Skip to content

Southeastern scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$23,392per year · Not labeled on page (current COA page as of 2026-06-07; see Section C) · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Southeastern is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 4 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
5 school sources to explore

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

Step 1 of comparing your list

Check the rules that could cut this.

Check Southeastern free in 30 seconds. Then see how it ranks against the rest of your list.

Checking merit aid at Southeastern

We’ll email you this result and a few short merit-aid pointers. We store score ranges only, never your student’s name. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy policy.

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. The Southeastern Honors Scholarship (fees award + housing supplement)$2,500-$4,000/year scholarship + $1,000-$3,000/year housing supplement (by ACT tier)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    The Southeastern Honors Scholarship (fees award + housing supplement)

    $2,500-$4,000/year scholarship + $1,000-$3,000/year housing supplement (by ACT tier)

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.0 six-semester cumulative high school GPA (through junior year)
    SAT
    SAT accepted (page references ACT/SAT scores; grid published in ACT terms)
    ACT
    24+ composite (tiers: 24-26, 27-29, 30+) OR superscore 26+ (tiers: 26-28, 29-31, 32+)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for The Southeastern Honors Scholarship (fees award + housing supplement)

    Who qualifies

    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).

    How to keep it

    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.

    Worth knowing

    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.

  2. Southeastern Merit Award (National Merit)$1,000/semester for 8 semesters ($8,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Southeastern Merit Award (National Merit)

    $1,000/semester for 8 semesters ($8,000 total)

    Published award termsNot 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 Southeastern Merit Award (National Merit)

    Who qualifies

    National Merit finalist or semifinalist standing; must submit proof of standing to the Office of Financial Aid

  3. Dual Enrollment 15+ Completion Award$1,000 ($500 Fall; $500 Spring) — first year onlyNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Dual Enrollment 15+ Completion Award

    $1,000 ($500 Fall; $500 Spring) — first year only

    Published award termsNot 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.

    Open award details for Dual Enrollment 15+ Completion Award

    Who qualifies

    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

    Worth knowing

    Supplementary award stackable on top of the Honors Scholarship (published as an additional award for the first year).

  4. TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) — Louisiana state award hosted at Southeastern$5,652.21/year (Opportunity) to $9,043.00/year (Excellence; $9,203.00 in High Cost Programs); Honors $6,452.21; Performance $6,052.21; TOPS Tech $2,380.00 (amounts include potential stipends)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) — Louisiana state award hosted at Southeastern

    $5,652.21/year (Opportunity) to $9,043.00/year (Excellence; $9,203.00 in High Cost Programs); Honors $6,452.21; Performance $6,052.21; TOPS Tech $2,380.00 (amounts include potential stipends)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    2.5 (Opportunity/Tech), 3.25 (Performance), 3.5 (Honors/Excellence)
    ACT
    20 (Opportunity), 23 (Performance), 27 (Honors), 31 (Excellence), 17 (Tech)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) — Louisiana state award hosted at Southeastern

    Who qualifies

    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

    How to keep it

    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.

    Worth knowing

    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).

Lights up against Southeastern's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

This page covers one school.

Your playbook does this for every school on your list, sorted by what you’d pay.

Ready in under 10 minutes. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get my playbook$79
  • Secure payment through Stripe
  • “it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa

The fine print

Renewal ruleTOPS (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.

Outside awardsNo 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.

What makes Southeastern different

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.

Merit tiers41 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  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 Southeastern's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Awards are made 'on a funds available basis, subject to change' — late applicants risk exhausted funds even with qualifying stats.

  6. Per the TOPS page, students eligible for both must accept the institutional National Guard tuition waiver and will receive a reduced TOPS award.

  7. The TOPS page warns 'TOPS can only be used within one year of high school graduation.'

  8. 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).

See costs and school data

Who this school may work 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.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $23,392 for Not labeled on page (current COA page as of 2026-06-07; see Section C). Source

Cost and graduation facts

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 incomeAverage 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%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

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.

Source

Other Southeastern scholarships worth checking

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

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityStudents enrolled in teacher preparation or alternate certification programs

State program listed on the State Scholarships page; detail page not opened.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityMembers of the Louisiana National Guard attending a Louisiana public postsecondary institution

Interacts with TOPS (see stacking policy).

Source

Southeastern merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    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.

See sources and other schools

How Southeastern compares

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

    Southeastern 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.

    Southeastern 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Southeastern merit aid

The next chapter

Where does Southeastern fit in your plan?

You have the school’s rules. Now put them in the context of your student and the rest of your list.

  1. Check your student’s numbers, free
  2. Explore another school
  3. See how the research becomes a plan

Ready to work through your whole list? Get my playbook

Inside the sample

Jordan’s playbook

Same student.
Four schools.
Four very different bills.

An illustrative student profile, with a school order, scholarship research and a to-do list. Open the sample to see how it works.

Open the sample playbook