Piedmont University · Georgia
Free Merit Check
DRAFT: Piedmont's named scholarships (Trustee, Presidential, Deans, Pride, Century) publish renewal GPAs and residency requirements but NOT dollar amounts — and most merit awards require living on campus, are split 50/50 between tuition and housing, and are capped at the cost of room, board, and tuition.
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Piedmont's own published policy, not generic advice.
Institutional aid at Piedmont cannot push the package past $53,548. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Most named scholarships (Trustee, Presidential, Deans, Pride, Century, Lion) require living in university housing. Students who move off campus only 'may qualify for a merit commuting scholarship' — there is no guarantee the original award value survives, and the award is posted 50% toward housing.
The Premier 'may provide up to the cost of tuition and will be reduced by any state and institutional aid a student receives' — it fills the gap to tuition rather than adding on top.
The page states 'Any scholarships above the cost of room, board, and tuition will be returned to the scholarship fund,' and the Lion Grant terms add that institutional aid cannot exceed the cost of tuition and total aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.
The Roaring Start Grant for Fall 2026 freshmen and transfers requires BOTH an enrollment deposit and a completed 2026-2027 FAFSA by May 1 — miss either and the automatic grant is lost.
Renewal GPAs differ sharply: Pride/Athens/Century 2.5, Deans 2.75, Presidential/Lion 3.0, Trustee/Premier 3.25. The Premier is removed after two consecutive semesters below 3.25.
Awards change if a student moves online, changes campuses, changes state residency, is accepted into nursing, or moves to the graduate level of a 3/2 program (e.g., Athletic Training). Online-only students get no institutional scholarships, and undergraduate scholarships cannot be applied toward master's-level coursework.
Neighborhood Grant recipients (25+, 16-county region, 50% tuition) 'are ineligible for other institutional scholarships and grants' — it cannot be combined with merit awards.
DRAFT: Students willing to live on campus at Demorest (most merit awards require it), Georgia valedictorians targeting the up-to-tuition Premier, and Piedmont dual-enrollment alumni who can add the $2,500 Lion Grant.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $53,548 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Piedmont, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
| Family income | Average net price paid |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $15,416 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $17,618 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $19,085 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $24,161 |
| $110,001+ | $25,622 |
| All income levels (average) | $20,599 |
That works out to roughly a 56% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $46,801 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
Rewards top academic applicants; number of recipients and amounts vary year to year; university housing required
Recipients must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher at the end of each semester; must live in university housing and be actively involved on campus.
Established by the Board of Trustees; no dollar amount or stat cutoffs published.
Number of recipients varies year to year; university housing required
Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each semester; live in university housing; active campus involvement.
Established by the Board of Trustees; no amount published.
Acceptance to Piedmont; first-time boarding freshman status the fall immediately after high school graduation; valedictorian of a HOPE-eligible Georgia high school; recipients selected by the scholarship committee
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 at the end of each semester; after two consecutive semesters below the required GPA, the scholarship is removed from the student's account.
Will be REDUCED by any state and institutional aid the student receives — it is a topping-up award, not a stacking one. Number of recipients and amount vary year to year.
Enrolled at Piedmont as a dual-enrolled student during high school; acceptance to Piedmont; first-time boarding freshman status; reside on the Demorest campus
Renewable as long as the student maintains a cumulative 3.0 GPA at Piedmont and resides on campus.
Stated as 'up to $2,500 per year.' Can stack on other academic and need-based aid, BUT institutional aid cannot exceed cost of tuition and total financial aid cannot exceed cost of attendance. Fall and spring semesters only.
First-time freshmen and transfer students enrolling Fall 2026 at the Demorest or Athens campus; deposited by May 1; completed 2026-2027 FAFSA by May 1
Renewal terms not stated on the page.
Automatically added to financial aid for students who meet the May 1 deposit + FAFSA deadlines — automatic on deadline compliance, not on stats.
Piedmont caps and channels its aid in several ways: any scholarships above the cost of room, board, and tuition are returned to the scholarship fund; institutional aid cannot exceed the cost of tuition (stated in the Lion Grant terms); total financial aid cannot exceed cost of attendance; the Premier Scholarship is reduced dollar-for-dollar by state and institutional aid; and residential merit scholarships are applied 50% to tuition and 50% to housing.
Page-level rules: 'Any scholarships above the cost of room, board, and tuition will be returned to the scholarship fund.' Lion Grant terms: 'Institutional aid cannot exceed cost of tuition. Total financial aid cannot exceed cost of attendance.' Premier: 'will be reduced by any state and institutional aid a student receives.' Additional-requirements section: residential merit scholarships post as 50% tuition / 50% housing; awards change if a student moves online, changes campuses, changes state residency, enters nursing, or moves to the graduate phase of a 3/2 program; students who move off campus 'may qualify for a merit commuting scholarship.' Treatment of private outside scholarships is not specifically addressed.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA each semester.
Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA, on-campus residence, and continued campus/community involvement.
Renewal requires minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA each semester.
Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA each semester.
Established by the President of Piedmont University.
Recipients are INELIGIBLE for other institutional scholarships and grants; nursing and online students excluded; funds limited.
Students who exhibit no need may not qualify in future years; satisfactory academic progress required.
Pro-rated if the RA moves off campus mid-semester or leaves the role.
Awarded annually pending funding.
For the Roaring Start Grant (Fall 2026 freshmen and transfers at Demorest or Athens), students must be deposited AND have a completed 2026-2027 FAFSA by May 1. Other named scholarships have no published deadlines; recipients are selected by committee at admission.
Piedmont does not publish dollar amounts for the Trustee, Presidential, Deans, Pride, Century, or Athens scholarships — amounts and recipient counts 'vary from year to year.' Published figures: Lion Grant up to $2,500/year, Premier up to the cost of tuition (reduced by other aid), Neighborhood Grant 50% of tuition.
Most merit scholarships require living in university housing and active campus involvement, and are posted 50% to tuition / 50% to housing. Students who move off campus may qualify only for a (different) merit commuting scholarship.
Pride/Athens/Century: 2.5 cumulative. Deans: 2.75. Presidential and Lion Grant: 3.0. Trustee and Premier: 3.25 (Premier is removed after two consecutive semesters below the line).
Demorest undergraduate tuition is $16,526/semester ($33,052/year) plus a $270/semester technology fee; housing runs $7,500–$9,400/year and meal plans $4,800–$6,800/year. The official 2026-27 cost of attendance for a Demorest on-campus student totals $53,548 including books, transportation, and personal expenses.
Piedmont is in a recognizable cluster (241 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Piedmont 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.
Every claim is checked against Piedmont’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
