Misericordia awards every admitted freshman automatic consideration for a Merit Scholarship of $14,000-$30,000 (Residential Grant included) and runs a six-winner full-tuition Sister Mary Glennon '62 competition, but caps all combined institutional scholarships and grants at the price of tuition.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at Misericordia
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Misericordia's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalThe Sister Mary Glennon '62 Full Tuition Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewal terms are not stated on the SMG pages themselves; the university's general policy says merit scholarships are renewed annually with a 2.75 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. SMG recipients must also live in on-campus housing for two academic years. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $65,104 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Misericordia cannot push the package past $65,104. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Misericordia
Misericordia caps the combination of all institutional scholarships and grants at the annual full-time undergraduate TUITION price, and gift aid cannot be applied toward fees — so institutional aid will never cover the general fee, housing, or food, even for the strongest stackers.
The published Merit Scholarship range ($14,000-$30,000 for freshmen; $14,500-$22,500 for transfers) and the Success Grant cap ($17,500) explicitly INCLUDE the $3,000 Residential Grant for students living on campus. Commuters do not receive the Residential Grant portion.
Merit scholarships are renewed only if the student maintains a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA (measured at the conclusion of the spring semester) and full-time undergraduate enrollment (12 credits or more). The exact retention averages are spelled out in the scholarship notification letter.
Students receiving a Resident Grant, Non-PA Resident Grant, or Housing Stipend must remain in on-campus housing to renew the award — moving off campus forfeits that money (and the merit ranges quoted at admission include the $3,000 residential portion).
Per the university's 2026-2027 announcement, applications for admission must be completed by mid-December each year to be considered, and eligibility requires a 3.7 GPA (Office of Admissions calculation) or top-5% class rank. Only six scholarships are awarded annually.
SMG scholarship recipients are required to reside in on-campus housing for two academic years — the full-tuition award does not pay for that housing, since institutional gift aid is capped at tuition.
The Non Pennsylvania Resident Grant is need-based and requires students to file the FAFSA each year and live on campus; need-based aid generally is re-evaluated annually via the FAFSA (PA residents face a May 1 PA State Grant deadline).
Misericordia instructs students to notify Student Financial Services of any outside scholarships with documentation; checks are divided equally toward tuition between fall and spring unless the donor directs otherwise. The pages do not state whether outside money reduces institutional aid — ask the aid office directly.
Who this school is for
Strong students who apply early do best here: a 3.7 GPA (or top-5% rank) student admitted by mid-December gets invited to compete for one of six full-tuition Glennon Scholarships, and every admitted freshman is automatically considered for $14,000-$30,000 in renewable merit aid. Residents get more than commuters because the published ranges include a $3,000 Residential Grant.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $65,104 for 2025-2026. Source
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.
Full tuition
The Sister Mary Glennon '62 Full Tuition Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.7 (as calculated by the Office of Admissions), or top 5% of graduating class
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Traditional first-time, full-time first-year students; admitted by mid-December; essay writing competition on campus; finalists interview with a selection committee; six scholarships awarded per year (no more than three in any one college, at least one in each of the three colleges); recipients must reside in on-campus housing for two academic years
Renewal terms
Renewal terms are not stated on the SMG pages themselves; the university's general policy says merit scholarships are renewed annually with a 2.75 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment. SMG recipients must also live in on-campus housing for two academic years.
Notes
No separate application — the admission application provides consideration. All competition participants are guaranteed acceptance into the University's Honors Program if they choose to participate.
Incoming freshmen who have attained outstanding academic records; automatic consideration at time of admission; no GPA/test award grid is published
Renewal terms
Renewable until graduation provided minimum grade point averages (2.75 at the conclusion of the spring semester), satisfactory academic progress, and full-time enrollment are maintained. The minimum averages required for retention are outlined in the scholarship notification letter.
Notes
Published range INCLUDES the university's $3,000 Residential Grant for students living on campus, so commuter amounts run lower than the advertised top figure.
Incoming transfer students who have attained outstanding academic records; automatic consideration at time of admission; no GPA award grid is published
Renewal terms
Renewable until graduation provided minimum grade point averages, full-time enrollment, and satisfactory academic progress are maintained; minimum averages required for retention are outlined in the scholarship notification letter.
