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Sam Houston State University · Texas

Sam Houston State scholarships and merit aid

SHSU's biggest merit money runs through the Honors College — 23 Honors Scholarships at $40,000 and just 2 Bowers Scholarships at $80,000 per year-group, with heavy ongoing obligations — plus an unusually transparent displacement policy promising that outside scholarships reduce loans first and merit scholarships are never reduced.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Sam Houston State worth a closer look?

Sam Houston State is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

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

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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.

$40,000 total…$40,000 total ($5,000 per semester over four years)

Honors Scholarship (Elliott T. Bowers Honors College)

Apply separatelyCan continue
SAT
1320
ACT
29
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

23 awarded to incoming freshmen each academic year; the Honors College application serves as the scholarship application (priority deadline March 1); all eligible applicants invited to a Zoom interview; evaluated on leadership, volunteerism, achievements, and plans to engage; disbursed over four years / max eight semesters

How to keep it

Must remain in good standing with Honors: maintain Status 1 (satisfactory progress toward graduating with 'Honors' or 'Highest Honors'), follow a track of excellence (research, community engagement, leadership, or global scholarship), remain enrolled full-time (12 credit hours) each semester, maintain a 3.25 SHSU GPA, be advised by the Scholar Advisor each semester, attend 2 qualifying events per semester, live in Honors housing the first academic year, and enroll in the Honors Scholar section of HONR 1301.

Source

$80,000 total…$80,000 total ($10,000 per semester over four years)

Bowers Scholarship (Elliott T. Bowers Honors College)

Apply separatelyCan continue
SAT
1350
ACT
30
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Only 2 awarded to incoming freshmen each academic year; Honors application is the scholarship application (priority deadline March 1); Bowers-eligible students may be invited to a second round of interviews

How to keep it

Same Honors good-standing requirements as the Honors Scholarship, PLUS: Bowers Scholars are required to follow the research track and complete a thesis, graduating with 'Highest Honors.'

Source

$5,000 one-time…$5,000 one-time ($2,500 per semester for the first full academic year)

Honors Transfer Scholarship

Apply separately
GPA
3.25
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Limited number of one-time awards; robust resume required; Honors application is the scholarship application (priority deadline March 1; transfer students beginning in a spring semester must submit by November 1)

Source

$2,000 total…$2,000 total ($1,000 Fall + $1,000 Spring, single year)

Bearkat Transfer Scholarship

Based on grades or scores
GPA
2.75 cumulative
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-time SHSU student enrolling full-time in a Fall semester; transfer from an accredited community college or university; undergraduate seeking first bachelor's degree; minimum 30 but fewer than 90 transferable academic credit hours; first come, first served; must accept the award offer within 45 days; spring-start transfers are NOT eligible

Notes

'Awarded automatically, so no application is required other than applying for admission to Sam Houston State University!'

Source

$40,000 total…$40,000 total ($10,000 annually over four years)

National Merit Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Must be a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program; select SHSU as first college of choice with NMSC on or before May 31 prior to the first semester; complete the National Merit Scholarship application in Scholarships4Kats

How to keep it

Disbursed $10,000 annually over four years; ongoing conditions not stated on the page opened.

Source

$1,000 annually for 4 years

SHSU Local Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Graduating senior from Grimes, Houston, Madison, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity or Walker county (Texas); first-time freshman; complete Scholarships4Kats to qualify

How to keep it

Annual for 4 years; ongoing conditions not stated on the page opened.

Source

Non-resident tuition waived…Non-resident tuition waived (pay resident tuition rate)

Non-Resident Tuition Waiver (competitive scholarship $1,000+)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Must be selected for at least a $1,000 SHSU competitive scholarship; the funds must come from a single, institutional, competitive scholarship — the $1,000 minimum cannot be the sum of multiple scholarships

How to keep it

Waiver applies 'for the same period covered by your scholarship.'

Notes

Powerful lever for out-of-state students: 2026-27 non-resident tuition/fees are $23,810 vs $11,370 resident.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Sam Houston State's published information.

  • Renewal ruleHonors Scholarship (Elliott T. Bowers Honors College): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Must remain in good standing with Honors: maintain Status 1 (satisfactory progress toward graduating with 'Honors' or 'Highest Honors'), follow a track of excellence (research, community engagement, leadership, or global scholarship), remain enrolled full-time (12 credit hours) each semester, maintain a 3.25 SHSU GPA, be advised by the Scholar Advisor each semester, attend 2 qualifying events per semester, live in Honors housing the first academic year, and enroll in the Honors Scholar section of HONR 1301. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What families often miss

  1. 'You will need to complete your Scholarships4Kats Application by the November 1st priority date in order to qualify for scholarships' — the application opens September 1, and late applicants are at a disadvantage.

  2. The FAQ is blunt: 'just because you qualify for a scholarship does not guarantee that you will be selected. Our scholarship process is very competitive' — and only 23 Honors and 2 Bowers scholarships are awarded per incoming class.

  3. Keeping the $5,000-$10,000 per semester requires living in Honors housing the first year, attending 2 events per semester, advising meetings, a 3.25 SHSU GPA, full-time enrollment, a track of excellence — and Bowers Scholars must complete a thesis and graduate with 'Highest Honors.'

