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Santa Clara scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$92,556per year · 2026-2027 · On-campus
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Santa Clara 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
8 school sources to explore

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

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. Johnson Scholars AwardFull tuition per year, plus demonstrated financial need met for standard room, board, books, and supplies; up to $10,000 in professional development funds after first yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Johnson Scholars Award

    Full tuition per year, plus demonstrated financial need met for standard room, board, books, and supplies; up to $10,000 in professional development funds after first year

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Typically unweighted 3.8+ in high school
    SAT
    1450+ if submitted (test-optional)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Johnson Scholars Award

    Who qualifies

    Must apply Early Action or Early Decision I and to the University Honors Program. Demonstrates highest levels of academic ability, motivation, and leadership potential. International students are not eligible. Approximately 5 scholars selected per year after a virtual Selection Day in mid-March.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters (four years). Requires 3.5 cumulative GPA, participation in the honors program, annual FAFSA filing, and active participation in Johnson Scholars programming.

    Worth knowing

    The most comprehensive merit award at SCU. Covers tuition during the academic year (summer excluded) and the university commits to fully meeting demonstrated financial need for room, board, books, and other customary expenses. Professional development funds of up to $10,000 become available after the first year for internships, research, and travel. Scholars are expected to write yearly reflective letters to program sponsors.

  2. SCU Presidential at Entry ScholarshipFull tuition per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    SCU Presidential at Entry Scholarship

    Full tuition per year

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

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for SCU Presidential at Entry Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    First-year students demonstrating qualities identified and emphasized by the president as critical to the university's mission. Holistic review at time of admission; no separate application required. Test-optional.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters. Requires 3.5 cumulative GPA and satisfactory academic progress.

    Worth knowing

    Covers full tuition only, not room, board, or fees. Unlike the Johnson Scholars Award, no additional need-based supplementation or professional development funds are included.

  3. SCU Provost ScholarshipHalf tuition per year (approximately $32,868 for 2026-2027)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    SCU Provost Scholarship

    Half tuition per year (approximately $32,868 for 2026-2027)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for SCU Provost Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    First-year students who have assumed leadership roles in their schools and communities. Holistic review at time of admission; no separate application required. Test-optional.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and satisfactory academic progress.

    Worth knowing

    Half-tuition award. Per the SCU financial aid FAQ, Presidential at Entry and Provost are the only two SCU scholarships exempt from the fixed-amount rule; both scale with tuition annually because they are percentage-based commitments rather than flat dollar awards. Recipients do not lose ground to tuition inflation over four years.

  4. SCU Dean's ScholarshipVaries (amounts depend on the number of recipients and available funds)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    SCU Dean's Scholarship

    Varies (amounts depend on the number of recipients and available funds)

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for SCU Dean's Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    First-year students admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of Business, or School of Engineering. International students are eligible. Holistic review at time of admission; no separate application required. Test-optional.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters. Requires 3.0 cumulative GPA and satisfactory academic progress.

    Worth knowing

    The broadest merit tier at SCU. Dollar amounts vary by year and are not published as a fixed range. The Dean's Scholarship is a fixed dollar amount that is NOT indexed to tuition increases, unlike Presidential at Entry and Provost, which scale with tuition. This is the only named merit scholarship open to international students.

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The fine print

Cutoff cliffOne ACT point can move the award by approximately +$32,868/yr (a doubling, 2x)

Santa Clara publishes a tier ladder where crossing Provost (half tuition) → Presidential at Entry (full tuition) changes the marginal value by approximately +$32,868/yr (a doubling, 2x). Derived from the half-tuition Provost figure: because Provost is explicitly half tuition, full tuition is roughly twice it, so the step adds about one more half-tuition. This is the largest step computable from published figures, but not necessarily the largest absolute jump in the ladder; the Presidential-to-Johnson step likely exceeds it (see next row).

Renewal ruleJohnson Scholars Award: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters (four years). Requires 3.5 cumulative GPA, participation in the honors program, annual FAFSA filing, and active participation in Johnson Scholars programming. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

Outside awardsNo published displacement order

Santa Clara's policy doesn't specify whether outside scholarships hit loans, grants, or only the COA ceiling. Get a written aid-office answer before chasing private awards.

Mission Santa Clara de Asís at Santa Clara University

Mission Santa Clara de Asís at Santa Clara University

What makes Santa Clara different

A private Jesuit university in Silicon Valley with a four-tier merit system: the Johnson Scholars Award (full tuition plus room, board, books, and up to $10,000 in professional development funds for roughly 5 students per year), the Presidential at Entry Scholarship (full tuition), the Provost Scholarship (half tuition), and Dean's Scholarships at varying amounts, all renewable for four years on a quarter calendar.

