Baptist private in Birmingham, AL with a published two-track auto-merit ladder — Crosland (avg $17,500, stat-driven) and Marion (avg $13,000) — but the two awards explicitly cannot be combined, and the University Grant can be reduced if a student is later awarded additional institutional funds.
Verified May 20268 days ago· CB-1
Merit tiers74 automatic on stats
Last verifiedMay 2026Analyst CB-1
Rules that bite at Samford
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Samford's own published policy, not generic advice.
displacementDifferent aid types are displaced differently
Samford treats loans, work-study, and institutional grant under different rules. The same $5,000 outside award can land against any of them depending on category.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Samford
They explicitly do not. A student earns one or the other. Crosland averages $17,500 for stats at or above 3.5 GPA / 26 ACT; Marion averages $13,000 for stats at or above 3.0 GPA. Both can be combined with the Davis Scholarship ($2,000) and the Marvin Mann Legacy ($1,000) — but never with each other. Plan a Crosland-tier student's budget around $17,500, not $30,500.
Samford's University Grant policy is explicit: if your level of need changes, or if you are awarded any additional Samford University funds, the University Grant may be reduced or cancelled. A National Merit Finalist who later wins a $10,000 Mann Academic Excellence award may see their need-based University Grant shrink correspondingly. Build the budget around merit, not the grant.
Samford has TWO scholarship deadlines: December 1 (first round, full pool) and February 15 (second round + FAFSA priority). Applications submitted between these dates can still receive merit but the first-round pool is the strongest. The Davis Scholarship in particular requires applicants to be 'competitive by December 1 of their senior year.'
Samford's published scholarship terms state explicitly: 'If our students breach the Code of Values, their scholarship dollars of any variety can be revoked.' This applies to all merit funds — Crosland, Marion, Mann awards, Davis, and others. A code-of-conduct issue can be a five-figure financial event, not just a disciplinary one.
Who this school is for
Christian college-shoppers in the Southeast seeking transparent published merit awards; especially favorable for National Merit Finalists, ministry kids, and Samford/Howard legacy families who can layer stackable add-ons.
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
Average $17,500 per year
Crosland Scholarship
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
3.5 minimum high school GPA
SAT
1240 or higher composite
ACT
26 or higher composite
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Test-optional applicants are evaluated on a recalculated weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. No separate application required. Can combine with Davis and Marvin Mann Legacy — CANNOT combine with Marion.
Renewal terms
Guaranteed for 8 semesters or graduation. Requires good academic standing and adherence to Samford's Code of Values; breach can cause revocation.
Notes
Samford publishes the average, not a stat-to-tier table. The non-combinability with Marion is the most consequential Samford stacking rule.
Awarded to National Merit Finalists. Can be combined with the $1,000 National Merit Semi-Finalist Scholarship. The scholarship committee may increase the annual value or extend the award to other students who exemplify academic excellence.
Renewal terms
Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing and Code of Values adherence.
Incoming freshmen whose parent has been ordained and is actively serving in a full-time paid position in a church, parachurch, or missions organization that teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and affirms Samford's core values. Parent's church/agency must provide the principal part of income.
Renewal terms
Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing.
Family member graduated from or is currently enrolled at Samford University or Howard College. Information must be reported on the application for admission.
Renewal terms
Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing.
Entering freshman Semifinalist who designates Samford as first-choice institution per the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Full-time enrollment required.
Renewal terms
Renewable up to 8 semesters with cumulative 3.0 Samford GPA.
Notes
Stacks with Marvin Mann Academic Excellence ($10,000) for National Merit Finalists.
Samford's published policy is that the University Grant (need-based) may be reduced or cancelled if a student is later awarded additional Samford institutional funds or if need changes — an internal stacking limit, not specifically an outside-scholarship rule.
Samford's University Grant page documents that need-based grant aid can be reduced when a student receives 'any additional Samford University funds.' The Crosland and Marion Scholarships are explicitly non-combinable with each other. Samford does not publish a separate outside/private scholarship displacement policy on its admissions site as of retrieval.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountNot publicly disclosedEligibilityEntering students who demonstrate significant financial need; selected through holistic review of the FAFSA and supporting materials. Need-based, not merit. Renewable up to 8 semesters.
Amount$2,500EligibilityIncoming community-college transfers who are PTK chapter members. Must note membership on application and provide invitation letter or email as proof. Maintain cumulative 3.0 Samford GPA for renewal.
AmountAverage $10,000 per yearEligibilityTwo-year community college transfers in science or math majors. Supported by the National Science Foundation. Can be combined with other merit and need-based aid.
How much merit aid does Samford give first-year students?
Samford publishes two main auto-awarded merit tiers: the Crosland Scholarship (average $17,500, requires 3.5 GPA + 26 ACT/1240 SAT) and the Marion Scholarship (average $13,000, requires 3.0 GPA). All freshman merit is guaranteed for 8 semesters or graduation. Stackable add-ons include the Davis Scholarship ($2,000), Marvin Mann Legacy ($1,000), Mann Ministry Scholarship ($3,500), and the Mann Academic Excellence award (up to $10,000 for National Merit Finalists).
Can I get both the Crosland and Marion Scholarships?
No. The two awards are explicitly non-combinable. Students earn one or the other based on their stat profile — Crosland is the higher award for 3.5 GPA / 26 ACT applicants; Marion is the broader award for 3.0 GPA applicants. Both can layer with Davis and the Marvin Mann Legacy.
When is the scholarship deadline at Samford?
Samford has two scholarship deadlines for freshman applicants: December 1 (first round, strongest pool) and February 15 (second round, FAFSA priority date). The Davis Scholarship requires applicants to be competitive by December 1. Final aid packets are released in early March.
Does Samford give credit for National Merit?
Yes — significantly. National Merit Finalists are awarded the Marvin Mann Academic Excellence Scholarship (up to $10,000 per year) and can also stack the $1,000-per-year National Merit Semifinalist Scholarship, provided Samford is designated their first-choice institution to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The combined value over four years can exceed $40,000.
Are Samford scholarships test-optional?
Samford superscores both the ACT and SAT for admission consideration, but only superscores the SAT for scholarship eligibility. Freshmen applying without a test score are still considered for the Crosland Scholarship using a recalculated weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. There are no set minimum test scores — Samford's middle 50% range is 23-29 ACT, 1130-1350 SAT for context.
How Samford compares across our verified dataset
20 of 150 verified schools in our dataset use mixed displacement.
Samford is in the modest minority (20 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
133 of 150 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Samford is one of them. The cohort minority (17 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
50 of 150 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Samford 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 Samford’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