  4. 'Students transferring to SHSU starting in a Spring semester are not eligible for the Bearkat Transfer Scholarship' — it also requires 30-89 transferable hours and a 2.75 GPA, and the offer lapses if not accepted within 45 days.

  5. The non-resident tuition waiver requires 'a single, institutional, competitive scholarship' of at least $1,000 — 'The $1,000 minimum can not be from the sum of multiple scholarships.'

  6. SHSU asks students to 'Share your expected outside scholarships with the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office so we can be sure you are not negatively impacted before your aid applies to your account' — total aid is capped at need/COA, though loans are reduced first and merit scholarships are never cut.

  7. The $40,000 National Merit award requires selecting SHSU as first choice with NMSC 'on or before May 31st prior to your first semester' AND completing the S4K application — finalist status alone is not enough.

  8. Official policy: 'Applications submitted using copy and paste AI responses will not be accepted.'

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

High scorers (SAT 1320+/ACT 29+) willing to commit to Honors obligations — honors housing, 3.25 GPA, events, advising — compete for $5,000-$10,000 per semester; transfers with a 2.75 GPA get $2,000 automatically; out-of-state students who win any single $1,000+ competitive scholarship unlock resident tuition.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $28,966 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Sam Houston State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$12,474
$30,001–$48,000$13,389
$48,001–$75,000$15,540
$75,001–$110,000$21,366
$110,001+$24,101
All income levels (average)$16,404

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$9,228
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$19,068
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$16,404

That works out to roughly a 36% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $25,505 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Sam Houston State 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
55%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
73%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,983 (~$233/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$54,211
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
50%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
54%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

SHSU publishes an explicit displacement policy (per Texas SB 2995): total aid cannot exceed financial need or the cost of attendance; when extra gift aid (including outside scholarships) pushes a package over those caps, loans are reduced first where possible, state/institutional grants only in rare cases, and merit scholarships 'will not be reduced or canceled.' Outside awards must be reported to the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.

From the Financial Aid Displacement Advisory: displacement occurs when additional gift aid exceeds financial need or COA; total federal+state+institutional aid plus all scholarships is limited to need and cannot exceed COA; loans are reduced first if possible; gift aid like state or institutional grants may be reduced or canceled in rare cases; Pell is an entitlement; scholarships (merit aid) are not reduced.

Source

Other Sam Houston State scholarships worth checking

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

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityTexas high school graduates (and Texas community-college transfers) with demonstrated financial need and academic potential pursuing a baccalaureate at SHSU; number of awards varies year to year

Need-plus-potential program rather than a pure merit grid; details on the program intranet page.

Source

AmountVariesEligibilityHonors students may request additional funding for conference travel and registration, study abroad and field study travel, research supplies, and certification exams

Not a scholarship per se — discretionary support funds.

Source

AmountVaries by providerEligibilityPrivate-organization awards; SHSU does not endorse them; funds should be sent to Student Account Services for processing

Never pay application fees or share sensitive data; report awards to SHSU.

Source

Sam Houston State merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    Scholarships4Kats opens September 1 and has a November 1 priority date. The Honors College application (which doubles as the Honors/Bowers/Transfer scholarship application) has a March 1 priority deadline — November 1 for transfer students starting in spring. FAFSA priority date is March 1.

  • Is there a separate application for Honors scholarships?

    No — 'Your Honors College application serves as your application for the Honors, Bowers, or Transfer scholarships.' Eligible Honors applicants interview via Zoom; Bowers candidates may get a second-round interview.

  • Do I need ACT/SAT scores?

    Freshman scholarships are competitive and 'ACT and/or SAT scores can increase your eligibility for certain scholarships, even if your scores were not required to be admitted.' The Honors Scholarship requires 1320 SAT/29 ACT and Bowers requires 1350 SAT/30 ACT.

  • Will an outside scholarship reduce my SHSU aid?

    Possibly, if it pushes total aid over your need or COA — but SHSU reviews each case, reduces loans first where possible, and states that merit scholarships 'will not be reduced or canceled.' Report outside awards to the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.

  • How do out-of-state students get in-state tuition?

    Win a single SHSU institutional competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 and you may receive a non-resident tuition waiver for the same period — worth over $12,000/year against the 2026-27 non-resident tuition/fees of $23,810.

  • What does SHSU cost for 2026-27?

    Full-time undergraduate total budget (Fall 2026/Spring 2027): $28,966 for Texas residents and $41,406 for non-residents, including tuition/fees, food and housing, books, transportation, personal expenses, and loan fees.

  • When are recipients notified?

    Committees are urged to select recipients by mid-February; departmental notifications go out before May 1 via SHSU email.

See sources and other schools

How Sam Houston State compares

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

    Sam Houston State 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.

    Sam Houston State 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.

    Sam Houston State 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 Sam Houston State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • Texas A&M merit aid. Texas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
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  • Lamar merit aid. Texas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • MSU Texas merit aid. Texas public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Sam Houston State merit aid