Skip to content

Point Loma Nazarene University · California

Point Loma Nazarene scholarships and merit aid

PLNU's six-tier freshman merit grid is automatic on admission — $12,000 to $24,000 per year, earned by meeting any 2 of 3 GPA/test thresholds, with no separate scholarship application.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is Point Loma Nazarene worth a closer look?

Point Loma Nazarene awards automatic merit on admission. Point Loma Nazarene does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers109 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards37%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

Free Merit Check

See what Point Loma Nazarene's published rules mean for your student. Takes 30 seconds.

Checking merit aid at Point Loma Nazarene

We’ll email you this result and a few short merit-aid pointers. We store score ranges only, never your student’s name. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.

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.

$24,000 per year

President's Gold Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.95
SAT
SAT ≥ 1430
ACT
ACT ≥ 32
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 4.40. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Academic scholarships are offered for an initial two-year period and, subject to maintaining renewal criteria, can be received for a maximum of eight (8) semesters. Continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester) is required, and renewal is based on cumulative GPA; once lost, an academic scholarship cannot be regained. The page publishes a per-tier renewal-GPA grid; the exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier should be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Awarded automatically by the admissions office based on the transcript after admission; no separate scholarship application. Top tier of the six-level freshman merit grid (for freshmen starting fall 2026 to spring 2027).

Source

$21,000 per year

President's Green Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.90
SAT
SAT ≥ 1400
ACT
ACT ≥ 31
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 4.25. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to a cumulative-GPA renewal rule and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester). Exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Awarded automatically on the transcript at admission; no separate application.

Source

$18,000 per year

Trustee's Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.85
SAT
SAT ≥ 1370
ACT
ACT ≥ 30
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 4.00. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to a cumulative-GPA renewal rule and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester). Exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Awarded automatically on the transcript at admission; no separate application.

Source

$16,000 per year

Provost's Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.80
SAT
SAT ≥ 1340
ACT
ACT ≥ 29
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 3.90. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to a cumulative-GPA renewal rule and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester). Exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Awarded automatically on the transcript at admission; no separate application.

Source

$14,000 per year

Dean's Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.50
SAT
SAT ≥ 1280
ACT
ACT ≥ 27
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 3.75. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to a cumulative-GPA renewal rule and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester). Exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Awarded automatically on the transcript at admission; no separate application.

Source

$12,000 per year

Bresee Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Unweighted HS GPA ≥ 3.25
SAT
SAT ≥ 1180
ACT
ACT ≥ 24
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Weighted HS GPA ≥ 3.55. Student must meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.

How to keep it

Renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to a cumulative-GPA renewal rule and continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester). Exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Lowest tier of the freshman merit grid; awarded automatically on the transcript at admission, no separate application.

Source

$7,500 per year

Transfer Merit Scholarship (Tier 1)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA between 3.0 and 3.29
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

For transfer students; determined automatically from transfer coursework GPA.

How to keep it

Academic scholarships are renewable for a maximum of eight (8) semesters subject to maintaining renewal criteria and continuous full-time enrollment. Transfer-specific renewal GPA to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Transfer-student merit award; lowest of three transfer tiers.

Source

$10,000 per year

Transfer Merit Scholarship (Tier 2)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA between 3.3 and 3.59
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

For transfer students; determined automatically from transfer coursework GPA.

How to keep it

Renewable up to eight (8) semesters subject to maintaining renewal criteria and continuous full-time enrollment. Transfer-specific renewal GPA to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Middle of three transfer merit tiers.

Source

$12,500 per year

Transfer Merit Scholarship (Tier 3)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Transfer GPA 3.6 or higher
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

For transfer students; determined automatically from transfer coursework GPA.

How to keep it

Renewable up to eight (8) semesters subject to maintaining renewal criteria and continuous full-time enrollment. Transfer-specific renewal GPA to be confirmed (see Section C).

Notes

Top of three transfer merit tiers.

Source

Varies

Performance-Based Scholarships (Athletic, Music, Forensics)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Talent/performance evaluation by the relevant department (athletics, music, forensics). Not awarded on academic stats.

How to keep it

Renewal terms not stated on the scholarships page.

Notes

Amounts are not published on the merit page. Notably, these can stack with the academic merit grid: 'Performance awards may be combined with both academic and science honors scholarships.'

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 Point Loma Nazarene's published information.

  • Renewal rulePresident's Gold Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Academic scholarships are offered for an initial two-year period and, subject to maintaining renewal criteria, can be received for a maximum of eight (8) semesters. Continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester) is required, and renewal is based on cumulative GPA; once lost, an academic scholarship cannot be regained. The page publishes a per-tier renewal-GPA grid; the exact renewal cumulative GPA for this tier should be confirmed (see Section C). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $66,010 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Point Loma Nazarene cannot push the package past $66,010. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. You do not. 'Once students go through the admissions process and are accepted to PLNU, the admissions office evaluates their transcripts and determines what merit-based scholarship award they qualify for.' The grid award is automatic on admission.

