Loyola Maryland · Maryland
Jesuit private in Baltimore with three automatic stats-driven merit tiers ($35K–$41K) that renew at a lenient 2.0 cumulative GPA and apply to tuition only.
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Loyola Maryland's own published policy, not generic advice.
Renewable for up to 8 semesters with full-time enrollment (12+ credits/term) and a 2.0+ cumulative GPA. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Loyola's automatic merit awards are restricted to tuition charges only and are split evenly between fall and spring. If you receive the full Presidential, you still owe roughly $20K+ per year for housing, food, and fees out of pocket or via other aid.
The Knott Scholarship covers full tuition for four years and stacks meaningfully better than the $39–41K Presidential tier. It requires a separate application by January 15 — easy to miss if you only apply through the regular admission portal.
Renewal also requires full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits per semester. Students who drop below full-time — common during medical, family, or financial crises — can lose merit aid even with a 3.5 GPA.
B+/A- students looking for a mid-size Catholic, liberal-arts-flavored campus on the East Coast who want predictable, automatic merit that doesn't require a separate competitive scholarship application.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $83,620 for 2026-27. Full-time undergraduate tuition $61,810; on-campus housing $12,600; food $7,340. Excludes books, transportation, and personal expenses. Source
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.
Top automatic tier; awarded based on GPA, course rigor, and (optional) test scores at admission. No separate application.
Renewable for up to 8 semesters with full-time enrollment (12+ credits/term) and a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.
Award applies to tuition charges only and is split evenly between fall and spring semesters.
Middle automatic tier; awarded based on GPA, course rigor, and (optional) test scores at admission.
Renewable for up to 8 semesters with full-time enrollment and a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.
Tuition-only award split between fall and spring.
Entry automatic tier; awarded based on GPA, course rigor, and (optional) test scores at admission.
Renewable for up to 8 semesters with full-time enrollment and a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.
Loyola Maryland is test-optional; scores are reviewed if submitted but not required.
Requires separate application materials; deadline January 15. Awarded on academic merit and service.
Renewable annually for four years with a 3.0+ GPA each semester.
Top competitive award at Loyola; covers full tuition for four years.
Outside scholarships are layered onto the package 'in the most favorable way possible' — they first cover any remaining balance, then reduce self-help (loans/work-study) before institutional grants are touched.
Per Loyola's published policy, externally funded scholarships are first applied to any remaining balance after existing aid, then reduce self-help aid (loans and work-study). Institutional grant aid is only adjusted if necessary after those steps. Funds are split evenly between fall and spring unless the donor specifies otherwise. Merit scholarships themselves apply to tuition charges only.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Renewable for four years if a 3.0+ GPA is maintained.
The three flagship tiers — Presidential, Dean's, and Loyola — are automatic based on your admission application (GPA, course rigor, and optionally test scores). No extra scholarship form is needed. The Marion Burk Knott and Marion I. and Henry J. Knott scholarships are competitive and require a separate application by January 15.
The automatic Presidential, Dean's, and Loyola scholarships renew for up to eight semesters with a 2.0+ cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment (12+ credits per semester). The Marion Burk Knott Scholarship requires a 3.0 each semester.
Loyola's published policy says outside scholarships are incorporated 'in the most favorable way possible.' In practice they first cover any remaining balance, then reduce self-help (loans and work-study). Institutional grants are only adjusted after self-help is exhausted, so most students gain real net value from outside awards.
No. Loyola's automatic merit awards are restricted to tuition charges and are split evenly between fall and spring. Housing, food, fees, and other costs must be covered with need-based grants, loans, payment plans, or family resources.
Yes, Loyola is test-optional. SAT/ACT scores are not required for scholarship consideration but will be reviewed if submitted. Strong scores can help borderline candidates move up a tier, but a strong GPA and rigorous courses are the primary drivers of the automatic award.
Loyola Maryland is in a recognizable cluster (42 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Loyola Maryland is one of them. The cohort minority (17 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Every claim is checked against Loyola Maryland’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
