewable for a maximum of four years or eight semesters; requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment.
Notes
Middle tier of Lee's general merit scholarship. Page says it 'starts at $5,000' — the cited 24 ACT / 3.3 GPA are the AVERAGE recipient profile, not a hard cutoff Lee publishes. The award is set by the admissions/aid review of GPA + test score, not a published grid.
Average Presidential Scholar has a high school GPA greater than 3.5
SAT
Equivalent to ACT 28
ACT
Average ACT of 28 (or equivalent SAT/CLT)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
First-time freshman, traditional on-campus; ACT/SAT on a national test date; top general merit tier (only one general merit scholarship per student). Presidential Scholars are the pool from which competitive full-tuition Centennial Scholars are selected.
Renewal terms
Renewable for a maximum of four years or eight semesters; requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA and continuous full-time enrollment.
Notes
Top tier of Lee's general merit scholarship; the page describes a 28 ACT / 3.5+ HS GPA average recipient. 'Starts at $7,500' suggests amounts can run higher toward the published $10,000 ceiling of the general merit range. Note the historic Centennial add-on ($5,000/yr) was tied to Presidential Scholars who began Fall 2020-Fall 2022; current full-tuition Centennial is a separate competitive process (see below).
Lee's most competitive freshman scholarship; qualified applicants are invited to a separate application and selection process. 10 incoming freshmen are named Charles Paul Conn Centennial Scholars.
Renewal terms
Described as a 'renewable full-tuition' scholarship. The page does not state the renewal GPA for the current full-tuition Centennial award; renewal terms must be confirmed with the aid office.
Notes
Competitive, not automatic — requires a separate application/selection after invitation; only 10 awarded per entering class. The current award is 'renewable full-tuition'. Do NOT confuse with the older Centennial Scholarship for students who began Fall 2020-Fall 2022, which was a $5,000/year add-on (max $20,000 over 4 years) to a Presidential Scholarship — that is a different, retired program described in the catalog.
Poiema Scholarship (School of Theology & Ministry)
Application
GPA
Current Lee students must have a GPA of 3.4 or above to be considered; incoming freshmen must show demonstrated academic potential and a clear sense of ministerial calling
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Must be enrolled as a School of Theology & Ministry (STM) major at time of application and remain an STM major for the duration of the award; honors scholarship requiring evidence of scholastic achievement and character; consideration also given to financial need.
Notes
Departmental/honors award for ministry (STM) majors; competitive and re-evaluated annually (not a guaranteed four-year renewable). $5,000/year ($2,500/semester) for incoming STM freshmen. Need is a factor alongside merit.
Lee limits a student to ONE general merit scholarship (you get Ignite OR Dean's OR Presidential, never two), so the three named tiers do not stack on each other. Outside/private scholarships do not automatically displace institutional merit, but Lee 'may reduce awards if total aid exceeds the cost of attendance' — i.e., a cost-of-attendance cap rather than a dollar-for-dollar institutional-aid reduction. Renewable institutional scholarships can be applied toward only one off-campus study program during enrollment.
Two distinct rules: (1) 'Students may receive only one general merit scholarship' — the Ignite/Dean's/Presidential tiers are mutually exclusive. (2) Outside funds: students must notify the Financial Aid Office of any scholarships/loans from outside sources, and 'The university may reduce awards if total aid exceeds the cost of attendance.' No published rule states outside scholarships reduce the Lee merit award before reaching the COA ceiling. The exact order of reduction (which aid is cut first when the COA cap is hit) is not published — ask the aid office.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountVaries by Gold/Silver/Bronze level (amounts not published)EligibilityTop applicants from Cleveland and Bradley County, Tennessee.
Local/regional award with a separate application and selection process; over thirty years old. Specific dollar amounts not published on the scholarships page.
AmountUp to $2,250/semester (fresh./soph.), up to $2,850/semester (jr./sr.)EligibilityTennessee residents (1+ year) from an eligible TN high school; min ACT 21 OR SAT 1060 OR weighted HS GPA 3.0+. Deadlines: Sept 1 (fall), Feb 1 (spring/summer).
STATE award (Tennessee Education Lottery), not a Lee institutional scholarship; stacks with Lee aid up to the COA cap. Included as a major aid source for TN residents.
Yes for the general merit tiers — the Ignite ($2,000+), Dean's ($5,000+), and Presidential ($7,500+) scholarships are awarded to first-time on-campus freshmen based on high school GPA and ACT/SAT/CLT score (ACT/SAT must be taken on a national test date). Lee is also test-optional: applicants without a test score are still considered for general merit based on GPA and academic experience. The full-tuition Charles Paul Conn Centennial Scholarship is NOT automatic — it requires a separate, competitive application.
Can I combine the Presidential, Dean's, and Ignite scholarships?
No. 'Students may receive only one general merit scholarship.' You are awarded one tier based on your stats; they do not stack on each other.
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?
The general merit scholarships are renewable for a maximum of four years / eight semesters and require a minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA plus continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each semester). The renewal GPA for the current full-tuition Centennial award is not published — confirm with the aid office.
What is the scholarship deadline?
Complete FAFSA + Lee Admissions + Scholarship Profile before December 1 to be an Early Action candidate with priority consideration and a decision by the holiday break. Competitive named scholarships (Charles Paul Conn Centennial, Rymer, Poiema) require a separate application, due March 15.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Lee aid?
Possibly. You must report outside scholarships to the Financial Aid Office, and Lee 'may reduce awards if total aid exceeds the cost of attendance.' It is a cost-of-attendance cap, not an automatic dollar-for-dollar cut of your merit award — but ask the aid office which aid is reduced first if you approach the cap.
How Lee University compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Lee University is in a recognizable cluster (160 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.
Lee University 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 Lee University’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