  2. Each tier requires meeting 'any 2 of 3 criteria' — unweighted GPA, weighted GPA, and SAT/ACT. Hitting just the GPA or just the test score is not enough; you must satisfy two of the three at that tier.

  3. Awards are renewable up to eight (8) semesters but require continuous full-time enrollment (12+ units/semester) and a minimum cumulative GPA; 'Once lost, an academic scholarship cannot be regained.'

  4. 2026-27 tuition is $49,500/yr, but the residential first-year total cost of attendance is $66,010/yr once room ($8,900), board ($6,520), the general fee ($1,000), and dorm fund ($90) are added — and that total still excludes books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.

  5. PLNU adds outside awards only after verifying 'you have room in your Cost of Attendance/Budget' — i.e., your total aid cannot exceed the COA, so a large outside award could hit the COA cap.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students with a B+/A- or better academic record (unweighted 3.25+ or strong test scores) who want a large, predictable, automatic merit award at a Christian liberal-arts university in San Diego; performance athletes/musicians can stack performance awards on top.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $66,010 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Point Loma Nazarene, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$30,999
$30,001–$48,000$32,117
$48,001–$75,000$32,888
$75,001–$110,000$33,003
$110,001+$41,680
All income levels (average)$38,729

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$46,250
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$38,729

That works out to roughly a 36% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $60,488 (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
77%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$22,990 (~$244/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$63,998
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
13%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
53%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

PLNU's published rule is that performance-based awards (athletic, music, forensics) may be combined with the academic merit grid and with science honors scholarships. For OUTSIDE/third-party scholarships, PLNU does not state that they reduce institutional merit aid; instead recipients must report the award and PLNU verifies there is room in the Cost of Attendance/Budget before adding it to the offer — implying a COA-cap rather than a dollar-for-dollar displacement of institutional aid.

Academic + science honors + performance awards explicitly combine. Outside scholarships are added to the offer 'so that we can verify you have room in your Cost of Attendance/Budget to receive the funds.' The page does not say whether reaching the COA cap displaces institutional grant/merit aid or only self-help/need aid, so the precise displacement order is unconfirmed (see Section C).

Source

More school data

From the Point Loma Nazarene Common Data Set 2023-2024:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Point Loma Nazarene’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
37%of admitsget merit
Average award$14,210Covers ~22% of $66,010 cost of attendance

At Point Loma Nazarene, roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $14,210 — about 22% of total cost.

As filed in Point Loma Nazarene's CDS Section H2A: of 657 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 243 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $14,210. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 942 of 2,798, averaging $14,251. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit37%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$14,210Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024

Source: Common Data Set 2023-2024 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other Point Loma Nazarene scholarships worth checking

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

AmountVariesEligibilityStudents in the sciences (criteria not published on the merit page).

Referenced as a distinct award type that performance awards 'may be combined with.' Specific amounts/criteria not on the scholarships page; confirm with the science departments.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityMade available through various PLNU departments, offices, and alumni; criteria differ by fund.

PLNU lists approximately 300 endowed scholarship opportunities via its Endowed Scholarship List / Scholarship Finder. These are separate from the automatic merit grid and generally require a separate application.

Source

Point Loma Nazarene merit aid FAQ

  • Do I have to apply separately for PLNU's merit scholarships?

    No. The freshman merit grid ($12,000-$24,000/yr) is automatic: the admissions office evaluates your transcript after you're accepted and determines which tier you qualify for. Performance (athletic/music/forensics) and many endowed scholarships do require separate processes.

  • How do I qualify for a specific tier?

    Each tier lists three criteria (unweighted HS GPA, weighted HS GPA, and SAT/ACT) and you must 'meet any 2 of 3 criteria to qualify.' For example, President's Gold ($24,000) requires any two of: unweighted GPA ≥ 3.95, weighted GPA ≥ 4.40, SAT ≥ 1430 or ACT ≥ 32.

  • Can I combine a performance scholarship with the academic award?

    Yes. PLNU states 'Performance awards may be combined with both academic and science honors scholarships.'

  • How long does the scholarship last and what's required to renew?

    Academic scholarships start as a two-year award and can be received for a maximum of eight (8) semesters. You must stay enrolled full time (12+ units/semester) and maintain the required cumulative GPA; once lost, the scholarship cannot be regained. Confirm the exact renewal GPA for your tier with Student Financial Services.

See sources and other schools

How Point Loma Nazarene compares

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

    Point Loma Nazarene 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.

    Point Loma Nazarene 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 Point Loma Nazarene’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Point Loma Nazarene merit aid