Is there a separate merit scholarship application or deadline?

No separate application — 'New students are automatically considered for all merit scholarships upon admission.' But the FAFSA is required for all aid: the Visit. Apply. Earn. page sets FAFSA deadlines of 11/30/25 for the Winter 2026 semester and 5/1/2026 for the Fall 2026 semester, and the Commitment to Affordable Learning requires FAFSA by May 1.

What GPA do I need, and do I need ACT/SAT scores?

Merit scholarships begin at $4,000/year at a 2.5 unweighted GPA and rise to $14,000/year at a 3.8 unweighted GPA. Madonna is test-optional, but students coming directly from high school who submit test scores may qualify for an increased merit award.

How do merit scholarships renew?

First-year merit awards renew for up to four years (max eight consecutive semesters) with satisfactory academic progress, good social standing, and continuous full-time enrollment of at least 12 credit hours each fall and winter semester. Transfer awards follow the same rules but are capped by transferable credits (e.g., 90+ credits = 2 semesters). No specific renewal GPA is published for merit awards — ask the aid office what GPA satisfies SAP.

How much does Madonna cost?

For 2026-27, full-time Livonia undergraduate tuition is $15,300/semester for 12-18 credits (credits 16-18 free), and the university lists a 'typical annual total' of $44,112 including room, meal plan, and parking. The published full cost-of-attendance budget (2025-26) for a first-year student living on campus is $47,200. Textbooks and required course materials are included in tuition.

Can I get free tuition at Madonna?

Michigan residents who are newly admitted high school graduates with a 3.0+ GPA, enroll full-time, and qualify for the maximum Federal Pell Grant and maximum Michigan Achievement Scholarship pay no out-of-pocket tuition under the Commitment to Affordable Learning (housing and meals not included; FAFSA by May 1).

Madonna· Renewal Rules

Keeping Madonna’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 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 4 of 4
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 4
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Madonna'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.

First-Year Student Merit Scholarship (Direct from High School): Full-time enrollment
Transfer Student Merit Scholarship: Full-time enrollment
Visit Scholarship (Visit. Apply. Earn.): See notes
Commitment to Affordable Learning: 2.0 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

First-Year Student Merit Scholarship (Direct from High School)
$4,000-$14,000
Entry requirements: Begins at 2.5 unweighted GPA ($4,000); increases to $14,000 at 3.8 unweighted GPA GPA · Optional — submitting scores may qualify for an increased merit award SAT · Optional — submitting scores may qualify for an increased merit award ACT
To keep it: Renewable for up to four (4) years, not to exceed eight (8) consecutive semesters or completion of a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first; recipient must maintain satisfactory academic progress, good social standing, and continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each fall and winter semester).
Source: https://www.madonna.edu/tuition-and-financial-aid/affordability/
Transfer Student Merit Scholarship
$4,000-$14,000
Entry requirements: Based on cumulative transfer GPA and credit hours from all regionally accredited institutions previously attended (per-tier grid not published in accessible text) GPA
To keep it: May be renewable for up to four (4) years / eight (8) consecutive semesters, BUT maximum duration is capped by transferable credit hours: 0-14 credits = 8 semesters; 15-29 = 7; 30-44 = 6; 45-59 = 5; 60-74 = 4; 75-89 = 3; 90+ = 2. Must maintain satisfactory academic progress and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ credits each fall and winter semester).
Source: https://www.madonna.edu/pdf/univres/financialaid/TSTC121118.pdf
Visit Scholarship (Visit. Apply. Earn.)
$2,000
To keep it: Renewable for up to four years, totaling $8,000.
Source: https://www.madonna.edu/admissions/visit-apply/
Commitment to Affordable Learning
Full tuition (no additional out-of-pocket expense for tuition; gap award after Pell + Michigan Achievement)
Entry requirements: Minimum cumulative 3.0 (4.0 scale) to qualify; 2.0 minimum to remain eligible GPA
To keep it: Renewable for up to 4 years (fall and winter semesters only; up to 10 consecutive semesters). Renewal requires continued demonstrated financial need (FAFSA), full-time enrollment, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and a minimum 2.0 GPA. No carry-over if enrollment is not consecutive.
Source: https://www.madonna.edu/admissions/commitment/

