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Oklahoma Baptist scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$53,620per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Oklahoma Baptist is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 11 published awards, and 4 are based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
6 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

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 does your student land?

  1. Academic Grant$15,000 per year ($60,000 over four years)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Academic Grant

    $15,000 per year ($60,000 over four years)

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.24 or below
    SAT
    999 or below
    ACT
    18 or below
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Academic Grant

    Who qualifies

    CLT: 57 or below. This is the guaranteed minimum freshman award; first-time freshmen receive at least $15,000/year.

    How to keep it

    Renewable provided the student maintains a 2.0 College GPA.

    Worth knowing

    Lowest automatic tier and the floor of OBU's guaranteed freshman award. Awarded on academic achievement, not financial need.

  2. President's Academic$16,000 per year ($64,000 over four years)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    President's Academic

    $16,000 per year ($64,000 over four years)

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.25-3.49
    SAT
    1000-1099
    ACT
    19-21
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for President's Academic

    Who qualifies

    CLT: 58-71. Qualify on any one of the GPA/ACT/SAT/CLT measures.

    How to keep it

    Renewable provided the student maintains a 2.0 College GPA.

    Worth knowing

    Awarded automatically based on academic stats; no separate application beyond admission.

  3. Trustee's Academic$17,000 per year ($68,000 over four years)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Trustee's Academic

    $17,000 per year ($68,000 over four years)

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.5-3.74
    SAT
    1100-1199
    ACT
    22-24
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Trustee's Academic

    Who qualifies

    CLT: 72-82. Qualify on any one of the GPA/ACT/SAT/CLT measures.

    How to keep it

    Renewable provided the student maintains a 2.0 College GPA.

    Worth knowing

    Awarded automatically based on academic stats; no separate application beyond admission.

  4. Founder's Academic$20,000 per year ($80,000 over four years)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Founder's Academic

    $20,000 per year ($80,000 over four years)

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.75-4.0
    SAT
    1200+
    ACT
    25+
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Founder's Academic

    Who qualifies

    CLT: 83+. Qualify on any one of the GPA/ACT/SAT/CLT measures. Top automatic tier short of the full-tuition competitions.

    How to keep it

    Renewable provided the student maintains a 2.0 College GPA.

    Worth knowing

    Highest automatic, stat-based academic award. Students at or above these stats may also qualify to compete for the full-tuition University Scholar award (which has higher cutoffs).

  5. University Scholar (Full-Tuition)Full tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    University Scholar (Full-Tuition)

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    High school GPA of at least 3.5
    SAT
    At least 1330
    ACT
    At least 29
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for University Scholar (Full-Tuition)

    Who qualifies

    Or CLT of at least 89. Requires application, a letter of recommendation, a current resume, and a 500-1,000 word essay; competitive at Scholars Day.

    How to keep it

    Applies to up to 16 hours per semester for eight semesters or until completion of degree; not applicable to summer-term tuition.

    Worth knowing

    Competitive, not automatic. The highest academic award at OBU. Application deadline December 31 of the senior year; OBU 2026 Scholars Day is February 6, 2026. Full-tuition recipients are NOT eligible for additional OBU aid, including athletic aid.

  6. Allen Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Western Oklahoma)Full tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Allen Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Western Oklahoma)

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    At least 3.5
    SAT
    At least 1260
    ACT
    At least 27
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Allen Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Western Oklahoma)

    Who qualifies

    Or CLT of at least 84. Awarded to a student from Western Oklahoma.

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not stated on the full-tuition scholarships page.

    Worth knowing

    Geographically restricted full-tuition award for a Western Oklahoma student. Full-tuition recipients are not eligible for additional OBU aid, including athletic aid.

  7. Martin Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Choctaw Nation)Full tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Martin Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Choctaw Nation)

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    At least 3.0
    SAT
    At least 1190
    ACT
    At least 25
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Martin Academic Scholar (Full-Tuition, Choctaw Nation)

    Who qualifies

    Or CLT of at least 78. Awarded to an Oklahoma resident Choctaw student who is recognized by the Choctaw Nation as being Choctaw.

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not stated on the full-tuition scholarships page.

    Worth knowing

    Tribal-affiliation full-tuition award for an Oklahoma-resident Choctaw Nation student. Full-tuition recipients are not eligible for additional OBU aid, including athletic aid.

  8. Fine Arts Scholarships (Talent: voice, keyboard, instrument, music composition, art, theatre)$500-$4,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Fine Arts Scholarships (Talent: voice, keyboard, instrument, music composition, art, theatre)

    $500-$4,000

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Fine Arts Scholarships (Talent: voice, keyboard, instrument, music composition, art, theatre)

    Who qualifies

    Outstanding talent in voice, keyboard, instrument, music composition, art, or theatre; must major in the scholarship area. Separate application required (Art, Theatre, and Music handled separately). Auditions must be completed by early March.

    How to keep it

    Recipient must major in the scholarship area and exhibit continued excellence in their area; specific renewal GPA not stated.

    Worth knowing

    Talent award requiring audition/portfolio and a major in the area. Submitted separately to OBU Box 61242, Shawnee, OK.

  9. Band Award (non-music majors)$250-$1,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Band Award (non-music majors)

    $250-$1,000

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Band Award (non-music majors)

    Who qualifies

    Students who are NOT majoring in music and have outstanding performance ability on band instruments; must be members of the Symphonic Band.

    How to keep it

    Described as 'Renewable and competitive-based.'

    Worth knowing

    Talent award for non-music majors who play in the Symphonic Band.

  10. OBU Engineering Scholarship$3,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    OBU Engineering Scholarship

    $3,000

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for OBU Engineering Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Students enrolling in OBU's engineering program.

