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Radford University · Virginia

Radford Merit Aid

Radford auto-considers on-time applicants (no separate application) for a tiered set of named, tuition-only merit awards (Excellence/Wayfinder/Compass) with separate, higher out-of-state amounts and a low 2.5 renewal GPA.

Verified Jun 20268 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers5See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK

Common merit-aid mistakes at Radford

  1. All freshman tiers are stated as 'up to' a ceiling (or a range), with no published GPA/test grid — the actual amount is determined by the university.

  2. If the full amount is not allocated to tuition and mandatory fees, the remainder is not refunded and does not roll over to future terms — these are tuition/fee-only awards, not a full ride.

  3. Other tuition-specific awards (military tuition stipend, Academic Common Market) reduce the merit scholarship.

  4. Students who fall below 12 credit hours at any time will have their scholarship revoked.

  5. Renewal requires a cumulative 2.5 GPA (2.8 for Transfer Excellence) and good judicial standing after the first year and each semester thereafter.

  6. Only freshmen who apply by Feb. 1 and transfers who apply by March 1 are automatically considered for institutional merit scholarships.

Who this school is for

Admitted students who apply on time (freshmen by Feb. 1, transfers by March 1); out-of-state students get markedly larger award ceilings. Awards are 'up to' amounts with no published GPA/test grid.

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.

Up to $4,000…Up to $4,000 (in-state) / Up to $8,000 (out-of-state)

Radford Excellence Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Incoming freshman students. Auto-considered with no separate application if the admission application is submitted by Feb. 1.

Renewal terms

Up to eight consecutive semesters. After the first academic year, and each semester thereafter, must achieve a cumulative 2.5 GPA (4.0 scale) and remain in good judicial standing. Must complete at least 12 credit hours each semester or the scholarship is revoked.

Notes

Applied toward tuition and mandatory fees only. Reduced by other tuition-specific awards (e.g., military tuition stipend, Academic Common Market). If the full amount is not allocated to tuition/fees, the remainder is NOT refunded and does not roll over. Amounts are 'up to' ceilings — no published stat grid.

Source

$1,000-$2,000…$1,000-$2,000 (in-state) / Up to $8,000 (out-of-state)

Wayfinder Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Incoming freshman and transfer students; auto-considered (no separate application) if applied on time.

Renewal terms

New freshmen: up to eight consecutive semesters. Transfers: up to four consecutive semesters. After year one and each semester thereafter, cumulative 2.5 GPA and good judicial standing required; must complete 12+ credits/semester or scholarship revoked.

Notes

Tuition and mandatory fees only; reduced by other tuition-specific awards; unused amount not refunded and does not roll over.

Source

Up to $1,000…Up to $1,000 (in-state) / Up to $7,000 (out-of-state)

Compass Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Incoming freshman and transfer students; auto-considered (no separate application) if applied on time.

Renewal terms

New freshmen: up to eight consecutive semesters. Transfers: up to four. Cumulative 2.5 GPA and good judicial standing after year one; 12+ credits/semester or revoked.

Notes

Tuition and mandatory fees only; reduced by other tuition-specific awards; unused amount not refunded and does not roll over.

Source

$1,000-$2,000…$1,000-$2,000 (in-state) / $7,000-$10,000 (out-of-state)

Transfer Excellence Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Transfer students with excellent academic standards on all attempted college courses. All completed application materials must be received by Admissions by March 1.

Renewal terms

Up to four consecutive semesters. After year one and each semester thereafter, cumulative 2.8 GPA and good judicial standing required; 12+ credits/semester or revoked.

Notes

Tuition and mandatory fees only; reduced by other tuition-specific awards; unused amount not refunded. Note the HIGHER 2.8 renewal GPA vs. 2.5 for the freshman tiers.

Source

$3,000 (in-state)

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable
View requirements
Eligibility

Transfer students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa with high academic success; all completed application materials received by Admissions by March 1.

Renewal terms

Up to four consecutive semesters if renewal criteria are met.

Notes

Page states $3,000 per academic year for Virginia residents/in-state-eligible students; no out-of-state amount published for this award.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

Institutional merit scholarships are applied only to tuition and mandatory fees. Other tuition-specific awards (e.g., military tuition stipend, Academic Common Market) reduce the merit award. Any portion not used for tuition/fees is not refunded and does not roll over. A residency change to in-state reduces the award amount.

These are tuition/fee-restricted (effectively last-dollar against tuition) awards. The page does not address how private OUTSIDE scholarships interact; the displacement language is specific to other tuition benefits (military stipend, Academic Common Market) and residency.

Source

Lesser-known scholarships at Radford

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

AmountTuition (need-based program, not merit)EligibilityReferenced for FAFSA filers; complete FAFSA by March 1 for grant programs and the Radford Tuition Promise.

Mentioned on the aid-types page; verify details on the dedicated Tuition Promise page.

Source

Radford merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate scholarship application?

    No. New freshman applicants who apply by Feb. 1 and transfer applicants who apply by March 1 are automatically considered for institutional merit-based scholarships; no additional application is required.

  • What is the renewal GPA?

    A cumulative 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (2.8 for the Transfer Excellence Scholarship), plus good judicial standing, checked after the first academic year and each semester thereafter.

  • When must I confirm enrollment to keep my scholarship?

    Confirm attendance per your admission letter — new freshmen by May 1, incoming transfers by June 1.

  • What is the FAFSA deadline?

    Submit the FAFSA by March 1 to be considered for grant programs and the Radford Tuition Promise; FAFSAs received after March 1 are still reviewed for grant programs.

How Radford compares across our verified dataset

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

    Radford 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.

    Radford 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 Radford’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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