See what Southeastern's published rules mean for your student's numbers. Takes 30 seconds.
The merit-aid verdict at Southeastern
DRAFT: Southeastern automatically awards its Honors Scholarship from a 3-tier ACT grid (including a published SUPERSCORE column — rare in Louisiana) of $2,500-$4,000/year plus a $1,000-$3,000 housing supplement, with new criteria effective Summer/Fall 2026.
Rules that bite at Southeastern
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Southeastern's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalTOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) — Louisiana state award hosted at Southeastern: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Each semester: full-time enrollment on the 15th class day; 24 credit hours by end of academic year; continuous fall/spring enrollment; required GPA per award; 2.0 cumulative GPA at end of each fall/spring/interim. Summer checks: Opportunity 2.00 (<24 hrs), 2.30 (24-47), 2.50 (48+); Performance/Honors/Excellence 3.00. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
displacementNo published displacement order
Southeastern'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.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Southeastern
The page carries an Important Notice: Spring 2026 first-time freshmen are evaluated under PRIOR scholarship requirements; the published grid takes effect beginning Summer/Fall 2026.
Qualifying ACT/SAT scores must be EARNED by the July test date immediately after graduation, and all qualifying GPAs and scores must be RECEIVED by Southeastern on or before August 1 after graduation; priority goes to applications submitted by January 15 of senior year.
Housing supplements 'are only available to students who continuously live on campus beginning with their first semester of enrollment' — a gap in on-campus living ends the $1,000-$3,000/year supplement.
The Southeastern Honors Scholarship 'is comprised of an award that goes towards university fees plus a housing supplement' — it is structured against fees and housing, not a free-use stipend.
Awards are made 'on a funds available basis, subject to change' — late applicants risk exhausted funds even with qualifying stats.
Per the TOPS page, students eligible for both must accept the institutional National Guard tuition waiver and will receive a reduced TOPS award.
The TOPS page warns 'TOPS can only be used within one year of high school graduation.'
TOPS retention requires 24 earned hours per academic year, full-time enrollment on the 15th class day each semester, continuous fall/spring enrollment, and award-specific GPA floors (3.0 for Performance/Honors/Excellence at summer checks).
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Freshmen with a 24+ ACT composite (or 26+ superscore) and 3.0 six-semester GPA who apply by January 15; students who plan to live on campus from day one capture the housing supplement, and superscorers get an unusually friendly grid.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $23,392 for Not labeled on page (current COA page as of 2026-06-07; see Section C). Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Southeastern, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Southeastern, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$10,507
$30,001–$48,000
$10,309
$48,001–$75,000
$12,380
$75,001–$110,000
$16,672
$110,001+
$18,184
All income levels (average)
$13,154
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$8,373
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$20,851
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$13,154
That works out to roughly a 44% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $23,604 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Southeastern 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
45%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
73%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$22,113 (~$234/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$46,482
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
43%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
40%
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.
Full-time first-time freshmen; qualifying scores by the July test date after graduation; all qualifying GPAs/scores received by August 1 after graduation; priority to applications by January 15 of senior year; awarded on a funds-available basis. NOTE: these criteria take effect Summer/Fall 2026 (Spring 2026 entrants use prior criteria).
Renewal terms
All scholarships are awarded for eight continuous semesters provided retention requirements are met. (Specific retention GPA/credit requirements are not published on this page.) Housing supplements are only available to students who continuously live on campus beginning with their first semester of enrollment.
Notes
Page states Southeastern 'automatically awards freshman scholarships based on a six-semester high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores' — marked automatic, though awards are 'on a funds available basis, subject to change.' The award is described as going toward university fees plus a housing supplement.
$1,000…$1,000 ($500 Fall; $500 Spring) — first year only
Dual Enrollment 15+ Completion Award
Application
View requirements+
Eligibility
Completion of 15+ Southeastern dual enrollment credits with grade of 'C' or better; full-time enrollment at Southeastern the first Fall after high school graduation; contingent on availability of funds
Notes
Supplementary award stackable on top of the Honors Scholarship (published as an additional award for the first year).
Louisiana state program via LOSFA; complete the FAFSA by July 1 each year; award letter from LOSFA in late June/early July; TOPS can only be used within one year of high school graduation
Renewal terms
Each semester: full-time enrollment on the 15th class day; 24 credit hours by end of academic year; continuous fall/spring enrollment; required GPA per award; 2.0 cumulative GPA at end of each fall/spring/interim. Summer checks: Opportunity 2.00 (<24 hrs), 2.30 (24-47), 2.50 (48+); Performance/Honors/Excellence 3.00.
Notes
Students eligible for both an institutional National Guard tuition waiver and TOPS must accept the waiver and receive a reduced TOPS National Guard award ($600-$2,600/year).
No general institutional stacking or outside-scholarship displacement policy was published on the pages opened. One specific stacking rule is published: students eligible for both an institutional Louisiana National Guard tuition waiver and TOPS must accept the waiver and receive a reduced TOPS award. The Dual Enrollment award is explicitly described as a supplementary award ('can also receive'), implying it adds to the freshman scholarship.
TOPS page: 'Students eligible for both institutional National Guard tuition waivers and TOPS awards must accept the institutional National Guard tuition waiver. If you are eligible for National Guard and TOPS, you will receive a reduced TOPS award.' No page opened addresses private/outside scholarship treatment.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountAmount not published ('Eligibility criteria and award amounts vary')EligibilityPrivate donor awards sponsored by private organizations, industry, the Alumni Association, and the Southeastern Foundation
Applications via selu.academicworks.com (the landing page links the portal for the 2025-2026 year).
Priority is given to applications submitted by January 15 of the student's high school senior year. Qualifying test scores must be earned by the July test date after graduation and received (with GPAs) by August 1. For TOPS, complete the FAFSA by July 1 each year.
Is the freshman scholarship automatic?
Yes — Southeastern states it 'automatically awards freshman scholarships' based on six-semester GPA and ACT/SAT scores, but on a funds-available basis, subject to change.
Does Southeastern superscore the ACT?
Yes — the grid publishes a separate ACT Super Score column: 26-28 superscore earns the $2,500 tier, 29-31 the $3,750 tier, and 32+ the $4,000 tier.
How long does the scholarship last?
Eight continuous semesters, provided retention requirements are met (the specific retention GPA/credit thresholds are not published on the freshman scholarships page — ask the aid office).
What do National Merit students get?
The Southeastern Merit Award: $1,000/semester for 8 semesters for National Merit finalists or semifinalists, upon submitting proof of standing to the Office of Financial Aid.
How Southeastern compares across our verified dataset
135 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use unclear or unpublished displacement.
Southeastern is in a recognizable cluster (135 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
135 of 750 verified schools publish no clear displacement order.
Southeastern is one of them. The right move is the aid-office email script below, not a guess.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Southeastern is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Southeastern’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