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not stated.

    Worth knowing

    Program-specific award for engineering majors; in effect since the 2023-2024 academic year.

  11. Oklahoma Regents Rising Scholars Program (Academic Scholars)$5,700Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Oklahoma Regents Rising Scholars Program (Academic Scholars)

    $5,700

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Oklahoma Regents Rising Scholars Program (Academic Scholars)

    Who qualifies

    Qualifying Oklahoma residents in the state Academic Scholars program. State-administered award applied at OBU.

    How to keep it

    Available for up to eight semesters.

    Worth knowing

    State of Oklahoma Academic Scholars (Regents) award, applied toward room, board, tuition, books, and incidental fees. Eligibility is set by the Oklahoma State Regents, not OBU.

Lights up against Oklahoma Baptist's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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The fine print

Aid capHard $53,620 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Oklahoma Baptist cannot push the package past $53,620. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes Oklahoma Baptist different

Every incoming OBU freshman gets an automatic, stat-based academic award of at least $15,000/year, scaling up a published GPA/test grid to $20,000/year, with separate full-tuition competitions (University Scholar, Allen, Martin) on top.

Merit tiers114 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Oklahoma Baptist's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. Meeting the 3.5 GPA + 29 ACT/1330 SAT/89 CLT cutoff only lets you APPLY. It is a competition: you must submit a recommendation, resume, and a 500-1,000 word essay, then compete at Scholars Day (Feb 6, 2026). The automatic tiers top out at Founder's Academic ($20,000/year).

  2. Full-tuition scholarship recipients are NOT eligible for additional OBU aid, including athletic aid. The full-tuition awards replace, not supplement, the stat-based academic award.

  3. Athletes who receive OBU athletic aid are ineligible for other OBU scholarships aside from their academic scholarship, and some awards exclude athletes outright.

  4. The University Scholar application is due December 31 of the senior year and the competition (OBU 2026 Scholars Day) is February 6, 2026; miss either and you fall back to the automatic academic tier.

  5. The 2026-27 subtotal ($34,600 tuition + $4,230 fees + $9,230 housing & food = $48,060) excludes indirect costs: books & supplies ($1,000), transportation ($2,140), personal expenses ($2,350), and loan fee ($70), which bring the full cost of attendance to about $53,620.

  6. Even at 'GPA: 3.24 or below / ACT: 18 or below,' OBU's Academic Grant guarantees $15,000/year ($60,000 over four years) automatically — there is a guaranteed freshman floor.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Faith-based students who want a guaranteed, automatic, stat-driven merit floor at a Baptist liberal-arts university; high-stat applicants (3.5 GPA + 29 ACT) can compete for full tuition, and Western-Oklahoma or Choctaw-Nation students have dedicated full-tuition paths.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $53,620 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Oklahoma Baptist, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$17,562
$30,001–$48,000$17,103
$48,001–$75,000$21,033
$75,001–$110,000$21,570
$110,001+$26,102
All income levels (average)$20,958

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$35,570
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$20,958

That works out to roughly a 57% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $48,695 (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
52%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
72%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$24,801 (~$263/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$48,434
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
33%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
42%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

OBU-funded scholarships are reduced only when they would exceed a student's OBU charges -- tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board -- a narrower cap than full cost of attendance; total aid overall is separately capped at COA under federal rules.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): "Other Financial Aid: The objective of the SFS Office is to award you the maximum amount of financial aid possible, while at the same time, staying within federal guidelines. Since total financial aid cannot exceed the total cost of attendance at OBU the receipt of additional financial aid may or may not affect the federal financial aid already awarded to a student. It is your responsibility to report to the SFS Office any financial aid which you receive in addition to the financial aid listed on your Award Letter. Examples of financial aid resources include but are not limited to: grants, loans, work-study, scholarships, voc rehab, and tribal assistance." ... "Occasionally, it is necessary to reduce OBU funded scholarships since OBU scholarships cannot exceed a student's OBU charges (tuition, fees, on campus room and board)."

Source

Other Oklahoma Baptist scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$3,000EligibilityStudents enrolling in OBU's engineering program.

Program-specific; in effect since 2023-2024.

Source

Amount$5,700EligibilityQualifying Oklahoma residents in the state Academic Scholars program.

State-administered award, up to eight semesters.

Source

Amount$250-$1,000EligibilityNon-music majors with outstanding band-instrument performance who are members of the Symphonic Band.

Renewable and competitive-based.

Source

Oklahoma Baptist merit aid FAQ

  • Is OBU's academic scholarship automatic?

    Yes. The four academic tiers (Academic Grant $15,000, President's $16,000, Trustee's $17,000, Founder's $20,000 per year) are awarded automatically on your GPA, ACT, SAT, or CLT — no separate application beyond admission. The full-tuition awards (University Scholar, Allen, Martin) are competitive and require an application.

  • What do I need to keep my scholarship?

    Academic scholarships and grants are renewable provided you maintain a 2.0 College GPA.

  • Can I combine the full-tuition scholarship with other OBU aid?

    No. Full-tuition scholarship recipients are not eligible for additional OBU aid, including athletic aid. The automatic academic tiers are your base award if you do not win a full-tuition scholarship.

  • What is the deadline for the full-tuition University Scholar award?

    The application is due December 31 of your senior year, and the competition (OBU 2026 Scholars Day) is held February 6, 2026. The recommended FAFSA deadline is February 1, 2026.

See sources and other schools

How Oklahoma Baptist compares

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

    Oklahoma Baptist 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.

    Oklahoma Baptist 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.

Sources used on this page

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Oklahoma Baptist merit aid

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