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Oakwood University · Alabama

Oakwood University scholarships and merit aid

Oakwood's automatic GOLD/BLUE freshman grid pays a flat 4-year merit award by GPA and test score — from $6,000 total (2.0 GPA) up to $65,000 total ($16,250/yr) for the Platinum tier (3.9+ GPA, 26+ ACT) — and stacks below outside aid under a tuition/room/board cap.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Oakwood University worth a closer look?

Oakwood University is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 13 published awards, and 13 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers1313 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where you landAutomatic merit aid by ACT compositeEach bar marks the ACT score range that qualifies for the tier.
GOLD — Platinum$8,125
ACT 26+SAT 1260+ · GPA 3.9+
GOLD — Premier 2$6,000
ACT 22+SAT 1120+ · GPA 3.75+
GOLD — Prestige 2$5,000
ACT 20+SAT 1033+ · GPA 3.5+
GOLD — Achievement 2$3,000
ACT 18+SAT 946+ · GPA 3.0+

Not on this ladder: BLUE — Soaring, BLUE — Striving, BLUE — Forward, BLUE — Challenge, BLUE — Recruitment, Presidential Scholarship — Valedictorian, Presidential Scholarship — Salutatorian, National Merit Finalist Scholarship, National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship — application required, holistic, or scored on a different axis.

View as table
TierACT compositeAward
GOLD — Platinum26+$8,125 per semester / $16,250 per year / $65,000 total over 4 years
GOLD — Premier 222+$6,000 per semester / $12,000 per year / $48,000 total over 4 years
GOLD — Prestige 220+$5,000 per semester / $10,000 per year / $40,000 total over 4 years
GOLD — Achievement 218+$3,000 per semester / $6,000 per year / $24,000 total over 4 years
$8,125 per semester / $16,250 per y…$8,125 per semester / $16,250 per year / $65,000 total over 4 years

GOLD — Platinum

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.9+
SAT
1260+
ACT
26+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; not for students who attended another college/university after high school graduation. GED-equivalent path: GED 700+/800+ depending on series.

How to keep it

Tier 1 renewal: renewed for a second year with a 2.5 GPA, a third year with a 2.75 GPA, and a fourth year with a 3.0 GPA; must maintain full-time status each semester. Limited to a maximum of four consecutive academic years.

Notes

Highest GOLD (test-based) tier. GOLD tiers require both the GPA and the ACT/SAT score shown.

Source

$6,000 per semester / $12,000 per y…$6,000 per semester / $12,000 per year / $48,000 total over 4 years

GOLD — Premier 2

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.75+
SAT
1120+
ACT
22+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman. GED-equivalent path: GED 650+/750+ depending on series.

How to keep it

Tier 1 renewal: 2.5 GPA (year 2), 2.75 GPA (year 3), 3.0 GPA (year 4); full-time status required; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

GOLD (test-based) tier; requires both GPA and the ACT/SAT score shown.

Source

$5,000 per semester / $10,000 per y…$5,000 per semester / $10,000 per year / $40,000 total over 4 years

GOLD — Prestige 2

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5+
SAT
1033+
ACT
20+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman. GED-equivalent path: GED 600+/700+ depending on series.

How to keep it

Tier 1 renewal: 2.5 GPA (year 2), 2.75 GPA (year 3), 3.0 GPA (year 4); full-time status required; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

GOLD (test-based) tier; requires both GPA and the ACT/SAT score shown.

Source

$3,000 per semester / $6,000 per ye…$3,000 per semester / $6,000 per year / $24,000 total over 4 years

GOLD — Achievement 2

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0+
SAT
946+
ACT
18+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman. GED-equivalent path: GED 500+/650+ depending on series.

How to keep it

Tier 1 renewal: 2.5 GPA (year 2), 2.75 GPA (year 3), 3.0 GPA (year 4); full-time status required; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

Lowest GOLD (test-based) tier; requires both GPA and the ACT/SAT score shown.

Source

$4,750 per semester / $9,500 per ye…$4,750 per semester / $9,500 per year / $38,000 total over 4 years

BLUE — Soaring

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.75+
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; GPA-only (no test score required for BLUE tiers).

How to keep it

Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

Top BLUE (GPA-only) tier — the test-optional path. Awarded on GPA alone with no ACT/SAT requirement shown.

Source

$3,750 per semester / $7,500 per ye…$3,750 per semester / $7,500 per year / $30,000 total over 4 years

BLUE — Striving

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.5-3.74
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; GPA-only (no test score required).

