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Marietta College · Ohio

Marietta scholarships and merit aid

DRAFT: Marietta publishes a current Fall 2026 GPA grid ($14,000-$26,000, automatic at admission) plus three full-tuition-or-better Premier Scholarships — and one of the friendliest outside-scholarship policies in print: outside awards are 'additions' to your aid, not replacements.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Marietta worth a closer look?

Marietta awards automatic merit on admission. Marietta does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers73 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

$14,000-$26,000

First-Year Scholarships, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 (1835 Founders / Marietta Distinction / Compass / Riverside / Pioneer)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
1835 Founders: 4.00 ($26,000); Marietta Distinction: 3.60-3.99 ($25,000); Compass: 3.30-3.59 ($23,000); Riverside: 2.95-3.29 ($19,000); Pioneer: 2.94 or lower ($14,000)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatic consideration when you submit the application for admission; notified at time of admission; 'Individual student eligibility is determined based on a holistic application review'

How to keep it

Automatically renewed for a total of four years (per the grid footnote). Must enroll full-time in first bachelor's degree program.

Notes

Merit funds are used for tuition only (except the McCoy Scholarships). NOTE: the page's interactive calculator shows slightly different figures (Riverside $20,000, Pioneer $15,000, band 3.65-3.99) than the official table — conflict flagged in Section C.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition (McCoy: full tuition + mandatory fees + standard room + 14 meal plan)

Premier Scholarships (McCoy / Trustees' / Rickey)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
4.0 minimum high school GPA to be invited
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Competition held Saturday, January 31, 2026 for accepted incoming first-years for Fall 2026; invitation and registration sent to qualified applicants; recipients required to live on campus

Notes

'These awards supersede all other college-funded awards.' Full-tuition-or-more recipients are ineligible for additional Marietta College grants or scholarships. McCoy is the exception to the tuition-only rule for merit funds.

Source

Full tuition (up to five awards)

Charles Sumner Harrison Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

One-page statement on impacting/promoting social service, leadership, and inclusion in their community; submission due by March 15, 2026; recipients required to live on campus

Notes

Competitors who don't win receive the $1,000 Charles Sumner Harrison Attendance award (which does not stack with the Premier Attendance award).

Source

$14,000-$24,000

Transfer Scholarships, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer 1835 Founders: 3.5+ ($24,000); Transfer Marietta Distinction: 3.25-3.49 ($23,000); Transfer Compass: 3.0-3.24 ($21,000); Transfer Riverside: 2.75-2.99 ($18,000); Transfer Pioneer: 2.74 or lower ($14,000)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Full-time, degree-seeking transfer from an accredited institution; first bachelor's degree; at least two terms of college credit completed; all prior transcripts received by the first day of the first term

Notes

Plus the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Award ($1,000/year, $500/semester for up to seven semesters, 3.25+ GPA, direct from a 2-year college) which 'stacks seamlessly with Marietta's Transfer Merit Scholarships' for a combined $24,000-$25,000/year; campus visitors get an additional $1,000/year.

Source

$14,000-$26,000

International Scholarships, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
International 1835 Founders: 4.0 ($26,000); International Marietta Distinction: 3.60-3.99 ($25,000); International Compass: 3.30-3.59 ($23,000); International Riverside: 2.95-3.29 ($19,000); International Pioneer: 2.94 or lower ($14,000); transfer variants $14,000-$24,000
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Full-time, degree-seeking; holistic review considering high school GPA and English proficiency scores; International Need-Aware Grant of up to $6,000 annually available by separate application

How to keep it

Automatically renewed for a total of four years

Notes

Mirrors the domestic grids.

Source

$5,500 (up to, annually)

Choose Ohio First - STEM Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.0 cumulative (high school or college)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Ohio resident; full-time; approved STEM major (19 listed, from Actuarial Science to Planetary Science); 500-word career-goals essay; separate application. Priority deadline February 1, 2026; secondary deadline March 1, 2026 (page notes applications received on or before March 1, 2026 will be accepted as 'priority' due to an oversight).

Notes

Funded by the State of Ohio; amounts depend on eligibility and state funding levels.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition (covers 100% of remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other aid)

Marietta Promise Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Incoming first-time freshmen who qualify for federal Pell grants (typically families earning around $75,000 or less); must live on campus

How to keep it

Renewable provided you remain enrolled full-time, live on campus, stay in good academic standing, and make satisfactory progress toward your degree.

Notes

Need-gated (Pell), not pure merit — included as a named, load-bearing tuition-covering award. Started 2025-26.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Marietta's published information.

  • Renewal ruleFirst-Year Scholarships, Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 (1835 Founders / Marietta Distinction / Compass / Riverside / Pioneer): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Automatically renewed for a total of four years (per the grid footnote). Must enroll full-time in first bachelor's degree program. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What families often miss

  1. 'Marietta permits a student to receive up to two non-need-based awards with a total dollar value not exceeding the full tuition cost' — and a separate group of talent/program awards (eSports, Fine Arts, McDonough, Music, Theatre, WV Pioneer) is limited to one per student.

