The starting point
DRAFT: RWU's 2026-27 merit scholarships run $18,000-$24,000 with an unusually friendly renewal rule — good standing only, 'no higher GPA requirement' — plus a $1,000 yearly Academic Excellence bonus for a 3.6 GPA and a $1,500 Travel Grant for non-Northeast students.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 7 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Academic Excellence Award
$1,000 · Published amount
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Minimum overall 3.6 GPA or higher at the end of the academic year (earned at RWU)
Eligibility: Excluded for students on full or near-full tuition scholarships (Tuition Remission, Tuition Exchange, CIC, Harold Payson, Bristol Memorial, Michael Andrade, Portsmouth HS, ILA Program & Scholarship)
Renewal: Can be earned at the conclusion of each academic year in which a 3.6 GPA is earned; applies to the following year's tuition.
https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/admission-aid/financial-aid/types-aid/new-student-awards-and-endowed-scholarships
Merit Scholarships (first-year, 2026-27)
$18,000-$24,000 · Published range
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: All applicants considered, no separate application; awards 'recognize what students have accomplished in their learning prior to enrolling' — no published GPA/test grid
Renewal: Renew all four years with good standing at the university — 'no higher GPA requirement exists to keep their award.'
Other terms: Range only; no tier grid published — do not invent cutoffs.
https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/admission-aid/financial-aid/types-aid/new-student-awards-and-endowed-scholarships
RWU Transfer Merit Scholarship (2026-27)
$18,000-$24,000 · Published range
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
Eligibility: All transfer applicants considered automatically; 'primarily determined by the college GPA' (no grid published)
Renewal: Renews up to four years with good standing and full-time bachelor's enrollment; no higher GPA requirement.
https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/admission-aid/financial-aid/types-aid/new-student-awards-and-endowed-scholarships
Ask before you decide
- Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
- What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
- How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?
Recorded stacking policy: RWU publishes an explicit outside-scholarship order: outside money fills unmet need first; if there is no unmet need, RWU reduces federal work-study first, then loans, and grant money last. Several add-on awards (Academic Excellence, Travel Grant) explicitly do NOT stack with full/near-full tuition scholarships, and the Onward We Learn award is capped at COA.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
