How much merit aid can a freshman get?

Up to $10,000 per year: a base award of $1,000-$5,000 from high school GPA plus a booster of $1,000-$5,000 from SAT/ACT/CLT scores. Regent advertises freshman merit-based scholarships at 'up to $40,000 value' (four-year total).

How do merit scholarships renew?

'A student's merit scholarship is automatically renewed each academic year if the minimum cumulative GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status. GPA requirements vary by scholarship and can be found in the student's Financial Aid account under Offer.'

Is there merit aid for transfer students?

Yes — Transfer Merit Scholarships based on cumulative GPA at admission: Chancellors $7,000 (3.75-4.0), Trustees $6,000 (3.5-3.74), Presidents $5,000 (3.0-3.49), Achievement $2,500 (2.50-2.99). Updated GPAs/test scores received before July 1 can be used for re-evaluation by student-initiated appeal.

Regent· Renewal Rules

Keeping Regent’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.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 8 of 9
One-time tiers: 1
Tiers with published renewal terms: 8
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Regent'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.

Freshman Base Merit Awards: See notes
Freshman Booster Merit Awards: See notes
Transfer Merit Scholarships: See notes
National Merit Finalist Scholarship (National Merit Competition Scholarship): 3.3 GPA
National Merit Semi-finalist Scholarship (National Merit Competition Scholarship): 3.0 GPA
Honors College Scholarship: 3.0 GPA
NCFCA Scholarship: 3.5 GPA
Freedom Scholarship: 2.33 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

Freshman Base Merit Awards
$1,000-$5,000
Entry requirements: 0.00-4.00+ (tiered: Chancellors 4.00+, Trustees 3.80-3.99, Presidents 3.40-3.79, Achievement 3.00-3.39, Royals 0.00-2.99) GPA
To keep it: A student's merit scholarship is automatically renewed each academic year if the minimum cumulative GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status. GPA requirements vary by scholarship and can be found in the student's Financial Aid account under Offer.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/
Freshman Booster Merit Awards
$1,000-$5,000
Entry requirements: Tiered: 1300+ ($5,000), 1200-1290 ($4,000), 1050-1190 ($3,000), 950-1040 ($2,000), 0-940 ($1,000) SAT · Tiered: 28+ ($5,000), 25-27 ($4,000), 21-24 ($3,000), 18-20 ($2,000), 0-17 ($1,000) ACT
To keep it: A student's merit scholarship is automatically renewed each academic year if the minimum cumulative GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status. GPA requirements vary by scholarship and can be found in the student's Financial Aid account under Offer.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/
Transfer Merit Scholarships
$2,500-$7,000
Entry requirements: Cumulative GPA at admission, tiered: Chancellors 3.75-4.0 ($7,000), Trustees 3.5-3.74 ($6,000), Presidents 3.0-3.49 ($5,000), Achievement 2.50-2.99 ($2,500) GPA
To keep it: Renewal terms specific to transfer merit are not stated on the transfer page; general merit renewal language on the freshman page requires minimum cumulative GPA and on-campus enrollment status.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/transfer-student/scholarships-aid/
National Merit Finalist Scholarship (National Merit Competition Scholarship)
100% tuition
To keep it: These scholarships will automatically renew each academic year if the minimum cumulative 3.3 GPA requirement for the National Merit Finalist Scholarship ... is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/
National Merit Semi-finalist Scholarship (National Merit Competition Scholarship)
$10,000
To keep it: These scholarships will automatically renew each academic year if ... a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA requirement for the National Merit Semi-finalist Scholarship is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/
Honors College Scholarship
$2,000
Entry requirements: 3.7 minimum high school GPA to apply GPA
To keep it: This scholarship will automatically renew each academic year if the minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status and remains in good standing with Honors College co-curricular requirements.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/honors-college/honors-college-scholarships/
NCFCA Scholarship
50% tuition
To keep it: This scholarship will automatically renew each academic year if the minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/
Freedom Scholarship
$10,000 ($5,000/year for first two years, housing only)
To keep it: This scholarship will automatically renew each academic year if the minimum cumulative 2.33 GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status.
Source: https://www.regent.edu/incoming-freshman/scholarships-aid/

How families lose this aid

Treating the National Merit Finalist '100% tuition scholarship' as a full ride.
The page explicitly notes: 'These scholarships do not apply to fees or student housing.' Fees ($900/semester University Services Fee), housing, and food remain the family's responsibility.
Missing award-specific renewal GPA cliffs or leaving on-campus enrollment.
Every institutional award requires maintained on-campus enrollment status, and renewal GPAs vary widely: NCFCA 3.5, National Merit Finalist 3.3, Honors College and National Merit Semi-finalist 3.0, Freedom 2.33, Homeschool/Private School/Legacy/GAP 2.0. Merit-grid renewal GPAs 'vary by scholarship' and are only shown in the student's Financial Aid account.
Assuming the Freedom Scholarship reduces tuition or lasts four years.
It 'can only be applied toward campus housing,' covers up to $5,000/year for the first two years only, and is limited to up to 10 students per year selected by essay committee (deadline May 1, 2026).
Counting on the Homeschool or Private School Scholarship beyond four years, or the Church Match renewing on its own.
The Homeschool and Private School Scholarships 'will not renew after the student has received the scholarship for 4 years,' and the Church Matching Grant 'does not automatically renew. A new application must be submitted to receive matching funds.'
Expecting merit aid to cover summer classes.
The page states merit award amounts 'are split between fall and spring semesters and are unavailable during the optional summer semester.'

Renewal questions families ask

How much merit aid can a freshman get?: Up to $10,000 per year: a base award of $1,000-$5,000 from high school GPA plus a booster of $1,000-$5,000 from SAT/ACT/CLT scores. Regent advertises freshman merit-based scholarships at 'up to $40,000 value' (four-year total).
How do merit scholarships renew?: 'A student's merit scholarship is automatically renewed each academic year if the minimum cumulative GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status. GPA requirements vary by scholarship and can be found in the student's Financial Aid account under Offer.'
Is there merit aid for transfer students?: Yes — Transfer Merit Scholarships based on cumulative GPA at admission: Chancellors $7,000 (3.75-4.0), Trustees $6,000 (3.5-3.74), Presidents $5,000 (3.0-3.49), Achievement $2,500 (2.50-2.99). Updated GPAs/test scores received before July 1 can be used for re-evaluation by student-initiated appeal.

Rules that bite at Regent

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Regent's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalNCFCA Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
This scholarship will automatically renew each academic year if the minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA requirement is met, and the student has maintained an on-campus enrollment status. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Regent compares across our verified dataset

69 of 751 verified schools publish a top renewal tier requiring 3.5+ GPA or major-GPA gating.
Regent 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.
Regent 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.
133 of 751 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Regent is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Regent’s own published materials.