Notes
Published range INCLUDES the university's $3,000 Residential Grant for students living on campus.
Institutional scholarships and grants can stack with each other, but the combined total of all institutional scholarships and grants is capped at the annual full-time undergraduate tuition price — institutional gift aid will not cover fees, housing, or food. The pages do not state how OUTSIDE scholarships interact with institutional aid; outside checks are simply split between fall and spring semesters and must be reported to Student Financial Services.
For 2026-2027: 'The maximum award for any combination of scholarships and grants is the annual full-time undergraduate tuition.' The part-time aid section adds that gift aid cannot be applied towards fees. Note this is a TUITION cap, which is stricter than a full cost-of-attendance cap. No published policy describes reducing institutional aid when a student brings outside scholarships.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$3,000EligibilityStudents residing in on-campus housing; must maintain satisfactory academic progress, full-time enrollment, and on-campus residency
Non-need-based. This grant is already counted inside the published Merit Scholarship and Success Grant ranges.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityNeed-based; students who reside outside of Pennsylvania and live on campus; must maintain SAP, on-campus residency, and file the FAFSA each year
Amount$500/yearEligibilityIncoming students who indicated (by name) on their admission application that a Misericordia alumnus encouraged them to apply
Listed under traditional (freshman) institutional scholarships.
Amount$1,000/yearEligibilityTwo or more eligible siblings concurrently enrolled full time (charged flat-rate tuition); scholarship is given to the eldest sibling
Non-need-based. If more than two siblings are enrolled, the eldest sibling(s) receive the Sibling Grant.
Amount$1,000/year (Lackawanna College or Keystone College associate's) or $4,000/year (Luzerne County Community College associate's)EligibilityTransfer students who earned an Associate's Degree from Lackawanna College, Keystone College, or Luzerne County Community College
Partner-college award; LCCC grads get 4x the amount of the other two partners.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityAny student age 25 or older; minimum 2.5 GPA; demonstrated financial need; enrolled full or part time in a traditional or accelerated undergraduate program; completed at least half the credits toward the degree
Adult-student award listed on the financial aid page.
What is the deadline for the full-tuition Sister Mary Glennon '62 Scholarship?
Per the university's announcement of the 2026-2027 recipients, applications for admission to Misericordia must be completed by mid-December each year to be considered. The scholarship page (which still shows the prior cycle) listed a December 15 admission cutoff, with essay competitions running from early November through mid-February and finalist interviews in late February. Confirm the exact date for your entry year with Admissions.
Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?
No. Students are automatically given consideration for the Merit Scholarship and the Misericordia Success Grant at time of admission, and the admission application also provides consideration for the Sister Mary Glennon '62 full-tuition competition (for students with a 3.7 GPA or top-5% rank).
What GPA do I need to keep my merit scholarship?
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 (checked at the conclusion of the spring semester) plus full-time undergraduate enrollment of 12 credits or more. Other institutional scholarships renew with Satisfactory Academic Progress and full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted in the award letter.
Can my scholarships cover room and board?
No. The maximum award for any combination of institutional scholarships and grants is the annual full-time undergraduate tuition, and gift aid cannot be applied toward fees — so institutional aid does not cover the $2,000 general fee, housing, or meal plans.
How much does Misericordia cost?
The most recent published estimated cost of attendance (2025-2026) is $65,104 living on campus ($41,000 tuition, $2,000 general fee, $17,040 housing and food, plus indirect costs). The university notes costs have risen about 4% per year and estimates 2026-2027 tuition plus general fee at $44,720; the 2026-2027 tuition page would not load when checked.
Is there a FAFSA deadline?
Pennsylvania residents must file the 2026-2027 FAFSA by May 1, 2026 for PA State Grant eligibility. Need-based federal, state, and institutional aid is re-evaluated each year via the FAFSA, and the Non-PA Resident Grant requires a FAFSA each year.
How Misericordia compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Misericordia is in a recognizable cluster (160 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.
Misericordia 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 Misericordia’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