  2. 'These funds are used for tuition only, except for the McCoy Scholarships.' Only the McCoy Premier award covers fees, room, and a meal plan.

  3. 'These awards supersede all other college-funded awards,' and students at or above full tuition 'are ineligible for additional Marietta College grants or scholarships.' Premier recipients must also live on campus.

  4. Premier Scholars Day is January 31, 2026 (invitation, 4.0 GPA); the Harrison full-tuition statement is due March 15, 2026; McDonough requires program acceptance by January 10, 2026; Choose Ohio First priority is February 1, 2026 (extended to March 1, 2026 'as priority' per the page).

  5. The Marietta College Grant is for on-campus residents only ('Students approved to live off campus are not eligible'); Marietta Promise renewal requires living on campus; Premier and Harrison recipients are 'required to live on campus.'

  6. 'There is no separate application for endowed scholarships, and receiving one does not increase the total amount of institution aid awarded' — it substitutes inside your existing package.

  7. On the need-based side, 'The combination of scholarships and grants may not exceed tuition costs.'

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Any full-time first-bachelor's student — even below a 2.95 GPA you get $14,000 — while 4.0 students can compete on Premier Scholars Day for the McCoy award (full tuition + fees + room + meal plan); Pell-eligible families get the tuition-free Marietta Promise on top.

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Marietta, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Marietta, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$18,254
$30,001–$48,000$17,191
$48,001–$75,000$18,547
$75,001–$110,000$20,084
$110,001+$25,570
All income levels (average)$21,083

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$53,709
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$39,652
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$21,083

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
61%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
69%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$57,180
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
39%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
73%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Two-award rule: a student may hold up to two non-need-based awards totaling no more than full tuition. Merit funds are tuition-only (except McCoy). Premier awards supersede all other college-funded awards, and full-tuition recipients get nothing additional. A short list of small awards ($1,000-$2,500) explicitly stacks with all other aid; another list (eSports, Fine Arts, McDonough, Music, Theatre, WV Pioneer) is one-per-student. Endowed scholarships swap in without increasing total institutional aid. Outside scholarships are ADDED to Marietta aid to the extent federal regulations permit (no institutional displacement). Need-based grants: scholarships+grants may not exceed tuition.

Outside scholarships: 'Outside scholarships are additions to other financial aid awarded at Marietta to the extent permitted by federal regulations.' Institutional caps: two non-need-based awards max, total not exceeding full tuition; endowed awards do not increase total institutional aid; the Marietta College Grant may be recalculated if additional MC scholarships/grants are received.

Source

Other Marietta scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$1,000EligibilityStudents who visit Marietta College and submit their completed application

Stacks with all other aid.

Source

Amount$1,000EligibilityChildren and grandchildren of Marietta graduates

Renewable up to four years in good academic standing; stacks with all other aid.

Source

Amount$1,000 eachEligibilityStudents who compete on Premier Scholars Day / in the Harrison competition

Stack with all other aid, but NOT with each other — students receive only one.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityInternational students admitted to Marietta College

Stacks with all other aid.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityVarsity esports team members (League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Fortnite, Rainbow Six, Hearthstone); tryout required

In the 'only 1 of the following' group with Fine Arts, McDonough, Music, Theatre, and WV Pioneer awards.

Source

Amount$1,000-$5,000 eachEligibilityBased on performance in a College-sponsored competition

Only one award from this group per student.

Source

Amount$1,000-$2,000EligibilityStudents accepted to MC and the McDonough Leadership Program by January 10, 2026

Only one award from this group per student.

Source

Amount$2,500EligibilityStudents from West Virginia high schools who qualify for the WV Promise Scholarship and live on campus

Only one award from this group per student.

Source

Marietta merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    The first-year GPA grid is automatic with your admission application (no deadline beyond admission). Premier Scholarship competition: Saturday, January 31, 2026. Charles Sumner Harrison statement: March 15, 2026. McDonough Leadership: program acceptance by January 10, 2026. Choose Ohio First: priority February 1, 2026; secondary March 1, 2026 (applications through March 1 accepted as 'priority' per the page).

  • Do outside scholarships reduce my Marietta aid?

    No — per the page, 'Outside scholarships are additions to other financial aid awarded at Marietta to the extent permitted by federal regulations,' and are applied directly to the student's billing account.

  • How long does my merit scholarship last, and what renews it?

    Grid scholarships are 'Automatically renewed for a total of four years'; you must remain enrolled full-time in your first bachelor's degree program. No renewal GPA is stated on the page.

  • Is there a full-ride path?

    The McCoy Premier Scholarship equals full tuition + mandatory fees + standard room + 14 meal plan (competition on January 31, 2026; 4.0 GPA invite; on-campus residency required). Pell-eligible students can also reach tuition-free via the Marietta Promise Award.

See sources and other schools

How Marietta compares

  • 14 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use no-displacement displacement.

    Marietta is in the small minority (14 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Marietta is one of them. The cohort minority (84 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 Marietta’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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