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.

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.

Samford· Renewal Rules

Keeping Samford’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 May 20268 days ago· CB-1

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 7 of 7
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 7
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Samford's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

Crosland Scholarship: See notes
Marion Scholarship: See notes
Davis Scholarship: See notes
Marvin Mann Academic Excellence Scholarship: See notes
Marvin Mann Ministry Scholarship: See notes
Marvin Mann Legacy Scholarship: See notes
National Merit Semifinalist Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Crosland Scholarship
Average $17,500 per year
Entry requirements: 3.5 minimum high school GPA GPA · 1240 or higher composite SAT · 26 or higher composite ACT
To keep it: Guaranteed for 8 semesters or graduation. Requires good academic standing and adherence to Samford's Code of Values; breach can cause revocation.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
Marion Scholarship
Average $13,000 per year
Entry requirements: 3.0 minimum high school GPA GPA
To keep it: Guaranteed for 8 semesters or graduation. Requires good academic standing and adherence to Samford's Code of Values.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
Davis Scholarship
$2,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing and Code of Values adherence.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
Marvin Mann Academic Excellence Scholarship
Up to $10,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing and Code of Values adherence.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
Marvin Mann Ministry Scholarship
$3,500 per year
To keep it: Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
Marvin Mann Legacy Scholarship
$1,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable up to 8 semesters with good academic standing.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships
National Merit Semifinalist Scholarship
$1,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable up to 8 semesters with cumulative 3.0 Samford GPA.
Source: https://www.samford.edu/admission/scholarships

How families lose this aid

Assuming the Crosland and Marion Scholarships stack.
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.

Renewal questions families ask

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.
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

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 renewal claim is checked against Samford’s own published materials.

policySamford stacking policy