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The merit-aid verdict at Louisiana Christian
Louisiana Christian University (the Baptist school in Pineville renamed from 'Louisiana College' in 2021) auto-awards an ACT-based 'LC Scholarship' of $1,350-$2,750 per semester to every new student, then layers competitive full-tuition awards (Smith, STEM to STEAM) and a $6,000/yr President's Leadership Scholarship on top.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Louisiana Christian
Louisiana College in Pineville renamed to Louisiana Christian University in 2021. The institution is the same; many of its own legacy PDFs and third-party listings still say 'Louisiana College.' The current official domain is lcuniversity.edu.
Lubbock Christian University in Texas also uses 'LCU' (lcu.edu) and publishes very different awards (West Texas Promise, South Plains College, Texas Tuition Equalization Grant). Those amounts do NOT apply to Louisiana Christian University in Pineville.
The published LC Scholarship and Transfer Award figures ($1,350-$2,750 and $1,500-$1,800) are stated 'per semester' — roughly double them for an academic-year figure.
Both require a 28 ACT plus a competitive process (Smith: resume, recommendations, essay, on-campus interview; STEM to STEAM: STEM-accredited high school, 3 letters, a science/arts major). They are not awarded on stats alone.
The only official page that lists the LC Scholarship dollar grid is a 2020 PDF under the old 'Louisiana College' name. The current Grants & Scholarships page no longer republishes the grid and routes applicants to Admissions, so the 2026-27 amounts must be confirmed directly.
Who this school is for
Faith-driven students (this is a Louisiana Baptist Convention school) who want an automatic, ACT-based merit floor at a low-cost private Christian college; strong applicants with a 28+ ACT can compete for full-tuition-or-better named awards.
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Louisiana Christian, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Louisiana Christian, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$13,203
$30,001–$48,000
$14,619
$48,001–$75,000
$14,775
$75,001–$110,000
$17,347
$110,001+
$6,343
All income levels (average)
$13,113
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$33,791
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$20,266
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$13,113
That works out to an average 61% 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
44%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
52%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,875 (~$232/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$51,700
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
57%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
67%
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.
$1,350-$2,750 per semester
LC Scholarship (automatic academic, ACT-based)
AutomaticRenewable
ACT
20-22 = $1,350/sem; 23-26 = $1,550/sem; 27 and up = $2,750/sem
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Automatically considered for all new students; graduate-level and second-degree students are not eligible
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not stated on the scholarship grid. The university's general financial-aid eligibility requires maintaining a minimum 'C' average (2.0 GPA) for undergraduates, but the grid itself does not state a scholarship-specific renewal GPA.
Notes
The Financial Aid Office 'will automatically consider' all new students for this award; no separate application. Amounts are per SEMESTER (double the per-semester figure for an academic-year estimate). STALE-RISK: the only official page publishing this exact grid is a PDF dated 2020/04 on the current lcuniversity.edu domain, still under the school's prior name 'Louisiana College' (renamed 2021). The current /admissions/grants-scholarships/ page no longer republishes the dollar grid and directs applicants to Admissions. Confirm the 2026-27 amounts with the aid office.
2.0-2.99 = $1,500/sem; 3.0 and up = $1,800/sem (transfer GPA)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Transfer students; automatically considered; graduate-level and second-degree students are not eligible
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not stated on the grid.
Notes
Automatically considered for new transfer students; amounts are per SEMESTER. Same 2020 PDF staleness caveat as the LC Scholarship — confirm current amounts with Admissions.
Full tuition…Full tuition, room and board (four years)
Smith Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
ACT
Minimum 28 ACT
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Competitive: academic resume, two letters of recommendation, short essay; evaluated on leadership qualities and Christian character; on-campus competition and interview
Renewal terms
Awarded as a four-year full tuition, room and board scholarship.
Notes
The university's top named award. Competition is held on campus (a recent cohort competed Saturday, Jan. 29). Invitation/competition based — confirm the current application and competition deadline with Admissions.
Up to three recommendations (LCU urges a committee rather than a unilateral recommendation); not related to athletics
Renewal terms
Awardees must maintain a 2.5 GPA and meet other participatory requirements.
Notes
Application-based leadership award. The deadline on the official page is given for a prior year ('if applied to the Fall 2020 semester is May 30') — confirm the current deadline with Admissions.
Select students from STEM-accredited high schools; 3 letters of recommendation; majoring in a Science/Arts program
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not stated.
Notes
Full-tuition award for qualifying STEM-school applicants pursuing a science/arts program; competitive. Confirm deadline and continuation terms with Admissions.
Essay/written assessment to Dr. Sarah Payne for ACT 26-27 applicants; 'Scholarship opportunities' listed as a benefit of the program
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not published.
Notes
The Honors Program page lists 'Scholarship opportunities' as a benefit but publishes NO dollar amount. Do not assume an amount — confirm the honors scholarship value with Admissions.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$250.00 per semesterEligibilitySpouses or unmarried children (23 years of age and younger) of active or retired International Mission Board missionaries.
Affiliation-based award. Verbatim amount from the Grants & Scholarships page.
AmountReported $500/yr (home school) — confirmEligibilityFull-time beginning freshmen who graduated from a private Christian school or a home-school program; reported 2.50 cumulative GPA requirement.
These awards are referenced in secondary sources and the school's history, but were NOT found with a current verbatim amount on the official pages opened. Do not publish a dollar figure without confirming on an official page or with Admissions.
Do I have to apply separately for the automatic academic scholarship?
No. The Financial Aid Office states it 'will automatically consider' all new students for the LC Scholarship (ACT-based) and transfer applicants for the Transfer Award. The full-tuition named awards (Smith, STEM to STEAM) and the President's Leadership Scholarship are competitive and require an application.
What ACT score do I need for the biggest automatic award?
On the published grid, an ACT of 27 or higher earns the top automatic LC Scholarship tier ($2,750 per semester). A 28+ ACT is the threshold to compete for the full-tuition Smith and STEM to STEAM awards and the C.S. Lewis Honors Program.
Is the published scholarship grid current?
Treat it as needing confirmation. The exact dollar grid appears only on a 2020 PDF still using the school's former name ('Louisiana College'). The current Grants & Scholarships page directs applicants to contact Admissions, so confirm 2026-27 amounts and deadlines directly.
What GPA keeps my President's Leadership Scholarship?
The official page says awardees must maintain a 2.5 GPA and meet other participatory requirements.
How Louisiana Christian compares across our verified dataset
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Louisiana Christian 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 Louisiana Christian’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
