Does Smith College offer merit scholarships?

Yes, but limited. The STRIDE Scholarship awards $22,500/year (plus a $3,000 annual research-assistant stipend for 2 years) to approximately 50 students. The Dora Windes Zollman Scholarship awards half-tuition for four years to fewer than 10 students, and includes STRIDE participation. Both are auto-considered through the admission application. Note: merit aid fills need rather than adds to it for need-eligible students.

Smith· Renewal Rules

Keeping Smith’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 Jul 20267 days ago· CB-1

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 2 of 2
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 2
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Smith'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.

STRIDE Scholarship: See notes
Dora Windes Zollman Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

STRIDE Scholarship
$22,500 per year (limited to $11,250 per semester) for four years — plus a $3,000 annual research-assistant stipend for two of those years (effective Fall 2023)
To keep it: Renewable for four years with satisfactory academic progress. Selection retains the STRIDE research relationship through the four-year track.
Source: https://new.smith.edu/admission-aid/tuition-aid-applicants/first-year-applicants
Dora Windes Zollman Scholarship
Half of the tuition cost for four years
To keep it: Renewable for four years with satisfactory academic progress.
Source: https://new.smith.edu/admission-aid/tuition-aid-applicants/first-year-applicants

Renewal questions families ask

Does Smith College offer merit scholarships?: Yes, but limited. The STRIDE Scholarship awards $22,500/year (plus a $3,000 annual research-assistant stipend for 2 years) to approximately 50 students. The Dora Windes Zollman Scholarship awards half-tuition for four years to fewer than 10 students, and includes STRIDE participation. Both are auto-considered through the admission application. Note: merit aid fills need rather than adds to it for need-eligible students.

How Smith compares across our verified dataset

669 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Smith is one of them. The cohort minority (81 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 renewal claim is checked against Smith’s own published materials.

policySmith stacking policy
coaSmith cost-of-attendance worksheet
scholarshipSmith Free Tuition Program (Next 150 Pledge)
scholarshipNo-Loan Financial Aid Packages
scholarshipSmith Start-Up Grant