How to keep it

Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

BLUE (GPA-only) tier.

Source

$2,500 per semester / $5,000 per ye…$2,500 per semester / $5,000 per year / $20,000 total over 4 years

BLUE — Forward

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0-3.49
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; GPA-only (no test score required).

How to keep it

Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

BLUE (GPA-only) tier.

Source

$1,250 per semester / $2,500 per ye…$1,250 per semester / $2,500 per year / $10,000 total over 4 years

BLUE — Challenge

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.5-2.99
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; GPA-only (no test score required).

How to keep it

Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

BLUE (GPA-only) tier.

Source

$750 per semester / $1,500 per year…$750 per semester / $1,500 per year / $6,000 total over 4 years

BLUE — Recruitment

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
2.0-2.49
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time freshman; GED-equivalent path GED 450+/600+ depending on series.

How to keep it

Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.

Notes

Lowest published merit tier; entry-level award for a 2.0-2.49 GPA.

Source

$7,500 over 4 years

Presidential Scholarship — Valedictorian

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

High school Valedictorian.

How to keep it

Stated as a 4-year award; specific per-year renewal GPA not published for this award (general Tier renewal criteria likely apply).

Notes

Awarded to the high school Valedictorian. Modest add-on relative to the GPA/test grid.

Source

$5,500 over 4 years

Presidential Scholarship — Salutatorian

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

High school Salutatorian.

How to keep it

Stated as a 4-year award; specific per-year renewal GPA not published for this award.

Notes

Awarded to the high school Salutatorian.

Source

Tuition & Room for 4 years

National Merit Finalist Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

National Merit Finalist designation.

How to keep it

Stated as covering four years; renewal subject to Tier 1 / National Merit criteria (2.5/2.75/3.0 GPA by year, full-time status).

Notes

The largest published award — covers full tuition plus residence hall (room) for four years. No flat dollar figure is published; value tracks tuition + room (2025-26 tuition package $11,472/sem; room varies by hall).

Source

Tuition for 4 years

National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

National Merit Semi-Finalist designation.

How to keep it

Stated as covering four years; renewal subject to Tier 1 / National Merit criteria (2.5/2.75/3.0 GPA by year, full-time status).

Notes

Covers full tuition (room not included) for four years. No flat dollar figure published; value tracks tuition (2025-26 tuition package $11,472/sem).

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Oakwood University's published information.

  • Renewal ruleGOLD — Platinum: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Tier 1 renewal: renewed for a second year with a 2.5 GPA, a third year with a 2.75 GPA, and a fourth year with a 3.0 GPA; must maintain full-time status each semester. Limited to a maximum of four consecutive academic years. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $34,768 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Oakwood University cannot push the package past $34,768. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. GOLD tiers (Platinum, Premier 2, Prestige 2, Achievement 2) require BOTH the GPA and the ACT/SAT score shown (e.g., Platinum needs 3.9+ GPA AND 26+ ACT / 1260+ SAT). Without the test score, a strong-GPA applicant falls to the BLUE (GPA-only) grid, which pays less at the same GPA (e.g., 3.9 GPA with no qualifying test = BLUE Soaring $9,500/yr, not GOLD Platinum $16,250/yr).

  2. The $1,000 Early Bird Scholarship is only granted if the $200 Intent to Enroll / Dorm Activity Fee is paid by May 1. Pay later and the $1,000 is gone.

  3. Oakwood applies external scholarships, grants and subsidies BEFORE its own scholarships, and institutional aid cannot exceed total cost for tuition, room and board. A large outside award can therefore reduce or displace the Oakwood merit scholarship rather than stack with it — and academic awards never generate a refund.

  4. The 2025-26 tuition package is $11,472/semester for a non-resident student; the on-campus direct-cost total (tuition & fees + food & housing) is $17,384/year, but the published Total Estimated Annual Cost of Attendance is $34,768 once indirect/living expenses are included. Required U.S.-citizen health insurance ($1,300/yr) is additional unless waived.

  5. The 'My Road to Graduation' award (up to $3,000/yr) explicitly may NOT be combined with any other OU scholarships, so it is an either/or choice against the GOLD/BLUE merit award — not an add-on.

  6. Tier 1 (GOLD / National Merit) awards require a rising renewal GPA — 2.5 by year two, 2.75 by year three, 3.0 by year four — plus full-time status; Tier 2 (BLUE) requires a 2.0 GPA. Awards never extend beyond four consecutive years (three for the engineering dual-degree program).

