Mars Hill award rules
Will the scholarship last four years at Mars Hill?
We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.
The short answer
5 of 5 published awards are listed as renewable.
The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.
What to do
Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.
See every award rule, common mistake, and source
At a glance
- Renewable tiers
- 5 of 5
- One-time tiers
- 0
- Tiers with published renewal terms
- 5
- Renewal risk profile
- low
Renewal risk profile
Mars Hill's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.
- Academic/Merit-Based Scholarships (Bailey, Blue and Gold, Presidential Academic, Presidential Music): See notes
- Judge Robert Blackwell Scholarship: See notes
- Local Lion Promise: See notes
- Honors Program and Scholarship: See notes
- Transfer Student Scholarships (Presidential Transfer Scholarship, Transfer Scholarship, Mountain Lion Associate Scholarship): See notes
Renewal terms by tier
Academic/Merit-Based Scholarships (Bailey, Blue and Gold, Presidential Academic, Presidential Music)
Amount not publishedTo keep it: Students awarded an academic scholarship are required to maintain a designated minimum college grade point average (GPA) to continue receiving the scholarship each semester. The specific GPA is not published.
Source: https://www.mhu.edu/future-students/traditional-undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships-grants/
Judge Robert Blackwell Scholarship
Up to $3,000 (on top of academic merit scholarship)Entry requirements: Minimum 3.5 High School GPA GPA
To keep it: Described as 'annually' alongside the academic merit scholarships; specific renewal terms not published.
Local Lion Promise
Minimum 50% of tuitionTo keep it: Renewal terms not published on the page.
Source: https://www.mhu.edu/future-students/local-lion-promise/
Honors Program and Scholarship
Amount not publishedEntry requirements: GPA requirement (value not stated) GPA
To keep it: Renewal terms not published.
Source: https://www.mhu.edu/future-students/traditional-undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships-grants/
Transfer Student Scholarships (Presidential Transfer Scholarship, Transfer Scholarship, Mountain Lion Associate Scholarship)
Amount not publishedTo keep it: Renewal terms not published; the academic-scholarship renewal language ('designated minimum college GPA') appears on the same page.
Source: https://www.mhu.edu/future-students/traditional-undergraduate/financial-aid/scholarships-grants/
How families lose this aid
- Assuming the published merit scholarship is a fixed dollar amount you can verify in advance.
MHU does not publish amounts or GPA/test cutoffs for its named academic scholarships (Bailey, Blue and Gold, Presidential). The only dollar figure on the site is an indirect reference on the Blackwell page to 'academic merit scholarships ranging from $17,000-$19,000 annually.' Families must wait for the aid package to know their award.
- Missing that academic scholarship renewal has an unpublished GPA cliff.
The scholarships page says recipients 'are required to maintain a designated minimum college grade point average (GPA) to continue receiving the scholarship each semester,' but the designated GPA is not published anywhere on the pages reviewed. Ask the aid office for the exact renewal GPA in writing.
- Losing ALL institutional aid by missing Satisfactory Academic Progress.
MHU's SAP policy states students not meeting the standards 'are not eligible for federal, state, or institutional aid' — meaning merit scholarships are also cut off, with GPA floors of 1.50 (freshman), 1.80 (sophomore), and 2.00 (junior+) plus minimum earned-hours requirements.
- Assuming the Blackwell Scholarship is automatic for high-GPA students.
It is competitive: it requires a separate application, an interview, one recommendation, a 3.5 high school GPA, and North Carolina residency — and it is 'up to $3000,' not a guaranteed $3,000.
How Mars Hill compares across our verified dataset
- 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Mars Hill 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 renewal claim is checked against Mars Hill’s own published materials.
- Cost of attendanceMars Hill cost-of-attendance worksheet
- Merit tiersAcademic/Merit-Based Scholarships (Bailey, Blue and Gold, Presidential Academic, Presidential Music)
- Merit tiersJudge Robert Blackwell Scholarship
- Merit tiersLocal Lion Promise