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Saint Mary's (CA)· Renewal Rules

Keeping Saint Mary's (CA)’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
3 of 3
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
3
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Saint Mary's (CA)'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.

  • 2026-27 First-Year Merit-Based Scholarships (Trustee's / Presidential / Provost's / Dean's / Gael): Full-time enrollment
  • 2026-27 Transfer Student Merit-Based Scholarships (Presidential / Provost / Dean's / Gael Transfer): Full-time enrollment
  • Lasallian Leadership Award: Full-time enrollment

Renewal terms by tier

  • 2026-27 First-Year Merit-Based Scholarships (Trustee's / Presidential / Provost's / Dean's / Gael)

    $26,000-$38,000

    Entry requirements: Determined by the student's official academic weighted GPA (no public GPA-to-tier mapping) GPA

    To keep it: Automatically applied each year for a total of four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study, provided students meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

    Source: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/financial-aid/merit-based-scholarships

  • 2026-27 Transfer Student Merit-Based Scholarships (Presidential / Provost / Dean's / Gael Transfer)

    $4,000-$20,000

    Entry requirements: Determined by the student's official cumulative academic college GPA (no public mapping) GPA

    To keep it: Automatically applied each year for a maximum of three years of consecutive full-time study ending with a baccalaureate degree, provided students meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

    Source: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/financial-aid/merit-based-scholarships

  • Lasallian Leadership Award

    $5,000

    To keep it: Automatically applied to each of four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study toward a first bachelor's degree.

    Source: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/first-year-students

How families lose this aid

  • Breaking enrollment continuity or dropping below full-time.

    Merit applies to 'four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study' (three for transfers) and requires Satisfactory Academic Progress — gap semesters or part-time terms jeopardize the award.

  • Missing the January 1 FAFSA date for the East Bay Performing Arts full-cost scholarship.

    That award requires the FAFSA by January 1 plus Pell and Cal Grant qualification, an audition, and a 3.0 GPA — each gate independently disqualifies late or ineligible applicants.

Renewal questions families ask

How much merit aid does Saint Mary's give first-years for 2026-27?
Five automatic tiers based on official weighted GPA, awarded at acceptance: Trustee's $38,000, Presidential $36,000, Provost's $34,000, Dean's $30,000, Gael $26,000 per year — renewable four years with SAP. No forms beyond the admission application.
What GPA earns each merit tier?
Not published — the page says tiers are 'determined by a student's official academic weighted GPA' with no cutoff table. Ask Admissions what weighted GPA earns the Trustee's vs. Gael tier.

Rules that bite at Saint Mary's (CA)

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

  • renewal2026-27 First-Year Merit-Based Scholarships (Trustee's / Presidential / Provost's / Dean's / Gael): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Automatically applied each year for a total of four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study, provided students meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Saint Mary's (CA) compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Saint Mary's (CA) 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 renewal claim is checked against Saint Mary's (CA)’s own published materials.

More on Saint Mary's (CA) merit aid