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Seventh-day Adventist and other students seeking a small private HBCU with a fully automatic, published GPA-and-test merit grid; strongest for high-stat applicants (3.9+/26+ ACT for Platinum) and for National Merit Finalists/Semi-Finalists, who can earn tuition (and room) for four years.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $34,768 for 2025-2026. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Oakwood University, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Oakwood University, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$23,999
$30,001–$48,000$22,444
$48,001–$75,000$24,501
$75,001–$110,000$28,074
$110,001+$27,219
All income levels (average)$25,669

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$22,512
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$25,669

That works out to roughly a 36% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $40,176 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
45%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
71%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$42,488
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
42%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
77%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside aid is applied FIRST and Oakwood merit fills behind it under a hard cap: institutional scholarships (including denominational tuition assistance) cannot exceed the total cost for tuition, room and board, and recipients cannot be over-awarded or receive refunds from academic awards. In practice a large outside scholarship can reduce or displace the Oakwood merit award rather than add on top of it.

The published Scholarship Guidelines state that state/federal grants and other external scholarships, grants and subsidies are awarded before Oakwood University scholarships, and that Oakwood's scholarships cannot exceed total cost for tuition, room and board. The Office of Financial Aid separately requires all outside scholarships and agency aid to be reported so they can be coordinated with federal and state aid. No published rule says outside awards reduce loans first; the cap is stated against tuition/room/board (a COA-style cap), so the practical effect is displacement of institutional merit once the cap is reached.

Source

Other Oakwood University scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$1,000EligibilityPay the Intent to Enroll / Dorm Activity Fee of $200 by May 1.

Deadline-driven: the $1,000 is forfeited if the $200 fee is paid after May 1.

Source

AmountUp to $3,000 annually ($1,500 per semester)EligibilityFirst-time freshman who completes at least 15 earned Oakwood University hours each semester and maintains a 2.0 GPA; up to nine semesters.

May NOT be combined with any other OU scholarships — so it does not stack with the GOLD/BLUE merit grid.

Source

AmountOakwood matches up to 30% of tuition and matriculation feesEligibilityStudents receiving 70% subsidies from church-related employers; reside on campus, at least 12 credit hours, 2.0+ GPA (via OU CARES), EFC $0-$39,500.

Combined with the 70% employer subsidy this can reach 100% free tuition and matriculation fees. Need/employer-linked, not pure merit.

Source

Amount$1-for-$1 match up to $2,600 (total potential $5,200)EligibilityParticipate in Literature Evangelism Training Center (LETC) Campaigns at least three times weekly for 12 weeks.

Earn-and-match work program tied to literature-evangelism participation; contact (256) 726-7018. Not GPA/test based.

Source

Oakwood University merit aid FAQ

  • Are Oakwood's merit scholarships automatic?

    Yes. The GOLD (test-based) and BLUE (GPA-only) freshman grids are awarded automatically based on your GPA and, for GOLD, your ACT/SAT score, as published in the New Student Scholarships grid. Athletic awards are separate (contact the Athletic Department, 256.726.8385).

  • What GPA and test score do I need for the top award?

    The top published grid tier, GOLD Platinum ($16,250/year, $65,000 over four years), requires a 3.9+ GPA and a 26+ ACT (or 1260+ SAT). National Merit Finalists get an even larger award — tuition and room for four years.

  • Do outside scholarships stack on top of my Oakwood award?

    Not necessarily. Oakwood applies state/federal grants and other external scholarships before its own scholarships, and institutional aid cannot exceed the total cost for tuition, room and board. A large outside award can reduce or displace your Oakwood merit scholarship. Report all outside aid to the Office of Financial Aid (256.726.7210, finaid@oakwood.edu).

  • How do I keep my scholarship each year?

    Tier 1 (GOLD / National Merit) awards renew with a 2.5 GPA in year two, 2.75 in year three, and 3.0 in year four, plus full-time status. Tier 2 (BLUE) awards renew with a 2.0 GPA. All academic scholarships are capped at four consecutive years (three for the engineering dual-degree program).

  • Is there a deadline that affects my aid?

    Yes — pay the $200 Intent to Enroll / Dorm Activity Fee by May 1 to receive the $1,000 Early Bird Scholarship. Scholarship documentation must also be submitted by the financial-aid office's specified deadline dates.

See sources and other schools

How Oakwood University compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Oakwood University is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Oakwood University 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Oakwood University is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Oakwood University’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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