Marywood awards a six-level ladder of named merit scholarships ($19,000-$26,000 per year) at the time of acceptance — to freshmen AND transfers alike — based on the academic portfolio, with no separate scholarship application and no published GPA/test grid.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers9See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Marywood
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Marywood's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalUndergraduate Transfer Student University-funded Scholarships (President's through Opportunity): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to 8 undergraduate semesters as long as students maintain the required GPA and full-time enrollment. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Marywood
Marywood publishes only the award names and amounts ($19,000-$26,000). The site says awards 'are based on the student's academic portfolio presented at the time of admission' — no GPA/test grid exists on the website, so you cannot know your tier until your acceptance letter arrives.
Every page says awards renew 'as long as students maintain the required GPA,' but the required value is never published on the website (a 2024-25 admissions PDF says the minimum QPA is 'specified in the merit award letter'). Families must read the award letter or ask the aid office for the exact renewal QPA.
The Types of Financial Aid page states 'Typical deadline for consideration is December 1st' for scholarships awarded at the time of acceptance. Applying later may forfeit merit consideration.
Outside scholarships must be reported to the Financial Aid Office. Once need is met, they reduce the self-help portion (federal work-study or loans) first; and Marywood's own scholarships/grants WILL be cut if total gift aid exceeds Cost of Attendance.
Merit awards last a maximum of eight undergraduate semesters, and in combined bachelor's-to-master's programs the merit award stops once the student 'is deemed to have completed his/her Bachelor's degree' — which for some programs is as early as 7 semesters.
The Types of Aid page states plainly: 'If a Talent Award recipient changes his/her major to that of one outside of art or music, the Talent Award will be rescinded.'
Transfer-page language ties renewal to 'the required GPA and full-time enrollment,' part-time students are ineligible for merit awards or undergraduate university need-based grants, and the Sibling Award 'is negated' if either sibling drops below full-time.
The policies page warns that undergraduates who move off-campus 'may likely experience a reduction in institutional need-based funds' to reflect the commuter award level (this applies to need-based grants, not the merit scholarship).
Merit awards renew 'regardless of EFC,' but applying for aid is an annual process: students who do not file a FAFSA but hold an undergraduate merit award 'should complete the Financial Aid Renewal form each year.'
Marywood publishes 2026-27 block tuition ($42,818) plus a per-credit General Fee ($67), room charges (about $9,330-$13,000), and board plans (about $1,010-$7,960) separately — and indirect costs (books, transportation, personal) on top. No single full-COA total is published, so a 'big' scholarship still leaves a substantial bill.
Who this school is for
Students with strong high-school (or transfer) academic records who want a sizable, predictable discount off a $42,818 private tuition without filing a separate scholarship application. Transfer students do unusually well here: the full $19,000-$26,000 ladder applies to them, plus a $1,500 Phi Theta Kappa add-on.
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.
$26,000
President's Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Awarded at the time of acceptance based on the student's academic portfolio presented at the time of admission; no published GPA/test cutoffs. Typical deadline for consideration is December 1st.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to eight (8) undergraduate semesters, as long as students maintain the required GPA (the specific GPA value is not published on the website).
Notes
Top level of Marywood's six-level University-funded Academic Scholarship ladder. No separate application; no stat grid is published.
Undergraduate Transfer Student University-funded Scholarships (President's through Opportunity)
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Awarded at the time of acceptance; transfer students are eligible for the same six named awards at the same dollar amounts as freshmen. No published GPA cutoffs.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to 8 undergraduate semesters as long as students maintain the required GPA and full-time enrollment.
Notes
Transfer students get the full freshman merit ladder: President's $26,000, Trustees' $25,000, Founders' $24,000, Deans' $22,000, Success $21,000, Opportunity $19,000.
Transfer students who are Phi Theta Kappa members with an earned associate degree; must enroll at Marywood immediately upon graduation from the two-year college; proof of PTK membership required.
Renewal terms
This scholarship is renewed if the recipient maintains a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative QPA at Marywood University. Part-time students are not eligible.
Notes
$1,500 per year, on top of the transfer merit ladder eligibility.
Outstanding proficiency in Music or Art, demonstrated through evaluation of an art portfolio or music audition; must plan to major in art or music at Marywood. Review dates are on the department web pages.