Read our full reasoning

Worth optimizing for if your student is a top-of-class holistic admit aiming for full tuition. There is no test-score cliff to chase, and no published rule on whether outside money stacks.

Santa Clara's merit is entirely holistic: every tier (Johnson, Presidential at Entry, Provost, Dean's) is awarded by committee at admission, not triggered by a GPA or test number, so there is no automatic threshold to optimize toward. The clearest computable money move is the step from the half-tuition Provost (approximately $32,868/yr for 2026-2027) up to full-tuition Presidential at Entry: because Provost is explicitly half tuition, full tuition is roughly twice that, a step of about +$32,868/yr (a doubling). The Johnson Scholars Award sits above both, adding university-met room, board, and books plus up to $10,000 in professional-development funds after year one, a package whose total value likely exceeds that step, but it requires applying Early Action or Early Decision I to the University Honors Program, the one hard deadline in the ladder, and is not open to international students. On stacking, SCU's policy is unclear: outside scholarships first fill remaining unmet need and may reduce aid if none exists, but no displacement order is published, so ask the aid office before counting on an outside award stacking on top of merit.

Merit tiers4See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards13%First-year students, CDS 2024-2025
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 Santa Clara'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 Santa Clara's aid office says

Per the SCU One Stop, Santa Clara University, August 2026. How we verify

Applications needed for financial aid consideration

What forms does the student need to complete to be considered for grants and scholarships?

The student should complete both the FAFSA and CSS Profile to be considered for all forms of SCU grants and scholarships, need-based and merit.

“should complete both the FAFSA and CSS Profile to be considered for all forms of Santa Clara University grants and scholarships, both need-based and merit aid.”
Separate scholarship application

Is there a separate scholarship application and deadline for academic scholarships?

Students are considered for university grants and scholarships during the admission process; there is no separate scholarship application.

“Students are considered for university grants and scholarships during the admission process, we do not have a separate scholarship application.”
GPA used for merit consideration

Does SCU use weighted or unweighted GPA for merit scholarships?

The Undergraduate Office of Admission looks at a student's unweighted GPA for merit consideration.

“The Undergraduate Office of Admission will look at a student's unweighted GPA for merit consideration.”
Coordination of institutional and outside aid

How does SCU handle institutional aid together with outside scholarships?

The Financial Aid Office coordinates all institutional aid and outside scholarships together.

“The Financial Aid Office will coordinate all institutional aid and outside scholarships together.”
Aid capped at Cost of Attendance

Can total financial aid exceed the cost of attendance?

Financial aid cannot exceed a student's Cost of Attendance.

“Financial aid cannot exceed a student's Cost of Attendance (COA).”
Duration of aid eligibility

How long is a student eligible to receive SCU aid?

Students are eligible to receive SCU aid for 12 consecutive academic quarters (four years).

“Students are eligible to receive their Santa Clara University aid for 12 consecutive academic quarters (four years).”
GPA and progress renewal requirements

What GPA and progress requirements must a student maintain to keep aid, and is there a grace period?

Students generally must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA and stay on track to graduate in four years; they get a quarter of warning before aid is cancelled if not meeting requirements.

“They generally need to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and must stay on track to graduate within four years. A student will have a quarter of warning before aid is cancelled if they are not meeting the financial aid eligibility requirements.”

What families often miss

  1. Unlike the Presidential (full tuition) and Provost (half tuition), the Dean's Scholarship amount varies by year and number of recipients. SCU does not publish a fixed range. Families who budget around an assumed floor may be surprised by the actual award.

  2. The FAQ explicitly states: 'With the exception of the Santa Clara University Presidential at Entry and the Provost Scholarship offers, all offers are fixed amounts and are not indexed to change in tuition, therefore they will not increase annually.' Presidential at Entry (full tuition) and Provost (half tuition) DO scale with tuition because they are percentage-based commitments. The Johnson Scholars Award, Dean's Scholarship, Jesuit Ignatian Award, Bronco Scholarship, and other named awards are flat dollar amounts that stay fixed for four years, meaning the effective discount percentage shrinks as tuition rises.

  3. Johnson Scholars candidates must apply Early Action or Early Decision I and to the University Honors Program. Students who apply Regular Decision are not eligible for the most comprehensive merit award at SCU, which covers full tuition plus demonstrated need for room, board, and professional development funds.

  4. Students who graduated from a Jesuit high school are eligible for the Ignatian Award, a separate need-based grant that is easy to miss in the application process. It requires FAFSA and CSS Profile filing but no separate application.

