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Southern Nazarene (SNU) scholarships and merit aid

The short answer

Southern Nazarene (SNU) 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 Jun 2026
3 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. Academic Scholarships (general merit)Amount not publishedNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Academic Scholarships (general merit)

    Amount not published

    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 Academic Scholarships (general merit)

    Who qualifies

    Based on a student's ACT/SAT score and final high school GPA; SNU directs families to call Admissions (405) 491-6324 or Financial Assistance (405) 491-6310 for specifics. Full-time traditional students only.

    Worth knowing

    No public grid. The page still carries a note that 'Academic scholarships for 2019-20 have been updated' — stale text; current amounts must be confirmed by phone/email.

  2. Kairos Scholars — Top Award (Full-Ride)Full tuition, general fees, room & board (stated value 'more than 138,000 over 4 years')Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Kairos Scholars — Top Award (Full-Ride)

    Full tuition, general fees, room & board (stated value 'more than 138,000 over 4 years')

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

    GPA
    3.5 minimum high school GPA
    SAT
    1390+
    ACT
    30+
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Kairos Scholars — Top Award (Full-Ride)

    Who qualifies

    Admission to SNU; Kairos application with résumé, recommendation letter, and two 500-1,000-word essays; invitation-only interview (March 6, 2026); FAFSA by January 30, 2026 (SNU code 003149)

    How to keep it

    Limited to 17 hours per semester for eight semesters; does not apply to December or summer terms; 'A minimum GPA requirement will remain in effect to avoid interruption of the award' (GPA threshold not published).

    Worth knowing

    One Top Award. Student's only expenses: books, applicable course fees, private room fees. Government/state aid is applied first and Kairos 'will fill any remaining gap to meet the full amount promised.'

  3. Kairos Scholars — Full-Tuition Awards (3)Full tuition (stated value 'more than $108,000 over 4 years')Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Kairos Scholars — Full-Tuition Awards (3)

    Full tuition (stated value 'more than $108,000 over 4 years')

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

    GPA
    3.5 minimum high school GPA
    SAT
    1390+
    ACT
    30+
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Kairos Scholars — Full-Tuition Awards (3)

    Who qualifies

    Same application/interview process; documents due 11:59 p.m. February 9, 2026 (application opens October 15, 2025)

    How to keep it

    Same terms as Top Award: 17 hours/semester for eight semesters; unspecified minimum GPA to avoid interruption.

    Worth knowing

    'All finalists invited to the Kairos Event will receive a generous scholarship' (amount unstated for non-winners).

  4. Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS)$1,500 (awarded $750 a semester)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS)

    $1,500 (awarded $750 a semester)

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

    GPA
    3.4 minimum on 6-semester transcript
    ACT
    23
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS)

    Who qualifies

    Incoming freshmen/transfers for 2026-2027; FAFSA submitted to SNU (code 003149); service commitments — ~2 hours/week as SNU Ambassador, four mandatory leadership trainings per semester; application closes Friday, February 20

    How to keep it

    Can be renewed for up to four years for incoming freshmen; 'All are contingent upon review'; specifics live in the scholarship contract.

    Worth knowing

    Scholarship applies 'toward tuition, fees, and/or housing.' This is a work/service-linked leadership award, not pure merit.

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What makes Southern Nazarene (SNU) different

DRAFT: SNU's headline merit is the competitive Kairos Scholars program (one full ride + three full-tuition awards at 3.5 GPA / 30 ACT / 1390 SAT), backed by an unpublished ACT/SAT+GPA academic grid and a hard 'actual charges' cap that trims institutional aid when other scholarships exceed billed costs.

Merit tiers4See who qualifies
Research checkedJun 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 Southern Nazarene (SNU)'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. SNU's awarding policy reduces its own institutional scholarships whenever all scholarships and grants (other than Pell) exceed actual charges (tuition, covered fees, room & board, books) — extra outside money above that line displaces SNU aid rather than adding value.

  2. 'No institutional funds will be refunded to off campus students,' and outside funds (including Pell) are allowed only up to the equivalent of a double-occupancy dorm room and 15-meal plan; the policy also warns that 'if... living arrangements change, an adjustment will be made to your award package.'