Renewal terms
Once awarded, they are renewable for up to eight semesters of full-time undergraduate study. If a Talent Award recipient changes his/her major to that of one outside of art or music, the Talent Award will be rescinded.
Notes
Page lists amount only as "Varies." Competitive (audition/portfolio).
Outside scholarships must be reported and are applied first to unmet need; once need is met they reduce federal work-study or federal loans (self-help) first. Marywood's own scholarships and grants are not reduced by an outside scholarship unless the student's total gift aid exceeds the Cost of Attendance.
Outside scholarships will first be used to meet any unmet financial need. If need has been met and the student receives federal/state aid, the outside award first reduces or replaces federal work-study eligibility or federal loans. Marywood scholarships and grants are unaffected unless gift aid exceeds Cost of Attendance (a COA cap). University merit awards are renewable up to eight undergraduate semesters regardless of EFC; institutional need-based funds change annually with EFC. Students who move off campus may see institutional need-based funds reduced to the commuter award level.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountUp to $3,000 per academic yearEligibilityOpen to all undergraduate and graduate students; primary consideration is demonstrated financial need (FAFSA) plus academic achievement; 3.0 cumulative GPA must be maintained; preference for students committed to Marywood's mission via community/club involvement.
Requires its own application sent to the Financial Aid Office; based on available funding; renewable.
AmountUp to $10,000 per yearEligibilityStudents who could not attain higher education without financial assistance; separate application (PDF) required.
Donor-funded; recipients are encouraged to 'return that which they receive.'
AmountVariesEligibilityWomen over the age of 25 who have earned at least 60 credits toward a bachelor's degree (mature men may be included as funds permit).
Contact Marywood's Coordinator of Prior Learning and Assessment to apply.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityNeed-based (FAFSA required); offered to the second family member when two or more dependents are enrolled full-time at Marywood in the same semester(s).
Negated if either sibling stops out or drops below full-time; not available if siblings are both graduate-level only, or to Personnel Tuition Benefit recipients.
Amount$3,000 per year total ($750/semester from Kiwanis, matched by Marywood)EligibilityIncoming undergraduates who are Lackawanna County residents attending Marywood (or U. of Scranton/Keystone), demonstrating both financial need and merit.
Applications through high school guidance offices; April deadline. Marywood matches the Kiwanis $750/semester for 8 semesters.
The Types of Financial Aid page says scholarships are awarded at the time of acceptance based on your admission portfolio, and 'Typical deadline for consideration is December 1st.' No year is attached on the page, so confirm the exact date for your entry term with admissions.
Do I need a separate scholarship application?
No. The six University-funded Academic Scholarships (President's $26,000, Trustees' $25,000, Founder's $24,000, Deans' $22,000, Success $21,000, Opportunity $19,000) are 'awarded at the time of acceptance' based on the academic portfolio presented at admission. Donor-funded awards like the Access & Achievement or Stabler scholarships do require their own applications.
Do transfer students get merit scholarships?
Yes — the transfer financial aid page lists the same six awards at the same amounts ($19,000-$26,000) for transfers, plus a $1,500/year Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship for PTK members with a 3.50 transfer QPA and an earned associate degree.
How do I keep my scholarship each year?
Awards are renewable for up to eight undergraduate semesters as long as you maintain the required GPA (and, per the transfer page, full-time enrollment). University merit awards renew 'regardless of EFC.' The specific renewal GPA is not published on the website — check your merit award letter or ask the Financial Aid Office (finaid@marywood.edu, 570-348-6225).
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Marywood aid?
Per the Financial Aid Policies page, outside scholarships first fill unmet need, then reduce the self-help portion of your package (federal work-study or loans). 'Marywood scholarships and grants will not be affected by receipt of an outside scholarship unless the student's gift aid exceeds Cost of Attendance.' You must report outside awards via the Outside Scholarship Notification form.
What does Marywood cost for 2026-27?
Full-time block tuition (12-18 credits) is $42,818 per year plus a $67-per-credit General Fee. Room charges run roughly $9,330-$13,000 and meal plans roughly $1,010-$7,960 per year depending on selections. Marywood does not publish a single all-in cost-of-attendance total on its tuition page; use the Net Price Calculator at marywood.edu/calculator for an estimate.
How Marywood compares across our verified dataset
99 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Marywood is in the modest minority (99 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Marywood 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 Marywood’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
