Providence merit is competitive, not automatic — only about 30% of admitted students get an Academic Tuition Scholarship (~$25,000, ~3.8 GPA), while the Roddy award (pre-health, U.S. residents only) covers up to tuition, fees, housing AND food.
Verified Jul 20262 months ago
The short answer
Is Providence worth a closer look?
Providence may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.
Merit tiers6See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards9%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
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.
Approximately $25,000 per year…Approximately $25,000 per year (average)
Academic Tuition Scholarship
Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Close to an A average (~3.8/4.0 unweighted, recalculated) and exhausted curriculum available at school
See who qualifies and how to keep it+
Who qualifies
Awarded by the Office of Admission to ~30% of admitted students, solely on academic credentials; no separate application; no FAFSA/CSS required
How to keep it
Renewable for four years provided students meet the GPA and academic progress requirements (specific renewal GPA not published — needs_confirmation).
Notes
Competitive (not automatic from a stat grid); ~30% of admits receive it. The stated GPA is a competitive minimum, not a guarantee.
Up to tuition…Up to tuition, fees, housing and food costs (near-full-cost)
Roddy Scholarship
Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies+
Who qualifies
Must aspire to a career in the medical profession with plans for medical/dental/optometry graduate school; outstanding HS academic achievement; first-year students only; U.S. residents only; no separate application
How to keep it
Renewal terms not published; needs_confirmation.
Notes
The closest thing to a full ride at PC, but gated to U.S. residents on a pre-health track; only one such scholarship.
Significant commitment to community service + proven involvement + strong HS academic record; declared major in Public and Community Service Studies; faculty-selected
Full tuition…Full tuition (plus full demonstrated financial need met)
Cristo Rey Scholarship
Apply separately
See who qualifies+
Who qualifies
Graduates of high schools affiliated with the Cristo Rey Network; awarded by Office of Admission at conclusion of Regular Decision; one per Cristo Rey school; encouraged to complete financial aid applications
Notes
Full-tuition value with full demonstrated need met; school-network exclusivity.
Per the Office of Financial Aid, Providence College, August 2026. How we verify
Handling of outside scholarships
How does Providence College treat scholarships won outside the college?
Outside scholarships are handled differently than school-based scholarships and need-based aid.
“Outside scholarships (from outside the college) are handled differently than school-based scholarships and need-based aid.”
Merit scholarship review process
How is a student's application reviewed for merit scholarships?
A student's application is reviewed for Providence College-based merit scholarships, and families should contact the Office of Admission about the merit scholarship threshold.
“A student's application is reviewed for Providence College-based merit scholarships. You may want to reach out directly to the Office of Admission to discuss the threshold for merit scholarships.”
Order of merit and need-based aid review
When is a student reviewed for need-based aid relative to merit aid?
After a student is offered a merit scholarship, their application is reviewed for need-based aid, provided they filed the FAFSA and CSS Profile before the deadline.
“After a student is offered a merit scholarship, their applications will be reviewed for need-based aid if they filed the FAFSA and CSS Profile before the deadline.”
Outside scholarship impact on need-based aid
Can an outside scholarship reduce need-based financial aid?
Depending on the amount of need-based aid a student receives, an outside scholarship could affect their need-based eligibility if it exceeds their level of need.
“Depending on the amount of need-based aid a student receives from the college, an outside scholarship could affect their need-based eligibility.”
Policy document on outside scholarships
Where can a family find the policy on how outside scholarships affect aid?
The email provides a link to a document explaining how aid is reduced when an outside scholarship exceeds the student's level of need, under the 'Impact on Eligibility' section.
“Here is the link to our college's policy on how aid would be reduced if a student receives an outside scholarship that exceeds their level of need. Here is a link to a document that covers outside scholarship information: https://financial-aid.providence.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/07/rba13-donor_faq.pdf. Please scroll down to the "Impact on Eligibility" section for more information.”
What families often miss
Merit is competitive — only ~30% of admitted students receive an Academic Tuition Scholarship, and the ~3.8 GPA / exhausted-curriculum profile is described as a competitive minimum, NOT a guarantee.
Roddy covers up to tuition, fees, housing and food but is limited to first-year students who RESIDE IN THE U.S. and aspire to a medical/dental/optometry career — a residency + pre-health gate on the near-full-cost award.
Scholarships are 'renewable for four years provided students meet the GPA and academic progress requirements,' but the specific renewal GPA is not published — confirm with the aid office (needs_confirmation).
Outside scholarships (including tuition benefits) are treated as need-based and applied to unmet need first; if aid must be adjusted, loans are reduced first, then work study, then institutional aid — and outside awards never replace the family contribution.
The Academic Tuition Scholarship 'averages approximately $25,000 per year' — individual awards vary around that figure.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Top-of-class applicants (close to an A average / ~3.8) competing for the ~$25,000 Academic Tuition Scholarship; pre-health (med/dental/optometry-bound) U.S. residents for the near-full-cost Roddy award; and Cristo Rey Network graduates for a full-tuition scholarship.
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Providence, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Providence, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$28,152
$30,001–$48,000
$21,835
$48,001–$75,000
$25,296
$75,001–$110,000
$33,169
$110,001+
$56,699
All income levels (average)
$48,523
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$80,466
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$63,550
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$48,523
That works out to an average 40% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
86%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
94%
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)
$87,054
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
13%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
62%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
Outside scholarships (including tuition benefits) are treated as need-based and applied against unmet need first. If an adjustment is needed, the reduction begins with the least-beneficial monies: loans are reduced/reallocated first, then work study, then institutional assistance only if necessary. Outside scholarships do not replace the family contribution.
From the Other Scholarships page. NOTE: the publicly accessible pages describe a loan-first favorable order; they do NOT state a 'tuition-designated outside award reduces merit to keep merit+outside under tuition' rule or a blanket 'donor/endowed replace, not supplement' rule — those were not found on the pages opened and should be confirmed with the aid office / the Donor-Endowed & Outside Scholarship FAQ PDF.
From the Providence Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated figures):
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Providence’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
9%of admitsget merit
Average award$26,118
At Providence, roughly 1 in 11 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $26,118.
As filed in Providence's CDS Section H2A: of 1,222 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 110 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $26,118. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 299 of 4,483, averaging $25,678. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
The 2024-2025 column is marked "estimated" in the school's own CDS filing — school-projected figures, not final audited counts.
Receive institutional merit9%First-year students, Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
Average merit award$26,118Across recipients, Common Data Set 2024-2025 (school-estimated)
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
AmountFull tuition (four years)EligibilityStudents attending high school in the greater NY metro area (incl. parts of CT and NJ); considers financial need, academics, leadership, interest in PC
Automatic consideration; financial aid forms required
Do I need to file the FAFSA to get a merit scholarship?
No. The institutional merit scholarships are offered and determined by the Office of Admission at the time of admission, with no FAFSA or CSS Profile required (though Cristo Rey and need-linked awards encourage filing aid forms).
What GPA makes me competitive for a merit scholarship?
Recipients typically have exhausted their school's curriculum and earned close to an A average (about 3.8 unweighted, recalculated). This is a competitive minimum, not a guarantee — only about 30% of admitted students receive merit.
How are outside scholarships handled?
They are applied against unmet need first; if your aid must be adjusted, loans are reduced first, then work study, then institutional assistance. Outside scholarships do not replace your family contribution. You must report outside awards in writing to the Office of Financial Aid.
See sources and other schools+
How Providence compares
145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
Providence is in a recognizable cluster (145 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.
Providence 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 Providence’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
