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.

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).

Oakwood University· Renewal Rules

Keeping Oakwood University’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· CC

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 13 of 13
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 13
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Oakwood University'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.

GOLD — Platinum: 2.5 GPA
GOLD — Premier 2: 2.5 GPA
GOLD — Prestige 2: 2.5 GPA
GOLD — Achievement 2: 2.5 GPA
BLUE — Soaring: 2.0 GPA
BLUE — Striving: 2.0 GPA
BLUE — Forward: 2.0 GPA
BLUE — Challenge: 2.0 GPA
BLUE — Recruitment: 2.0 GPA
Presidential Scholarship — Valedictorian: See notes
Presidential Scholarship — Salutatorian: See notes
National Merit Finalist Scholarship: 3.0 GPA
National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship: 3.0 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

GOLD — Platinum
$8,125 per semester / $16,250 per year / $65,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.9+ GPA · 1260+ SAT · 26+ ACT
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.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
GOLD — Premier 2
$6,000 per semester / $12,000 per year / $48,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.75+ GPA · 1120+ SAT · 22+ ACT
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.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
GOLD — Prestige 2
$5,000 per semester / $10,000 per year / $40,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.5+ GPA · 1033+ SAT · 20+ ACT
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.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
GOLD — Achievement 2
$3,000 per semester / $6,000 per year / $24,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.0+ GPA · 946+ SAT · 18+ ACT
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.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
BLUE — Soaring
$4,750 per semester / $9,500 per year / $38,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.75+ GPA
To keep it: Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
BLUE — Striving
$3,750 per semester / $7,500 per year / $30,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.5-3.74 GPA
To keep it: Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
BLUE — Forward
$2,500 per semester / $5,000 per year / $20,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.0-3.49 GPA
To keep it: Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
BLUE — Challenge
$1,250 per semester / $2,500 per year / $10,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 2.5-2.99 GPA
To keep it: Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
BLUE — Recruitment
$750 per semester / $1,500 per year / $6,000 total over 4 years
Entry requirements: 2.0-2.49 GPA
To keep it: Tier 2 renewal: maintain full-time status each semester and a 2.0 GPA; maximum four consecutive academic years.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
Presidential Scholarship — Valedictorian
$7,500 over 4 years
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).
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
Presidential Scholarship — Salutatorian
$5,500 over 4 years
To keep it: Stated as a 4-year award; specific per-year renewal GPA not published for this award.
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
National Merit Finalist Scholarship
Tuition & Room for 4 years
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).
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf
National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship
Tuition for 4 years
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).
Source: https://oakwood.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023-24_OU-UndGrd-NEW-GoldBlue-scholarsh.pdf

How families lose this aid

Assuming the GOLD tiers are GPA-only like the BLUE tiers.
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).
Budgeting only to the tuition package or to the $17,384 direct-cost figure.
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.
Counting on a freshman award you can't renew.
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).

Renewal questions families ask

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.
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).

Rules that bite at Oakwood University

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

renewalGOLD — 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.

How Oakwood University compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Oakwood University 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.
133 of 751 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 renewal claim is checked against Oakwood University’s own published materials.

policyOakwood University stacking policy
coaOakwood University cost-of-attendance worksheet
tierGOLD — Platinum
scholarshipMy Road to Graduation Scholarship