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Lewis & Clark College · Oregon

Lewis & Clark Merit Aid

Verified Jul 202615 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJul 2026Analyst COWORK

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The merit-aid verdict at Lewis & Clark

Lewis & Clark gives every applicant automatic (but undisclosed-amount) academic merit scholarships, while its top award — the full-tuition Neely Scholarship — is gated to students from a specific set of Oregon and Washington counties who apply Early Action or Early Decision.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Lewis & Clark

  1. The Neely is residency-gated: only students who attend high school in 12 named Oregon counties or Clark County, WA (the greater Portland metro) are eligible.

  2. Neely eligibility requires applying through the Common Application via Early Action or Early Decision — Regular Decision applicants are not considered.

  3. Students receiving Tuition Exchange are not eligible for other institutional merit-based scholarships, and it may reduce previously awarded institutional need-based aid.

  4. First-time freshmen get only 8 semesters of L&C institutional aid; the policy explicitly notes that meeting only the 67% minimum pace won't finish a degree within those 8 semesters.

  5. Students must be enrolled full-time (12+ credits) to receive College funds; dropping below triggers an aid review.

Who this school is for

Strong applicants seeking automatic merit at a Portland liberal-arts college; the headline full-tuition Neely award is reserved for high-achieving students from the greater Portland metro region (12 Oregon + Clark County WA) who apply early.

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

Academic Merit-Based Scholarships (Oregon Maple or Sequoia)

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Entering first-year and transfer students; based on academic program and performance. No published amount or GPA/test grid.

Renewal terms

Renewable each year provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress (SAP); merit recipients must also meet any GPA/renewal standards on their specific award.

Notes

Two named tracks (Oregon Maple, Sequoia). Scholarship amounts vary and are not published on the merit page.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition (plus a $2,000 stipend usable after the 4th semester)

Barbara Hirschi Neely Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

RESIDENCY-GATED: only students who attend high school in Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, or Yamhill counties (OR) or Clark County (WA) are eligible. MUST apply through the Common Application via Early Action or Early Decision. Selection by academic accomplishments, leadership, community impact, and a day-long on-campus program + group interview.

Renewal terms

Renewable annually provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.

Notes

Lewis & Clark's highest merit award. Five full-tuition scholarships awarded to entering first-year students. Funded by Barbara Hirschi Neely endowment.

Source

Per Tuition Exchange…Per Tuition Exchange, Inc. guidance (amount not published)

Tuition Exchange Award

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Dependents of eligible employees at Tuition Exchange member institutions; recipients identified by the Office of Admissions; limited number each year

Renewal terms

Must maintain SAP and continue to be certified as eligible by the participating institution.

Notes

ANTI-STACK: recipients are NOT eligible to receive other institutional merit-based scholarships, and receipt may require reducing previously awarded institutional need-based aid.

Source

Amount not published

Music Scholarships

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Outstanding talent in music; application includes an audition

Renewal terms

Renew by participating in Music Department activities and maintaining SAP.

Notes

Performance-based; audition required.

Source

Amount not published

Speech and Debate Scholarships

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Outstanding record of achievement in debate and forensics

Renewal terms

Must participate in speech & debate competition and maintain SAP.

Notes

Performance-based.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): External resources will be applied first to any remaining unmet financial need. If a student's demonstrated financial need has already been met with federal, state, and/or College resources, this additional funding will reduce your need-based federal financial aid. If a student's need-based federal financial aid must be reduced, the reductions occur in the following order: Federal Direct Subsidized Loan, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG). Lewis & Clark Grants will be reduced in a financial aid package only if the total amount of external resources combined with College grant and/or scholarship assistance exceed the student's cost of attendance budget.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Lewis & Clark

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

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilitySelected through the Posse Foundation.

One of the most prestigious awards; full-tuition leadership scholarship via the Posse Foundation.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityAwarded by businesses, community groups, religious and fraternal organizations.

L&C students garnered ~$1.4M last year; must be reported and may affect other aid.

Source

Lewis & Clark merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

    No for the automatic Academic Merit (Oregon Maple/Sequoia) scholarships — all applicants are considered. The Neely Scholarship requires applying Early Action or Early Decision and a selection day with a group interview; Music and Speech & Debate require an audition/competition record; Posse goes through the Posse Foundation.

  • What is the full-tuition Neely Scholarship and who can get it?

    It is L&C's highest merit award (5 full-tuition scholarships plus a $2,000 stipend), but only for students who attend high school in 12 named Oregon counties or Clark County, WA, and who apply Early Action or Early Decision.

  • How long does merit aid last?

    First-time freshmen receive up to 8 semesters of Lewis & Clark institutional aid (12 semesters of federal aid), renewable with satisfactory academic progress and any award-specific GPA standards.

How Lewis & Clark compares across our verified dataset

  • 145 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Lewis & Clark is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 669 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Lewis & Clark is one of them. The cohort minority (81 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 Lewis & Clark’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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  • Willamette merit aid — Oregon private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Bushnell merit aid — Oregon private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

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