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.

Lewis & Clark· Renewal Rules

Keeping Lewis & Clark’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 5 of 5
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 5
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Lewis & Clark's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

Academic Merit-Based Scholarships (Oregon Maple or Sequoia): SAP standards
Barbara Hirschi Neely Scholarship: See notes
Tuition Exchange Award: SAP standards
Music Scholarships: SAP standards
Speech and Debate Scholarships: SAP standards

Renewal terms by tier

Academic Merit-Based Scholarships (Oregon Maple or Sequoia)
Amount not published
To keep it: Renewable each year provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress (SAP); merit recipients must also meet any GPA/renewal standards on their specific award.
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/offices/financial_aid/undergrad/scholarships/merit/
Barbara Hirschi Neely Scholarship
Full tuition (plus a $2,000 stipend usable after the 4th semester)
To keep it: Renewable annually provided the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/offices/financial_aid/undergrad/scholarships/merit/
Tuition Exchange Award
Per Tuition Exchange, Inc. guidance (amount not published)
To keep it: Must maintain SAP and continue to be certified as eligible by the participating institution.
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/offices/financial_aid/undergrad/scholarships/merit/
Music Scholarships
Amount not published
To keep it: Renew by participating in Music Department activities and maintaining SAP.
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/offices/financial_aid/undergrad/scholarships/merit/
Speech and Debate Scholarships
Amount not published
To keep it: Must participate in speech & debate competition and maintain SAP.
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/offices/financial_aid/undergrad/scholarships/merit/

How families lose this aid

Expecting merit money for a 5th year, or coasting at the minimum pace.
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.

Renewal questions families ask

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

247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Lewis & Clark 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 renewal claim is checked against Lewis & Clark’s own published materials.

policyLewis & Clark stacking policy
tierAcademic Merit-Based Scholarships (Oregon Maple or Sequoia)
scholarshipExternal Scholarships