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Piedmont University · Georgia

Piedmont Merit Aid

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.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK

Rules that bite at Piedmont

The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Piedmont's own published policy, not generic advice.

  • capHard $53,548 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Piedmont cannot push the package past $53,548. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Common merit-aid mistakes at Piedmont

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Neighborhood Grant recipients (25+, 16-county region, 50% tuition) 'are ineligible for other institutional scholarships and grants' — it cannot be combined with merit awards.

Who this school is for

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

Institutional merit aid tiers

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.

Amount not published

Trustee Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Rewards top academic applicants; number of recipients and amounts vary year to year; university housing required

Renewal terms

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.

Notes

Established by the Board of Trustees; no dollar amount or stat cutoffs published.

Source

Amount not published

Presidential Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Number of recipients varies year to year; university housing required

Renewal terms

Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of each semester; live in university housing; active campus involvement.

Notes

Established by the Board of Trustees; no amount published.

Source

Up to cost of tuition

Premier Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms

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.

Notes

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.

Source

$2,500

Lion Grant

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Enrolled at Piedmont as a dual-enrolled student during high school; acceptance to Piedmont; first-time boarding freshman status; reside on the Demorest campus

Renewal terms

Renewable as long as the student maintains a cumulative 3.0 GPA at Piedmont and resides on campus.

Notes

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.

Source

Amount not published

Roaring Start Grant

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

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

Renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

Automatically added to financial aid for students who meet the May 1 deposit + FAFSA deadlines — automatic on deadline compliance, not on stats.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

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.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Piedmont

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFull-time undergraduates attending the Athens Campus with active campus involvement.

Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA each semester.

Source

AmountAmount not published (varies with institutional resources)EligibilityUndergraduate boarding students with outstanding academic and extracurricular accomplishments.

Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA, on-campus residence, and continued campus/community involvement.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityUndergraduates living in campus housing with active campus involvement.

Renewal requires minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA each semester.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityUndergraduates living in university housing with active campus involvement.

Renewal requires 2.5 cumulative GPA each semester.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityStudents with a sibling attending Piedmont at the same time — both siblings are eligible.

Established by the President of Piedmont University.

Source

Amount50% of tuition (fall/spring; prorated summer)EligibilityStudents 25+ years old pursuing a first bachelor's degree at the Demorest campus, with permanent residence in Banks, Dawson, Elbert, Franklin, Forsyth, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, or White county; 6+ hours per semester.

Recipients are INELIGIBLE for other institutional scholarships and grants; nursing and online students excluded; funds limited.

Source

AmountVaries; adjusted each yearEligibilityStudents with unmet need per the U.S. Department of Education; valid FAFSA required each year.

Students who exhibit no need may not qualify in future years; satisfactory academic progress required.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityResident assistants employed by Residence Life.

Pro-rated if the RA moves off campus mid-semester or leaves the role.

Source

AmountVaries; pending availability of fundingEligibilityVarious donor-set criteria; see the university's endowed scholarship list (PDF).

Awarded annually pending funding.

Source

Piedmont merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    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.

  • How much are Piedmont's merit scholarships?

    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.

  • Do I have to live on campus to keep my scholarship?

    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.

  • What GPA do I need to renew?

    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).

  • What does Piedmont cost for 2026-27?

    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.

How Piedmont compares across our verified dataset

  • 160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Piedmont is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    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.

Sources used on this page

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

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