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Salisbury scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$31,496per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Salisbury may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
4 school sources to explore

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

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Checking merit aid at Salisbury

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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. First-year Academic Merit Scholarships (Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence, SU Achievement)$1,000-$8,500Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    First-year Academic Merit Scholarships (Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence, SU Achievement)

    $1,000-$8,500

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

    GPA
    Reviewed on high school GPA
    SAT
    Reviewed on SAT or ACT scores
    ACT
    Reviewed on SAT or ACT scores
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for First-year Academic Merit Scholarships (Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence, SU Achievement)

    Who qualifies

    No separate application; automatic review with timely admission application. Award based on a numerical standard AND the competition of the applicant pool.

    How to keep it

    Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to renew annually; enroll full-time (12+ credits) each semester; limited to a maximum number of semesters (see Scholarship Policies page).

    Worth knowing

    No published GPA/test award grid. First-year ranges: $1,000–$6,000 in-state, $6,000–$8,500 out-of-state. Named tiers: Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence, SU Achievement. Merit awards limited to fall and spring undergraduate semesters.

  2. Transfer Academic Merit Scholarships (Transfer Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence)$1,500-$7,500Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Transfer Academic Merit Scholarships (Transfer Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence)

    $1,500-$7,500

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

    GPA
    Transfer GPA of 2.5 or higher
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Transfer Academic Merit Scholarships (Transfer Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence)

    Who qualifies

    No separate application; automatic review with timely admission application

    How to keep it

    Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to renew annually; enroll full-time (12+ credits); maximum number of semesters per Scholarship Policies.

    Worth knowing

    No published grid. Transfer ranges: $1,500–$3,000 in-state, $6,000–$7,500 out-of-state. Named tiers: Transfer Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence.

  3. Clarke Honors College ScholarshipsAmount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Clarke Honors College Scholarships

    Amount not published

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

    GPA
    Suggested 3.5 high school GPA to apply (4.0 = automatic Honors College admission)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Clarke Honors College Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Must be admitted to SU; submit a complete Clarke Honors College application and essay (required even for automatic admission)

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not stated on the honors application page.

    Worth knowing

    The Clarke Honors College grants its own scholarships; amounts are not published on the application page. Priority scholarship consideration deadline is January 15 for fall; honors scholarship decisions by February 1.

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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 ruleFirst-year Academic Merit Scholarships (Presidential, SU Deans, SU Excellence, SU Achievement): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to renew annually; enroll full-time (12+ credits) each semester; limited to a maximum number of semesters (see Scholarship Policies page). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Aid capHard $31,496 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Salisbury cannot push the package past $31,496. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes Salisbury different

Salisbury automatically reviews first-year applicants for named merit scholarships ($1,000–$6,000 in-state, $6,000–$8,500 out-of-state) but publishes no GPA/test grid — awards are holistic and competitive against the applicant pool.

Merit tiers3See who qualifies
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  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 Salisbury'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 Salisbury's aid office says

Per the Office of Admissions, Salisbury University, August 2026. How we verify

Net Price Calculator for merit aid estimate

How can I get a preliminary estimate of my merit aid award?

The office suggests using the Net Price Calculator for a preliminary review of merit aid award.

“For a preliminary review of your merit aid award, you may use our Net Price Calculator <https://app.meadowfi.com/salisbury> for more insight.”
When merit aid is considered

When will I be considered for merit aid?

Merit aid consideration happens after the student submits an application and an admission decision is reached.

“when you submit your application to the University, and a admission decision is reached, you will be considered for merit aid”

What families often miss

  1. Salisbury publishes only ranges; awards are based on a numerical standard AND the competition of the applicant pool, so the same GPA/test profile can yield different amounts year to year.

  2. Early action by December 1 is required for guaranteed scholarship consideration; later applicants are reviewed only if funding remains.

  3. It has been discontinued and will not be awarded to new students after 2025-26 — out-of-state students should not budget for it for 2026-2027.

  4. All academic merit scholarships require a 3.0 cumulative GPA and full-time (12+ credit) enrollment to renew, and there is a maximum number of semesters of eligibility.

  5. Unreported outside scholarships can trigger an over-award and require repayment of need-based aid; reported awards may still cause other aid to be reduced or canceled to stay under cost of attendance.

  6. It equals just 5% of tuition, applies to tuition only, goes to the younger sibling, and is unavailable to anyone already receiving a tuition waiver.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Competitive in-state and out-of-state first-years who file an early action application by December 1; out-of-state students see notably larger ranges ($6,000–$8,500). Strong 3.5+ GPA students should also apply to the Clarke Honors College.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $31,496 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Salisbury, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$6,743
$30,001–$48,000$9,915
$48,001–$75,000$12,909
$75,001–$110,000$16,669
$110,001+$22,759
All income levels (average)$17,743

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$11,084
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$22,174
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$17,743

That works out to roughly a 37% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $28,310 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Salisbury is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
68%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
78%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,000 (~$223/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$61,515
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
29%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
41%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Federal over-award rules apply: students must report outside scholarships, and when total aid from all sources exceeds the cost of education, Salisbury reduces or cancels other aid in the package. The Sea Gull Sibling Scholarship is tuition-only and unavailable to students receiving any other tuition waiver.

Outside scholarships are added to the package and may force reduction/cancellation of other aid to avoid an over-award above cost of attendance; unreported outside scholarships can require repayment of need-based aid.

Source

Other Salisbury scholarships worth checking

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

Amount5% of tuitionEligibilityStudent with a sibling concurrently enrolled at SU; degree-seeking, enrolled at least half-time, meeting SAP (along with sibling). Awarded to the younger sibling(s).

Applies to tuition only; up to 8 semesters (undergrad). Students receiving any other tuition waiver are NOT eligible.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityPreviously for new students with a permanent home address outside Maryland; no separate application

DISCONTINUED — no longer awarded after the 2025-26 school year. Current holders continue to renew if criteria are met. Not available to new 2026-2027 students. Recipients were ineligible for the SU Transfer Grant / Transfer Merit Scholarships.

Source

Salisbury merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

    No. First-year and transfer applicants are automatically reviewed for general merit scholarships based on their admission application. The Clarke Honors College scholarships do require a separate application and essay.

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    File an early action admission application by December 1 for guaranteed merit scholarship consideration. Clarke Honors College priority scholarship applications are due January 15 (all honors applications due April 15).

  • How much are the first-year merit scholarships?

    $1,000–$6,000 for in-state students and $6,000–$8,500 for out-of-state students. Salisbury does not publish a GPA/test award grid.

  • How do I keep my scholarship?

    Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and enroll full-time (12+ credits) each semester; awards have a maximum number of eligible semesters (see the Scholarship Policies page).

  • Is the out-of-state Sea Gull Nation Scholarship still available?

    No. It has been discontinued and will not be awarded to new students after 2025-26; only current recipients continue to renew.

See sources and other schools

How Salisbury compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Salisbury is in a recognizable cluster (235 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.

    Salisbury 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.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Salisbury’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Salisbury merit aid

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