See award cutoffs and special programs

What each named merit tier is worth

All four tiers are holistic, awarded at admission with no separate application and no automatic stat trigger. Test-optional throughout. The only tier with a published dollar figure is Provost (half tuition, approximately $32,868 for 2026-2027); full-tuition awards are stated as 'full tuition' without a published tuition-only dollar amount.

Student profileLikely outcome
Half-tuition holistic admit (3.0 renewal GPA)SCU Provost Scholarship — approximately $32,868/yr (2026-2027)Half tuition; percentage-based, so it scales with tuition each year rather than eroding to inflation.
Full-tuition holistic admit (3.5 renewal GPA)SCU Presidential at Entry — full tuition (no published dollar figure)Covers full tuition only, not room, board, or fees. Percentage-based, so it scales with tuition. SCU publishes no tuition-only dollar amount; the $65,736 COA line is tuition plus the student engagement fee, which this award does not cover, so it is not used here as the award value.
College/Business/Engineering admit (3.0 renewal GPA)SCU Dean's Scholarship — amount not publishedBroadest tier and the only one open to international students, but a FIXED dollar amount that is not indexed to tuition increases. No figure published, so it cannot be quantified.
Top holistic Honors admit (typically 3.8+ HS GPA, 1450+ if submitted)Johnson Scholars — full tuition + university-met room/board/books + up to $10,000 prof-dev after yr 1Most comprehensive tier. Requires EA or ED I to the Honors Program; international students not eligible. Approximately five scholars selected per year.

Where the dollars actually move

There is no test-score cliff at Santa Clara; every award is holistic, not stat-triggered. The meaningful steps are between named tiers. Steps involving the Dean's Scholarship are omitted because SCU publishes no dollar amount for it, and no tuition-only dollar figure is published for the full-tuition awards.

ThresholdMarginal value
Provost (half tuition) → Presidential at Entry (full tuition)approximately +$32,868/yr (a doubling, 2x)Derived from the half-tuition Provost figure: because Provost is explicitly half tuition, full tuition is roughly twice it, so the step adds about one more half-tuition. This is the largest step computable from published figures, but not necessarily the largest absolute jump in the ladder; the Presidential-to-Johnson step likely exceeds it (see next row).
Presidential at Entry → Johnson ScholarsNot fully computable: adds university-met room/board/books (need-based, variable) + up to $10,000 prof-dev after year oneThe room/board/books portion is need-based and not a fixed dollar value, so this step cannot be stated as a single number. Its likely total (housing and food on the residential COA is $20,094, books $1,305, plus up to $10,000 prof-dev) plausibly exceeds the Provost-to-Presidential step, which is why that step is called largest computable, not largest absolute.
See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Families targeting a selective Jesuit university in the Bay Area where holistic merit review rewards leadership, service, and academic excellence alongside grades and test scores. SCU is test-optional, so students who choose not to submit SAT or ACT scores are still considered for all merit tiers. The Johnson Scholars program is the standout award, covering full tuition and demonstrated need for room, board, and expenses, but requires Early Action or Early Decision I application and University Honors Program enrollment. Presidential and Provost awards are also strong, covering full and half tuition respectively, while Dean's Scholarships provide smaller fixed amounts that do not increase with tuition.

Cost of attendance$92,556 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$92,556
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal
  • Loan fees

Tuition+student engagement fee combined into Tuition & fees. Health insurance not part of published COA. Matches input total.

Santa Clara cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Santa Clara, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$22,985
$30,001–$48,000$19,154
$48,001–$75,000$26,531
$75,001–$110,000$37,219
$110,001+$60,678
All income levels (average)$50,062

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$61,293
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$50,062

That works out to roughly a 39% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $82,026 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
88%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
94%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$19,162 (~$203/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$109,183
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
12%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
47%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

SCU states that outside scholarships may affect the original financial aid award. The Financial Aid Office requires notification of all outside awards and issues a revised offer letter reflecting any changes. No published formula specifies whether outside scholarships displace merit aid, need-based grants, loans, or work-study first.

Santa Clara University's published policy says that outside monies 'may affect your original award' and that the Financial Aid Office will issue a revised offer letter. The FAQ does not detail a displacement hierarchy or specify whether merit scholarships are reduced before need-based grants. For Presidential and Provost Scholarship holders, the bulletin states that scholarships must be coordinated with federal, state, and university aid per federal regulations but does not explain the order of displacement. Families should contact the Financial Aid Office at onestop@scu.edu or 408-551-1000 for a specific scenario before assuming outside awards will stack on top of institutional merit.

