Randolph College Merit Aid

1. Assuming the Presidential Scholarship stacks on top of other Randolph aid.+

   The application page states it is "a tuition-only scholarship which replaces all other institutional scholarships and grants offered by Randolph College." Winning it means giving up the WildCat Commitment and every other Randolph scholarship/grant — it is full tuition, not full tuition plus.

2. Treating the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship as a full ride.+

   It is explicitly tuition-only. Housing and food ($12,990 in 2025-26; LEAP page lists $13,250 housing/food), technology, activity, and insurance fees are not covered.

3. Skipping the FAFSA and losing the guaranteed WildCat Commitment.+

   The $14,000 first-year minimum (and $10,000 transfer minimum) applies to students 'who file the FAFSA.' The scholarships page also lists a $1,000 FAFSA Filing Grant included in the WildCat Commitment. No FAFSA, no guarantee.

4. Assuming WildCat dollar amounts are locked for four years.+

   Every WildCat Commitment chart carries the footnote "*Subject to annual tuition, housing and food increases," and renewal of awards requires maintaining "satisfactory progress toward your Randolph College degree" — the pages do not publish a specific renewal GPA.

5. Expecting the smaller named scholarships to be available after enrollment.+

   The scholarships page warns: "Many of the above scholarships are only awarded to incoming students." Current students must contact the financial aid office.

6. Local (LEAP) families assuming the discounted rate is automatic and covers everything.+

   The $17,300 first-year LEAP tuition cap applies only to students from Lynchburg City or Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and Nelson counties who file the FAFSA AND make an official campus visit; it excludes the ~$5,250 VTAG and does not discount the $13,250 housing and food charge.

7. International students using the domestic GPA chart.+

   The top WildCat add-on tier is 4.0+ GPA for domestic first-years but 3.75+ for international students — the charts are different.

8. Missing the Presidential Scholarship deadline window.+

   For fall 2026 entry the deadline was January 26, 2026 (winners announced week of March 1, 2026); the scholarships page says 2027 applications open November 2026 with a January 2027 deadline. This is an application-required competition — admission alone does not enter you.

9. Assuming SUPER STEM scholarships are pure merit with no strings.+

   SUPER requires majoring in science or mathematics, demonstrated financial need via an annually submitted FAFSA (for the additional scholarships), and 'Eligibility requirements will continue throughout the four years of College including participation in beneficial program activities, GPA minimum, choice of major, and submission of FAFSA.'

Strong-GPA students who file the FAFSA do best here — a 4.0 GPA maximizes the WildCat Commitment add-on, and a 3.80+ weighted GPA opens the door to the competitive full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. Local students from Lynchburg and five surrounding counties can access a steeply discounted LEAP tuition rate.

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.

The only stacking rule published on the pages reviewed concerns the Presidential Scholarship: it is tuition-only and replaces ALL other institutional scholarships and grants from Randolph College. The WildCat Commitment is itself described as a combination of merit scholarships, need-based grants, and other incentives, and the smaller named awards (Alumni Referral, Campus Visit Grant, FAFSA Filing Grant, etc.) are listed alongside it without an explicit combination rule. How outside/private scholarships are treated is not stated anywhere on the pages reviewed.

Presidential Scholarship: "a tuition-only scholarship which replaces all other institutional scholarships and grants offered by Randolph College." No published policy was found on outside-scholarship displacement, COA caps, or loan-first/grant-first reduction order. The financial-aid Policies page only links to the Academic Catalog and federal policy documents.

Source

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

• What is the Presidential Scholarship deadline?

  For students entering fall 2026, the submission deadline was January 26, 2026, with winners announced the week of March 1, 2026. The scholarships page states 2027 Presidential Applications will open November 2026 with a submission deadline of January 2027 and winners announced March 2027.

• Is the Presidential Scholarship a full ride?

  No. Randolph states it is "a tuition-only scholarship which replaces all other institutional scholarships and grants offered by Randolph College." Housing, food, and fees are not covered.

• Do I have to apply separately for the WildCat Commitment?

  No separate scholarship application is described. Every first-year student who files the FAFSA receives at least $14,000, and the GPA-based add-on ($2,000-$5,000 for GPAs of 3.0 to 4.0+) is awarded from your GPA. Filing the FAFSA is the stated condition for domestic students.

• What do transfer students get?

  Every transfer student who files the FAFSA receives at least $10,000; the GPA chart awards $12,000 for a 3.5+, $11,000 for 3.2-3.49, and $10,000 for 3.2 or below, and Virginia-resident transfers can receive an additional $2,000. NVCC transfers can get a $2,000-$3,000 grant, VCCS (Central Virginia CC or Germanna CC) transfers $2,000, and Phi Theta Kappa members $2,000.

• Are scholarships renewable?

  The scholarships page states: "If you maintain satisfactory progress toward your Randolph College degree, your awards will be renewed for your second, third, and fourth year." No specific renewal GPA is published; WildCat charts note amounts are "Subject to annual tuition, housing and food increases."

• How are outside (private) scholarships treated?

  Randolph's pages encourage students to pursue outside scholarships and even match the Lynchburg Beacon of Hope $1,000 award, but no policy on whether outside scholarships reduce institutional or need-based aid was published on the pages reviewed. Ask the financial aid office directly (434-947-8128).

• What does Randolph College cost?

  For 2025-2026, published direct costs were $44,736 (tuition $30,670; housing and food $12,990; technology fee $560; activity fee $360; accident insurance $156). The LEAP page lists 2026-2027 tuition alone at $32,300. A full 2026-2027 direct-cost total had not been published on the tuition page as of June 7, 2026.

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• Lynchburg merit aid — Virginia private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Virginia Wesleyan University merit aid — Virginia private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

• Randolph College scholarship stacking — Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
• Does Randolph College displace outside scholarships? — The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.
• Randolph College four-year renewal rules — GPA floors, credit-hour pace, and the renewal cliffs that knock awards out by sophomore year.