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The merit-aid verdict at Livingstone
Livingstone, an HBCU, names several merit scholarships (the Anthony J. Davis Presidential, Trustees, Honors, and Holistic awards) but does not publish their amounts or criteria online — the President has publicly offered a Presidential Scholarship to students with a 3.5+ GPA, with a pledge to fill the remaining gap after federal aid.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Livingstone
Livingstone does not publish merit scholarship amounts or criteria on its website; the named awards (Presidential, Trustees, Honors, Holistic, AME Zion, Hospitality) appear only as agreement forms. You must contact the Financial Aid Office for amounts and eligibility.
A 'Student Acknowledgement of FAFSA Requirement for Presidential Scholarship' form is required, so the Presidential Scholarship is contingent on filing the FAFSA.
The published academic-year total (about $25,492) covers tuition, fees, book rental, room, and board (billed direct costs) and excludes transportation and personal expenses; the federal cost of attendance is higher.
It involves a signed Presidential Agreement (and a probationary agreement for at-risk recipients) and a FAFSA acknowledgement — it is not a hands-off automatic stat award.
Who this school is for
HBCU-seeking students with at least a 3.5 GPA who file the FAFSA; the Anthony J. Davis Presidential Scholarship also brings automatic admission to the Honors Program.
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Livingstone, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Livingstone, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$13,860
$30,001–$48,000
$14,056
$48,001–$75,000
$11,028
$75,001–$110,000
$14,558
$110,001+
$16,018
All income levels (average)
$13,479
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$28,305
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$18,296
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$13,479
That works out to an average 52% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
28%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
71%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$31,125 (~$330/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$32,600
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
81%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
72%
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
Anthony J. Davis Presidential Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
Per a Livingstone College news article, the President offered the Presidential Scholarship to students with a 3.5 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale (needs official confirmation)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Requires a FAFSA (a 'Student Acknowledgement of FAFSA Requirement for Presidential Scholarship' form is required) and a signed Presidential Agreement. Anthony J. Davis Presidential Scholars receive full admission to the Honors Program as freshmen.
Renewal terms
A '2026-27 Presidential Agreement form,' '2026-27 Presidential Probationary Agreement,' and a 'Student Acknowledgement of FAFSA Requirement for Presidential Scholarship' are listed among the financial-aid forms, implying an annual agreement and probation terms; specific renewal GPA not published.
Notes
Amount not published on official policy pages. A Livingstone news article quotes the President offering the scholarship to 3.5+ GPA students and stating the college 'would fill any remaining gap' after federal aid (tuition, room, and board total about $26,000). Treat the GPA figure and gap pledge as needs-confirmation (sourced from a college news post, not a scholarship policy page).
Outside scholarships must be reported and the aid package may be adjusted; the only displacement trigger Livingstone states explicitly is total aid exceeding cost of attendance, listed among other eligibility factors.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Report any additional resources you expect to receive, including scholarships from outside sources. These outside resources must be taken into account when determining your eligibility for aid and your aid package may be adjusted as a result. ... There are many reasons why you may become ineligible for funds. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to: Your total award package including outside assistance exceeds your "cost of attendance" (the estimated total of tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses for the award period, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid)
Livingstone does not publish merit scholarship amounts online. A college news article reports the President offering a Presidential Scholarship to students with a 3.5+ GPA and pledging to cover the remaining gap after federal aid; confirm specifics with the Financial Aid Office (FinancialAid2@livingstone.edu, 704-216-6069).
Do I need the FAFSA for the Presidential Scholarship?
Yes — a Student Acknowledgement of FAFSA Requirement for the Presidential Scholarship is among the required financial-aid forms.
What does it take to join the Honors Program?
A 3.70 GPA (4.0 scale), a completed application, full-time enrollment, and a successful interview with the Honors Committee; admission is competitive with limited openings. Anthony J. Davis Presidential Scholars receive full admission as freshmen.
How Livingstone compares across our verified dataset
241 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Livingstone is in a recognizable cluster (241 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.
Livingstone 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 Livingstone’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