Source

More school data

From the Santa Clara Common Data Set 2024-2025:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Santa Clara’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
13%of admitsget merit
Average award$16,788Covers ~18% of $92,556 cost of attendance

At Santa Clara, roughly 1 in 8 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $16,788 — about 18% of total cost.

SAT mid-50%1360–148025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%31–3325th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit13%First-year students
Average merit award$16,788Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Other Santa Clara scholarships worth checking

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

AmountVaries by yearEligibilityFirst-year undergraduate students who graduated from a Jesuit high school. Need-based consideration; FAFSA required annually, CSS Profile required initially.

Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters. Not indexed to tuition increases. Amounts vary depending on the number of qualified students. Easy to overlook if families do not realize Jesuit high school graduation is a distinct eligibility criterion.

Source

AmountVaries by yearEligibilitySelected first-year undergraduate students whose experiences, service, and talents will enrich the university community. CSS Profile and FAFSA recommended.

Renewable for 12 consecutive academic quarters. Not indexed to tuition increases. This is a hybrid merit-service award that does not require a separate application. Many families confuse it with athletic Bronco awards, but it is a distinct institutional scholarship.

Source

Amount$5,000 to $10,000 per academic yearEligibilityTransfer students from designated Bay Area community colleges with a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA and at least 30 transferable semester units. Must submit FAFSA.

Renewable for up to three consecutive academic years. Students with community-based organization scholarships may receive an additional $5,000 annually. Not available to first-year applicants.

Source

AmountVaries; Quinn Martin Scholarship covers partial tuition for junior and senior yearsEligibilityUndergraduates majoring in Theatre, Dance, or Music. Minimum 3.0 GPA in Theatre Arts major and 2.5 cumulative GPA. Continued participation in department productions required each quarter.

Multiple named awards including the Quinn Martin Scholarship (partial tuition, junior year with senior renewal), Founders Scholarship, and several need-based departmental scholarships. These are separate from the main admission merit tiers and are awarded by the department.

Source

AmountPartial to full tuition; may include on-campus housingEligibilityHigh school seniors or current college students accepted to SCU who qualify for the Army ROTC program.

Administered through the Department of Military Science (408-554-6831), not the Financial Aid Office. Can potentially stack with institutional merit, subject to the COA cap and aid coordination rules.

Source

Santa Clara merit aid FAQ

  • Does Santa Clara University require SAT or ACT scores for merit scholarship consideration?

    No. SCU is test-optional for admission and for all merit scholarship tiers, including the Johnson Scholars Award. The CDS confirms that standardized test scores are 'considered if submitted' but are not required. The Johnson Scholars page notes that typical scholars have SAT scores of 1450+ if submitted, but this is descriptive of past cohorts, not a requirement. Students who choose not to submit scores are still considered for every merit level.

  • What GPA does my student need to keep a Santa Clara merit scholarship?

    It depends on the tier. The Johnson Scholars Award and Presidential at Entry Scholarship require a 3.5 cumulative GPA. The Provost and Dean's Scholarships require a 3.0 cumulative GPA. All merit scholarships also require full-time enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, and continuous enrollment for up to 12 consecutive academic quarters. SCU operates on a quarter system, so there are three GPA checkpoints per year rather than two.

  • Will outside scholarships reduce my student's SCU merit award?

    Possibly. SCU's FAQ states that outside monies 'may affect your original award' and that the Financial Aid Office will issue a revised offer letter. However, SCU does not publish a specific displacement formula explaining whether outside awards reduce merit scholarships, need-based grants, loans, or work-study first. Contact the Financial Aid Office at onestop@scu.edu before assuming outside scholarships will simply add to the existing package.

  • How many students receive merit scholarships at Santa Clara?

    According to the 2024-2025 Common Data Set, approximately 215 first-year students with no demonstrated financial need received institutional non-need-based merit scholarships, representing about 13% of the entering class. The average non-need institutional merit award for first-year students was $16,788. The Johnson Scholars program selects approximately 5 students per year. The total number receiving Presidential, Provost, and Dean's awards is not published separately.

  • Is the Johnson Scholars Award only for domestic students?

    Yes. The Johnson Scholars program page states that international students are not eligible. However, international students are eligible for the Dean's Scholarship, which is the only named merit tier at SCU that explicitly includes international applicants. Presidential and Provost eligibility for international students is not explicitly addressed on the merit scholarships page.

See sources and other schools

How Santa Clara compares

  • 133 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.

    Santa Clara is in a recognizable cluster (133 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 133 of 749 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.

    Santa Clara is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Santa Clara merit aid

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