How families lose this aid

Expecting the merit award to grow as tuition rises.
The terms PDFs state the scholarship 'is designated in a dollar amount (rather than a percentage)' and 'will not be increased on the basis of any potential increase in the tuition/cost of attendance over four years.' A flat $14,000 covers less of year-4 tuition than year-1 tuition.
Planning to use merit aid at Madonna's online or satellite programs, or in spring/summer terms.
Merit scholarships apply 'only ... toward the payment of costs incurred on the Livonia campus,' are 'not applicable or transferable to online programs,' and apply to fall and winter semesters only — not spring/summer.
Transferring with many credits and assuming four full years of transfer merit.
The transfer terms PDF caps scholarship duration by transferable credit hours: e.g., 60-74 credits = 4 semesters, 90+ credits = only 2 semesters of the award.
Reading 'Commitment to Affordable Learning' as a full ride.
It is tuition-only: 'This award will only be applied to the cost of tuition. Housing and meals are not included.' It also has hard gates — Michigan residency, full-time enrollment, MAXIMUM Federal Pell Grant and MAXIMUM Michigan Achievement Scholarship eligibility, a 3.0 admission GPA, and FAFSA by May 1 — and renewal requires continued demonstrated need plus a 2.0 GPA and SAP.
Dropping below 12 credits or breaking enrollment and expecting the merit award to continue.
Renewal of first-year and transfer merit requires satisfactory academic progress, good social standing, and continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each fall and winter semester); AP/IB/CLEP/repeated credits do not count toward the full-time minimum.
Missing the August 1 - January 31 visit-and-apply window for the Visit Scholarship.
Eligibility requires attending a qualifying campus visit and applying for admission between August 1 and January 31; visiting or applying outside that window forfeits the $2,000/year ($8,000 total) award.

Renewal questions families ask

Is there a separate merit scholarship application or deadline?: No separate application — 'New students are automatically considered for all merit scholarships upon admission.' But the FAFSA is required for all aid: the Visit. Apply. Earn. page sets FAFSA deadlines of 11/30/25 for the Winter 2026 semester and 5/1/2026 for the Fall 2026 semester, and the Commitment to Affordable Learning requires FAFSA by May 1.
What GPA do I need, and do I need ACT/SAT scores?: Merit scholarships begin at $4,000/year at a 2.5 unweighted GPA and rise to $14,000/year at a 3.8 unweighted GPA. Madonna is test-optional, but students coming directly from high school who submit test scores may qualify for an increased merit award.
How do merit scholarships renew?: First-year merit awards renew for up to four years (max eight consecutive semesters) with satisfactory academic progress, good social standing, and continuous full-time enrollment of at least 12 credit hours each fall and winter semester. Transfer awards follow the same rules but are capped by transferable credits (e.g., 90+ credits = 2 semesters). No specific renewal GPA is published for merit awards — ask the aid office what GPA satisfies SAP.
How much does Madonna cost?: For 2026-27, full-time Livonia undergraduate tuition is $15,300/semester for 12-18 credits (credits 16-18 free), and the university lists a 'typical annual total' of $44,112 including room, meal plan, and parking. The published full cost-of-attendance budget (2025-26) for a first-year student living on campus is $47,200. Textbooks and required course materials are included in tuition.
Can I get free tuition at Madonna?: Michigan residents who are newly admitted high school graduates with a 3.0+ GPA, enroll full-time, and qualify for the maximum Federal Pell Grant and maximum Michigan Achievement Scholarship pay no out-of-pocket tuition under the Commitment to Affordable Learning (housing and meals not included; FAFSA by May 1).

Rules that bite at Madonna

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Madonna's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalFirst-Year Student Merit Scholarship (Direct from High School): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to four (4) years, not to exceed eight (8) consecutive semesters or completion of a baccalaureate degree, whichever comes first; recipient must maintain satisfactory academic progress, good social standing, and continuous full-time enrollment (at least 12 credit hours each fall and winter semester). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Madonna compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Madonna 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 renewal claim is checked against Madonna’s own published materials.

policyMadonna stacking policy
coaMadonna cost-of-attendance worksheet
tierFirst-Year Student Merit Scholarship (Direct from High School)
tierTransfer Student Merit Scholarship
tierVisit Scholarship (Visit. Apply. Earn.)
tierCommitment to Affordable Learning
scholarshipFelician-Sponsored Ministries Scholarship
scholarship200+ Endowed Scholarships