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Roger Williams scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

Roger Williams awards automatic merit on admission. Roger Williams does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
1 school source to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

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The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Merit Scholarships (first-year, 2026-27)$18,000-$24,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Merit Scholarships (first-year, 2026-27)

    $18,000-$24,000

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Merit Scholarships (first-year, 2026-27)

    Who qualifies

    All applicants considered, no separate application; awards 'recognize what students have accomplished in their learning prior to enrolling' — no published GPA/test grid

    How to keep it

    Renew all four years with good standing at the university — 'no higher GPA requirement exists to keep their award.'

    Worth knowing

    Range only; no tier grid published — do not invent cutoffs.

  2. RWU Transfer Merit Scholarship (2026-27)$18,000-$24,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    RWU Transfer Merit Scholarship (2026-27)

    $18,000-$24,000

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for RWU Transfer Merit Scholarship (2026-27)

    Who qualifies

    All transfer applicants considered automatically; 'primarily determined by the college GPA' (no grid published)

    How to keep it

    Renews up to four years with good standing and full-time bachelor's enrollment; no higher GPA requirement.

  3. Academic Excellence Award$1,000AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Academic Excellence Award

    $1,000

    Published amountAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Minimum overall 3.6 GPA or higher at the end of the academic year (earned at RWU)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Academic Excellence Award

    Who qualifies

    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)

    How to keep it

    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.

  4. RWU Travel Grant$1,500Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    RWU Travel Grant

    $1,500

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    Open award details for RWU Travel Grant

    Who qualifies

    Enrolled students from states outside the northeast U.S.; automatic for admitted students meeting the geographic criteria; in addition to merit scholarships; same full/near-full-tuition exclusions as the Academic Excellence Award

  5. Intercultural Leadership Ambassador (ILA) Scholarship95% of tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Intercultural Leadership Ambassador (ILA) Scholarship

    95% of tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Minimum 3.0/4.0
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Intercultural Leadership Ambassador (ILA) Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    High demonstrated need (FAFSA); demonstrated leadership; plus one of: first-generation, first language other than English / non-English-primary home, under-resourced community, or geographically underrepresented community. All applicants automatically considered.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for four consecutive years of residential, full-time undergraduate study.

    Worth knowing

    95% of TUITION (not COA) for 2026-27; selective program; recipients are excluded from the Academic Excellence Award and Travel Grant.

  6. RWU International Merit ScholarshipUp to 50% of standard tuition, housing, and mealsNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    RWU International Merit Scholarship

    Up to 50% of standard tuition, housing, and meals

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for RWU International Merit Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Accepted international applicants are guaranteed a scholarship; no separate application

    How to keep it

    Annual and renewable.

    Worth knowing

    Greek citizens graduating from Greek secondary schools may add the Greek Student Scholar Award (up to $5,000, need+merit, by request via the financial aid appeal form).

  7. Local full-tuition endowed scholarships (Harold Payson / Bristol Fire & Police Memorial / Michael Andrade / Portsmouth HS)Full tuition (Andrade & Portsmouth: full tuition and fees)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Local full-tuition endowed scholarships (Harold Payson / Bristol Fire & Police Memorial / Michael Andrade / Portsmouth HS)

    Full tuition (Andrade & Portsmouth: full tuition and fees)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Portsmouth HS: minimum 3.0 GPA and combined SAT of at least 1170; Andrade (Mount Hope HS): minimum B average
    SAT
    Portsmouth HS: 1170 combined
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Local full-tuition endowed scholarships (Harold Payson / Bristol Fire & Police Memorial / Michael Andrade / Portsmouth HS)

    Who qualifies

    Residency/affiliation gates: Payson (Bristol RI, no prior college); Bristol Fire/Police Memorial (2+ years Bristol residency + parent/grandparent in the department); Andrade (Mount Hope HS graduate, preference for construction management/engineering/architecture); Portsmouth (Portsmouth HS RI graduate, US citizen/PR). Application deadline February 1 via online endowed scholarship forms.

    How to keep it

    Four-year awards. Portsmouth HS renewal: maintain a minimum RWU GPA of 3.0 and five hours of community service to the Portsmouth School District. Bristol awards require full-time status and SAP per the catalog.

