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National Louis· Renewal Rules

Keeping National Louis’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 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers
5 of 6
One-time tiers
1
Tiers with published renewal terms
5
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

National Louis'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.

  • Bold Futures Scholarship: SAP standards
  • D214 National Louis Scholarship: See notes
  • Undergraduate Honors Program (UHP) Scholarship: Full-time enrollment
  • Baker Scholarship: See notes
  • NLU International Fresh Start Scholarship: Full-time enrollment

Renewal terms by tier

  • Bold Futures Scholarship

    Full tuition

    Entry requirements: 3.0 (high school transcript) GPA

    To keep it: Maintain a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA to remain eligible; covers 15 quarter hours per term until 180 quarter hours of combined transfer and institutional coursework; FAFSA or Alternative Application required each year; must adhere to SAP policy.

    Source: https://nl.edu/boldfutures/

  • D214 National Louis Scholarship

    Full tuition (up to $12,000)

    To keep it: Renewable for four years; maintain a 2.50 or higher cumulative GPA; enroll for at least 10 quarter hours per term; covers 15 quarter hours per term until 180 quarter hours; FAFSA or Alternative Application required each year by the posted deadline.

    Source: https://nl.edu/tuition-and-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/d214-national-louis-scholarship/

  • Undergraduate Honors Program (UHP) Scholarship

    Up to $2,000

    Entry requirements: 3.3 high school GPA for Honors Program admission (per NLU Counselor Kit) GPA

    To keep it: Renewable for up to five consecutive years as long as membership in UHP, full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress is maintained.

    Source: https://nl.edu/tuition-and-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/

  • Baker Scholarship

    Up to $1,800 ($600 per term)

    Entry requirements: 3.35 transfer GPA GPA

    To keep it: The award is renewable as long as a 3.35+ GPA is maintained; can be awarded until the student has attempted 180 quarter hours of combined transfer and institutional coursework.

    Source: https://nl.edu/tuition-and-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/

  • NLU International Fresh Start Scholarship

    44% tuition reduction ($430 to $239 per quarter credit hour)

    Entry requirements: 2.0 minimum to maintain GPA

    To keep it: Renewable each term of study; must maintain full-time status (14+ credits/term), continuous enrollment (Summer optional), a minimum GPA of 2.0, and F1 status.

    Source: https://nl.edu/tuition-and-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

  • Missing a renewal-GPA cliff.

    Renewal cutoffs differ by award: Bold Futures requires a 3.0+ cumulative GPA, Baker requires 3.35+, D214 requires 2.50+, and the international awards require 2.0+. Falling below the threshold ends the award.

  • Submitting ACT/SAT scores hoping for a test-based merit award.

    NLU is test blind ('You will not need to submit your ACT or SAT for an admissions decision') and publishes no GPA/test merit grid; the headline merit awards run on GPA plus a video application.

Renewal questions families ask

Does NLU require ACT/SAT scores for merit scholarships?
No. NLU is test blind and will not use ACT/SAT for admissions decisions; merit awards are based on GPA and (for Bold Futures) a video submission.

Rules that bite at National Louis

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

  • renewalUndergraduate Honors Program (UHP) Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for up to five consecutive years as long as membership in UHP, full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress is maintained. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How National Louis compares across our verified dataset

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

    National Louis 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 National Louis’s own published materials.

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