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Oral Roberts University · Oklahoma

Oral Roberts (ORU) scholarships and merit aid

DRAFT: ORU runs two mutually framed tracks — a published GPA-tier Academic Scholarship grid ($6,000-$11,000) with sliding renewal GPAs, and the Quest Whole Leader program ranging up to full tuition (15 full-tuition awards by nomination + essay) — plus a $25,000-plus-room National Merit package and an Oklahoma income-gated tuition Promise.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Oral Roberts (ORU) worth a closer look?

Oral Roberts (ORU) may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Merit tiers7See who qualifies
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.

$6,000-$11,000

Freshman Academic Scholarship (Tiers 1-5)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Tier 1: 4.0+; Tier 2: 3.50-3.99; Tier 3: 3.00-3.49; Tier 4: 2.50-2.99; Tier 5: 2.00-2.49
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

'Academic Scholarships are based upon academic qualifications.' Page does not state the word 'automatic' for this grid (the Quest award is the one described as automatically awarded).

How to keep it

Renewal GPA varies by tier: Tier 1 renew at 3.00; Tier 2 at 2.75; Tier 3 at 2.50; Tiers 4-5 at 2.00.

Notes

Full grid in excerpt. Note the renewal-GPA ladder: the bigger the award, the higher the GPA needed to keep it.

Source

$6,000-$10,000

Transfer Academic Scholarship (Tiers 1-4)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Tier 1: 3.50+; Tier 2: 3.00-3.49; Tier 3: 2.50-2.99; Tier 4: 2.00-2.49
See who qualifies and how to keep it
How to keep it

Tier 1 renew at 2.75; Tier 2 at 2.50; Tiers 3-4 at 2.00.

Source

Up to Full tuition

Quest Whole Leader Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Eligible students automatically awarded upon admission; consideration for 1 of 15 full-tuition Quest Scholarships requires securing a nomination and submitting a Quest Essay. NCAA athletic scholarship recipients are NOT eligible for Quest.

How to keep it

Renewal criteria live on a separate Quest guidelines page (not opened); page notes all scholarships/promotions are reviewed annually and terms may change year to year.

Notes

The page says eligible students are 'automatically awarded a Quest Whole Leader Scholarship upon admission' but does not publish the stat criteria or base amounts, so automaticOnStats is false (no published stat grid).

Source

$25,000 Quest Whole Leader Scholars…$25,000 Quest Whole Leader Scholarship plus full room award

National Merit Finalist package

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

National Merit Finalist standing; automatically invited to interview for a Quest Whole Leader Full Tuition Scholarship

How to keep it

Full room award renewable for 4 years (per page).

Source

Up to $20,000/year

Honors Program — Fellows

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.5 cumulative high school GPA (weighted or unweighted)
SAT
1410-1600 (Math/Critical Reading)
ACT
31-36
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Application postmarked by February 1; one academic and one spiritual letter of recommendation; demonstrated leadership; church and community service

How to keep it

Must remain a member of the Honors Program in good standing and maintain a 3.5 GPA each year for the scholarship to continue.

Source

Up to 100% of tuition…Up to 100% of tuition (combining federal, state, and ORU aid)

Oklahoma Golden Eagle Promise

Apply separately
GPA
2.5+ (or qualifying test score)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Oklahoma students; family income under $100,000; FAFSA with ORU code 003985; Oklahoma's Promise recipients automatically considered

Notes

Income-gated ($100,000) and tuition-only; it is a combination pathway, not a single ORU grant.

Source

50% of tuition

Quest Transfer Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Undergraduate full-time students who transfer to ORU

How to keep it

Renewable at the awarded amount with a 2.50 GPA for up to four years with full-time undergraduate enrollment.

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 Oral Roberts (ORU)'s published information.

  • Renewal ruleHonors Program — Fellows: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Must remain a member of the Honors Program in good standing and maintain a 3.5 GPA each year for the scholarship to continue. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Outside awardsGrant-first displacement = outside wins can pay the school

    Oral Roberts (ORU) reduces institutional grant before any other aid line when an outside award arrives. A $5,000 community-foundation win can leave the family bill unchanged.

What families often miss

  1. ORU's grid uses a sliding ladder: the $11,000 Tier 1 award needs a 3.00 college GPA to renew, Tier 2 needs 2.75, Tier 3 needs 2.50. A 4.0 high-school student who dips to a 2.9 in college loses the Tier 1 renewal.

  2. 'Students receiving NCAA Athletic Scholarships are not eligible for Quest Whole Leader Scholarships.'

  3. The full-tuition tier (only 15 awards) requires 'securing a nomination and taking the next step to submit a Quest Essay' — it does not happen automatically.

  4. It is an income-gated (<$100,000) pathway 'combining federal, state, and ORU aid' to reach up to 100% of TUITION only — room, board, and fees (about $13,740 of the $49,990 COA) are not covered.