    Worth knowing

    Awarded annually; 'In a year where there is no qualified candidate as determined by the Award Committee, there shall be no award of the scholarship for such year.'

Lights up against Roger Williams's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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  • “it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa

The fine print

Renewal ruleRWU Transfer Merit Scholarship (2026-27): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Renews up to four years with good standing and full-time bachelor's enrollment; no higher GPA requirement. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes Roger Williams different

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.

Merit tiers71 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Roger Williams's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What Roger Williams's aid office says

Per the Financial Aid Office, Roger Williams University, August 2026. How we verify

GPA required to keep Merit Scholarship

What GPA does he need to keep a merit scholarship after the first year?

The GPA requirement for the Merit Scholarship is tied to Satisfactory Academic Progress, which requires full-time enrollment and a 2.0 GPA.

“The GPA for the Merit Scholarship is just keeping up with Satisfactory Academic Progress which is being a full-time student and having a GPA of a 2.0.”
Process if not meeting GPA requirement

What happens if a student falls below the required GPA?

If not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student is notified and given a chance to improve; if still not meeting it, they must create a plan with Advising before the scholarship is taken away.

“If a student is not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, they would be notified that they are not meeting the requirement and why. They would then be given an opportunity to bring that up to where is needs to be. If the student is still not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, they would then have to put together a plan with Advising before any add would be taken away.”
Plan required if still not meeting progress

What happens if the GPA is still not met after being notified?

If the student is still not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress after being notified, they must put together a plan with Advising before any aid would be taken away.

“If the student is still not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, they would then have to put together a plan with Advising before any add would be taken away.”
Type of GPA used

Is the GPA used for scholarships cumulative or per-semester?

The GPA used is cumulative.

“The GPA is cumulative.”
Office that awards Merit Scholarship

Which office handles Merit Scholarship questions?

The Admissions Office awards the Merit Scholarship and can answer further questions about it.

“The Admissions Office would be able to answer any questions regarding to the Merit Scholarship as they are the office that awards that scholarship to the student.”
GPA requirement to keep merit scholarship

What GPA does he need to keep a merit scholarship after the first year?

As long as the student remains full time and is not on academic probation (below a 2.0), the merit scholarship is his to keep.

“as long as he remains a full time student and is not on academic probation (below the 2.0) the merit scholarship he earns would be his to keep.”
GPA scale used for scholarships

Is the GPA used for scholarships the transcript number or recalculated?

The office tries to use the weighted GPA on the transcript as much as possible, depending on the school and scale used.

“We try to use the weighted gpa on the transcript as much as possible. It depends on the school and the scale that they use.”
Merit scholarship application process

Is the scholarship application separate from admission, or does it have an earlier deadline?

There is no separate application for merit scholarships; students are automatically considered when they apply to the university.

“There is no separate application process for the merit scholarships. Students are automatically considered for merit award when they apply to the university.”

What families often miss

  1. RWU applies outside money to unmet need first; with no unmet need, 'we will first reduce federal work study, then loan(s), and lastly grant money' — your package is adjusted, though grants are protected longest.

  2. Both awards explicitly exclude 'students receiving a full or near-full tuition scholarship' (Tuition Remission/Exchange, CIC, Payson, Bristol Memorial, Andrade, Portsmouth HS, ILA).

  3. Nearly every named endowed award (Payson, Bristol Fire/Police, Brito, Andrade, Portsmouth, Bolden, Onward We Learn, Montalbano, Maisoh, Grimshaw-Gudewicz, Lavine, Shawmut) lists an application deadline of February 1 — the automatic merit scholarship needs no application, but these do (or require the supplemental form).

  4. It is '95% of tuition' — not fees, housing, or meals — and requires residential full-time study, high need, a 3.0 GPA, leadership, and a qualifying background category.

  5. 'In a year where there is no qualified candidate as determined by the Award Committee, there shall be no award of the scholarship for such year' — and several (Brito, Montalbano, Maisoh, Shawmut) are typically awarded only once every four years.

