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Murray State· Renewal Rules

Keeping Murray State’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 20268 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

Murray State'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.

  • Academic Achievement Scholarships (GPA ladder): Full-time enrollment
  • Presidential Fellowship: Full-time enrollment
  • Marvin D. Mills Scholarship: See notes
  • Blue & Gold Leadership Awards: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • Academic Achievement Scholarships (GPA ladder)

    $1,000-$10,000 per year

    Entry requirements: Trustee 3.80-4.00 (+33 ACT/1450 SAT) = $10,000; Regents 3.80-4.00 (+28-32 ACT/1300-1440 SAT) = $8,000; Provost 3.80-4.00 (no test) = $5,000; Carr 3.50-3.79 = $4,000; University 3.30-3.49 = $3,000; Deans 3.00-3.29 = $2,500; Opportunity 2.75-2.99 = $1,000 GPA · Trustee 1450+; Regents 1300-1440 SAT · Required only for Trustee (33+) and Regents (28-32); other tiers need no test ACT

    To keep it: Renewable for a maximum of four consecutive years (eight consecutive semesters) with full-time enrollment; awards requiring specific grades or Honors College participation are reviewed at the end of each academic year.

    Source: https://www.murraystate.edu/admissions/scholarships/freshmen-2025.aspx

  • Presidential Fellowship

    Full tuition, on-campus housing (double-occupancy rate), and a meal plan

    To keep it: Eligible for renewal (four-year awards = eight consecutive semesters with full-time enrollment and meeting conditions).

    Source: https://www.murraystate.edu/admissions/scholarships/freshmen-2025.aspx

  • Marvin D. Mills Scholarship

    Tuition up to the in-state rate, housing and dining

    To keep it: Eligible for renewal (see Student Financial Services for guidelines).

    Source: https://www.murraystate.edu/admissions/scholarships/freshmen-2025.aspx

  • Blue & Gold Leadership Awards

    $2,000-$6,000

    To keep it: Both Gold and Blue leadership scholarships are eligible for renewal.

    Source: https://www.murraystate.edu/admissions/scholarships/freshmen-2025.aspx

How families lose this aid

  • Assuming a 3.9 GPA alone gets $10,000

    Trustee ($10,000) and Regents ($8,000) require test scores (33+ / 28-32 ACT); a 3.80-4.00 GPA without a test score tops out at Provost ($5,000).

Renewal questions families ask

Are the Academic Achievement Scholarships automatic?
Yes — they're awarded when you're admitted, based on GPA (Trustee and Regents also require ACT/SAT), with a minimum 2.75 GPA, and are renewable for up to four years.

Rules that bite at Murray State

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

  • renewalAcademic Achievement Scholarships (GPA ladder): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for a maximum of four consecutive years (eight consecutive semesters) with full-time enrollment; awards requiring specific grades or Honors College participation are reviewed at the end of each academic year. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Murray State compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Murray State 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 Murray State’s own published materials.

More on Murray State merit aid