  3. It is a gap-filler: 'After completing the FAFSA, all government/state aid will be applied to the student's account. The Kairos Scholars award will fill any remaining gap to meet the full amount promised' — other aid reduces the Kairos disbursement, not your bottom line.

  4. 'The Kairos Scholars award is limited to 17 hours per semester for eight semesters. This scholarship does not apply to December or summer terms,' and even the full-ride excludes books, course fees, and private-room fees.

  5. For Fall 2026 entry: application opened October 15, 2025; all documents due 11:59 p.m. February 9, 2026; FAFSA due January 30, 2026; invitation-only interview March 6, 2026. The Kairos GPA renewal threshold is unpublished ('A minimum GPA requirement will remain in effect') — get it in writing.

  6. SNU prices general academic merit from ACT/SAT and final HS GPA but publishes no amounts — the page even retains a '2019-20' update note — so families must phone for current figures and confirm them in the official award letter.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: High scorers (30+ ACT / 1390+ SAT, 3.5+ GPA) willing to interview should target Kairos; everyone else gets an academic award priced by phone (no public grid); service-minded students can add the $1,500 PLS ambassadorship.

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Southern Nazarene (SNU), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Southern Nazarene (SNU), academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$18,931
$30,001–$48,000$18,323
$48,001–$75,000$22,590
$75,001–$110,000$27,082
$110,001+$27,434
All income levels (average)$22,084

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Total cost of attendance (sticker), AY 2021-22
$46,465
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$31,190
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$22,084

That works out to an average 52% discount off the sticker price above — both figures come from the same federal AY 2021-22 Scorecard report, not a number the school itself published.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
51%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
73%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,900 (~$232/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$54,951
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
50%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
62%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

SNU caps total scholarships and grants (other than Pell) at ACTUAL CHARGES (tuition, covered fees, room & board, books): if combined awards exceed actual charges, SNU's institutional scholarships are reduced first. Off-campus students get no institutional refund and may use outside funds (including Pell) only up to the equivalent of a double dorm room + 15-meal plan. For Kairos, government/state aid is applied first and the award gap-fills to the promised amount.

Verbatim policy below. Note the cap is 'actual charges,' not full cost of attendance, and Pell is excluded from the cap calculation. Outside awards above the cap therefore displace SNU institutional scholarships dollar-for-dollar. Covered fees include general, health, and course fees but NOT health insurance, class trip fees, or travel fees.

Source

Other Southern Nazarene (SNU) scholarships worth checking

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

AmountAmount variesEligibilityStudents preparing for, or in, active ministry

Endowed/restricted fund on the scholarships page.

Source

AmountAmount variesEligibilityGraduate-level School of Theology & Ministry students; preference for full-time ministry track; 2.5 GPA; verifiable need

Graduate award (listed for completeness).

Source

Southern Nazarene (SNU) merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    Kairos Scholars (Fall 2026): all documents by 11:59 p.m. February 9, 2026 (application opened October 15, 2025), FAFSA by January 30, 2026, interview March 6, 2026. Presidential Leadership Scholars: application closes Friday, February 20 (notification week of March 16, 2026). General academic scholarships have no published application deadline.

  • What does the Kairos full ride cover?

    'Full tuition, general fees, room & board. Student's only expenses are books, applicable course fees, and private room fees.' Three additional winners receive full tuition only.

  • Can I keep outside scholarships on top of SNU aid?

    Only up to actual charges: if all scholarships and grants (other than Pell) exceed tuition, covered fees, room & board, and books, SNU reduces its institutional scholarships to stay within actual charges.

  • What stats does Kairos require?

    Minimum 3.5 high school GPA plus a 30+ ACT or 1390+ SAT, an admitted application to SNU, a résumé, a recommendation letter, and two essays.

See sources and other schools

How Southern Nazarene (SNU) compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Southern Nazarene (SNU) is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    Southern Nazarene (SNU) 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 Southern Nazarene (SNU)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Southern Nazarene (SNU) merit aid

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