Point· Renewal Rules
Keeping Point’s Merit Aid for Four Years
What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.
At a glance
- Renewable tiers
- 3 of 4
- One-time tiers
- 1
- Tiers with published renewal terms
- 3
- Renewal risk profile
- moderate
Renewal risk profile
Point's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.
- Founders Scholarship: 3.5 GPA
- Out-of-State Scholarship: 3.00 GPA
- Transfer Scholarship: 2.50 GPA
Renewal terms by tier
Founders Scholarship
Full tuition, fees, room and board (room & board covers 15-meal plan)Entry requirements: 3.5 in high school coursework GPA · 1310 (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math) SAT · 27 ACT
To keep it: Renewable based on a 3.5 cumulative GPA at Point for a maximum of four years.
Source: https://point.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/financial-aid/scholarships/
Out-of-State Scholarship
$2,500Entry requirements: 3.00 high school GPA (can be evaluated prior to graduation; final GPA also reviewed) GPA
To keep it: Renewable by maintaining a 3.00 GPA at Point University.
Source: https://point.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/financial-aid/scholarships/
Transfer Scholarship
$500Entry requirements: At least a 2.50 GPA from another institution GPA
To keep it: Renewable by maintaining a 2.50 GPA at Point University.
Source: https://point.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/financial-aid/scholarships/
How families lose this aid
- Assuming you can estimate your merit award before applying.
Point publishes no merit grid or amounts — 'scholarship amounts vary and are based on high-school/transfer GPA and SAT-I/ACT scores,' and determinations are only 'made the semester before your start date.' Families must ask admissions for their specific award.
- Treating the Founders Scholarship as guaranteed for qualified students.
It is 'available for two students each year' — meeting the 3.5 GPA / 1310 SAT / 27 ACT thresholds plus the essay only earns consideration. It also carries a steep 3.5 cumulative GPA renewal cliff, a four-year maximum, an on-campus living requirement, and covers only the 15-meal plan (students pay the difference for the 19-meal plan).
- Assuming a qualifying GPA guarantees the smaller named awards.
Nearly all are capped ('Maximum of four/five scholarships will be awarded each year'), so eligible students can still be shut out — apply early since awards are rolling.
- Missing renewal GPA requirements that differ by award.
Renewal GPAs range from 2.00 (First-Gen, DCE Transition, Legacy, Ministry) to 2.50 (Community Service, Transfer), 3.00 (Out-of-State, DCE Honors), and 3.50 (Founders) — losing the GPA means losing the award.
Renewal questions families ask
- When are scholarship decisions made?
- Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis, and 'determinations will be made the semester before your start date.' No fixed scholarship deadline is published on the scholarships page; endowed scholarship deadlines are emailed to traditional students each spring.
- How do I get Point's merit scholarship?
- All applicants are automatically considered when they complete the regular admission process — no separate application. Amounts vary by GPA and SAT/ACT and are not published.
- What is the biggest scholarship at Point?
- The Founders Scholarship — full tuition, fees, room and board (15-meal plan) — for two incoming first-year students per year with a 3.5 high school GPA, 1310 SAT or 27 ACT, an essay, and on-campus residency; renewable at a 3.5 cumulative GPA for up to four years.
- What does Point cost for 2026-27?
- Traditional undergraduate block tuition (12-18 hours) is $11,750/semester ($23,500/year), plus a $750/semester Student Services Fee, room from $2,040-$2,935/semester, and board from $890-$2,550/semester. Books and special course fees are extra; no full COA total is published.
Rules that bite at Point
The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Point's own tier rules and not generic advice.
- renewalFounders Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable based on a 3.5 cumulative GPA at Point for a maximum of four years. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
How Point compares across our verified dataset
- 69 of 751 verified schools publish a top renewal tier requiring 3.5+ GPA or major-GPA gating.
Point is one of them. Calibrate year-one academic load against the renewal floor, not just freshman survival.
- 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Point 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 renewal claim is checked against Point’s own published materials.