  6. Unlike the standard merit award (good standing only), the Portsmouth award has its own renewal terms: a minimum 3.0 RWU GPA plus five hours of community service to the Portsmouth School District each year.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Students who want big merit money without renewal-GPA anxiety; Bristol/Portsmouth/Providence RI locals with shots at full-tuition endowed awards; out-of-region families who pick up an automatic $1,500 Travel Grant; and high-need, high-achieving students eyeing the 95%-of-tuition ILA Scholarship.

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Roger Williams, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Roger Williams, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$29,778
$30,001–$48,000$30,087
$48,001–$75,000$33,623
$75,001–$110,000$37,318
$110,001+$40,792
All income levels (average)$37,999

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$61,950
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$44,418
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$37,999

That works out to an average 39% 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
69%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
81%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,940 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$70,266
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
20%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
72%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

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.

Work-study is technically reduced before loans; grants are touched last — favorable to families. Full/near-full tuition award recipients are excluded from the $1,000 Academic Excellence Award and $1,500 Travel Grant.

Source

Other Roger Williams scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountTypically up to $3,500/yr in addition to merit (excluding full/near-full tuition awards)EligibilityFormer Rhode Island Crusader; FAFSA filed and Pell-eligible; Feb 1 deadline; renewable up to 8 semesters with SAP and full-time day enrollment; award cannot exceed cost of attendance.

Source

AmountUp to $13,000 (varies); renews 4 yearsEligibilityEntering first-year engineering major; Bristol RI resident; academic achievement + financial need; Feb 1 deadline; typically awarded once every four years.

Source

AmountTypically up to $2,000/yrEligibilityProvidence RI resident; Providence public school graduate; 2.75+ GPA; underrepresented background; School of Justice Studies; community service history; financial need; renews with 2.75 RWU GPA; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountTypically up to $15,000/yr + $2,500 yearly internship stipend; renewable 4 yearsEligibilityFull-time incoming freshmen in Construction Management (or Business/Architecture with CM minor intent); underrepresented backgrounds in construction; high academic achievement; one new cohort roughly every four years; supplemental application by invitation; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountTypically up to $5,000/yr, renewable 4 yearsEligibilityFull-time undergraduate in Legal Studies; automatic consideration; typically awarded once every four years; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountTypically up to $1,500/yr, renewable 4 yearsEligibilityFull-time CM major; underrepresented background; financial need; automatic consideration; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountTypically up to $8,000/yr (varies)EligibilityAdmitted or returning full-time undergrad from New Bedford, MA with financial need; automatic consideration; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountUp to $5,000/yr (varies), renewable 4 yearsEligibilityFirst-generation RI resident with financial need; automatic consideration; Feb 1 deadline.

Source

AmountUp to $5,000EligibilityGreek citizens graduating from a Greek secondary school; need + accomplishments; case-by-case upon request via the Applicant Portal financial aid appeal form; stacks with the International Merit Scholarship.

Source

Roger Williams merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    Merit scholarships require no application — all applicants are considered automatically. The named endowed scholarships (Payson, Bristol awards, Portsmouth HS, Bolden, Shawmut, and others) all carry a February 1 application deadline via the online forms.

  • How much merit aid will I get for 2026-27?

    First-year and transfer merit scholarships both range from $18,000 to $24,000 for the 2026-27 academic year. No GPA/test grid is published; transfer awards are 'primarily determined by the college GPA.'

  • What GPA do I need to keep my merit scholarship?

    None beyond good standing: 'Merit Scholarships will renew all four years for students as long as the students remain in good standing at the university - no higher GPA requirement exists to keep their award.'

  • Can I earn more merit money after I enroll?

    Yes — a 3.6+ overall GPA at year's end earns the $1,000 Academic Excellence Award toward the next year's tuition, repeatable each qualifying year (excluded for full/near-full tuition scholarship recipients).

  • What happens to my aid if I win an outside scholarship?

    It is applied first to unmet need; if none exists, RWU reduces federal work-study first, then loans, and grant money last.

See sources and other schools

How Roger Williams compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Roger Williams 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.

    Roger Williams 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Roger Williams 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 claim is checked against Roger Williams’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • Bryant University merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • JWU merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Brown merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Providence merit aid. Rhode Island private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Roger Williams merit aid

The next chapter

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