  5. ORU warns: 'if you are awarded other institutional funds, your need-based grant may be reduced or canceled.'

  6. The up-to-$20,000/year Fellows application 'must be postmarked no later than February 1,' and the award continues only with a 3.5 GPA each year in the Honors Program.

  7. The single application for ORU's restricted scholarship funds is open only Feb 1-May 15 each year (several named funds share the May 15 deadline; Quest Entrepreneurship shows April 15 on one page — see conflict note).

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Solid-GPA students get predictable grid money; high achievers should chase a Quest nomination (15 full-tuition awards); National Merit Finalists get a defined $25,000 + room package; Oklahoma families under $100,000 income can target up-to-100%-tuition coverage.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $49,990 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Oral Roberts (ORU), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Oral Roberts (ORU), academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$21,894
$30,001–$48,000$22,022
$48,001–$75,000$22,902
$75,001–$110,000$27,269
$110,001+$30,514
All income levels (average)$25,365

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$35,470
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$25,365

That works out to roughly a 49% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $50,004 (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
57%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
80%
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)
$46,885
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
42%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
63%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

ORU's On Campus Need Grant is reduced when a student receives additional gift aid, including certain outside scholarships, with no stated cost cap; merit awards are not documented as being reduced the same way.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): The On Campus Need Grant is a limited institutional fund and will be reduced if you receive additional gift aid, including (but not limited to): State Grants (including Oklahoma's Promise credit hour increases), certain Outside Scholarships, ORU Departmental Scholarship, ORU Merit Scholarship, ORU Quest Whole Person Awards, ORU Talent Awards, ORU Restricted Scholarships, ORU Service Scholarships (APA, Ambassador, or Chaplain), ORU Leadership Awards (Student Association, Oracle, Yearbook, Worship Team). Funds may vary each academic year based on available University funding.

Source

Other Oral Roberts (ORU) scholarships worth checking

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

AmountUp to $5,300 annuallyEligibilityTexas students awarded a Texas state grant at another institution may be eligible for a matching ORU award; FAFSA code 003985

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFreshmen who are first-generation college students in their family

Details on a separate page not opened.

Source

AmountUp to $500 (one-time)EligibilityTuition paid for ORU Advantage dual-enrollment courses, for students enrolling full-time residential

One-time.

Source

AmountUp to $3,500EligibilityRecruited to competitive ORU Esports teams

Source

AmountUp to $2,000 (undergraduate, first year)EligibilityMember of an American Indian tribe with CDIB card, current FAFSA, demonstrated need

One-time grant; cannot be renewed.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityOne or both parents graduated from ORU (not available for online students)

Source

Amount50% off tuitionEligibilityStudents returning in 2023 or after with fewer than 15 credit hours remaining

Medical/military-leave students may appeal for original Quest award reinstatement.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityStudents with financial need; application open Feb 1-May 15; deadline May 15

One application covers multiple restricted funds.

Source

AmountUp to $15,000 graduation creditEligibilityEligible students; credit applied toward federal Stafford Loan and/or ORU Integrity Loan at graduation

A loan-buyback, not an upfront scholarship.

Source

Oral Roberts (ORU) merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    Honors Fellows: postmarked by February 1. Financial Aid Restricted Scholarship: application open February 1-May 15 (deadline May 15). Several restricted funds (Greer, Nyberg, Lesher, Behr, Quest Media) list May 15. The Quest Whole Leader Entrepreneurship Scholarship shows April 15 on the scholarships page but May 15 on the financial-aid landing page — confirm with the aid office. Grid academic scholarships have no posted application deadline (awarded at admission).

  • How much is the academic scholarship?

    Freshmen: $6,000 (2.00-2.49 GPA) up to $11,000 (4.0+ GPA) across five tiers; transfers: $6,000-$10,000 across four tiers. Renewal GPAs range 2.00-3.00 by tier.

  • What do National Merit Finalists get?

    A $25,000 Quest Whole Leader Scholarship, a full room award renewable for 4 years, and an automatic interview invitation for one of the 15 full-tuition Quest Scholarships.

  • What does ORU cost for 2026-27?

    The published estimate: tuition $36,250; housing $4,910; food & meal plans $6,650; general fee $1,320; technology fee $500; academic fee $360 — 'Estimated Annual Cost of Attendance' $49,990 (books/transport/personal not itemized in this table).

See sources and other schools

How Oral Roberts (ORU) compares

  • 19 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use grant-first displacement.

    Oral Roberts (ORU) is in the small minority (19 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • Grant-first displacement is the rarest published policy in our dataset.

    It also produces the worst family-dollar outcome on outside scholarships. Oral Roberts (ORU) sits in this small minority, so treat outside-award strategy here as conservatively as you would at a school with no published policy at all.

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

    Oral Roberts (ORU) 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 Oral Roberts (ORU)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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