Do I have to apply separately for the Presidential Scholarship?

No. All admitted new incoming first-year students are automatically considered; it is merit-based and awarded through the Office of Admissions with no additional application. You qualify with a 24 ACT or a 2.6+ cumulative high-school GPA on a 4.0 scale.

How much is the Presidential Scholarship and is it renewable?

It is $2,500, $1,500, $750, or $500 per year. The official page does not say which stats earn which amount. It is renewable for up to four years pending SCSU GPA and course completion (the exact renewal GPA is not published).

What is the deadline for the Huskies Scholarships?

For 2026-27 the single foundation application ran February 2 through March 15, 2026, and offers must be accepted with the required questionnaire before June 7, 2026 or they may be forfeited. One application covers more than 450 scholarships.

St. Cloud State· Renewal Rules

Keeping St. Cloud State’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 Jun 20264 days ago· CC

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 3 of 3
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 3
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

St. Cloud State'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.

Presidential Scholarship: See notes
Be A Husky Rate (out-of-state tuition match): See notes
Huskies Scholarships (SCSU Foundation, single application): See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Presidential Scholarship
$2,500, $1,500, $750, or $500 per year
Entry requirements: 2.6 cumulative high school GPA or above on a 4.0 scale GPA · 24 ACT
To keep it: Renewable for up to four years pending SCSU GPA and course completion. The exact renewal GPA and credit-completion threshold are not published on the page.
Source: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/scsu4u/financing/scholarships.aspx
Be A Husky Rate (out-of-state tuition match)
Amount varies (tuition reduced to match Minnesota in-state rate)
To keep it: Functions as a tuition rate rather than a fixed-dollar scholarship; applies to out-of-state students for the duration they pay the matched in-state rate. Specific renewal conditions not published on the page.
Source: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/scsu4u/financing/scholarships.aspx
Huskies Scholarships (SCSU Foundation, single application)
Amount not published (more than 450 scholarships; individual amounts not listed)
To keep it: Renewal terms vary by individual foundation scholarship and are not published on the program landing page.
Source: https://www.stcloudstate.edu/huskiesscholarships/

How families lose this aid

Assuming you know which Presidential Scholarship dollar amount you'll get.
The official page lists four amounts ($2,500, $1,500, $750, $500) and the qualifying floor (24 ACT or 2.6 HS GPA) but does NOT publish which stat bands map to which amount. Budget conservatively until the admissions award letter states your specific amount.
Missing the Huskies Scholarships window.
The single foundation application for 450+ awards ran February 2-March 15, 2026 for 2026-27, and any offer must be accepted with the questionnaire before June 7, 2026 or it may be forfeited. Auto-consideration for the Presidential Scholarship through admissions is separate from this application.
Budgeting only to tuition.
2026-27 tuition is $9,960/year for Minnesota/reciprocity residents, but the full estimated cost of attendance is $28,412/year once fees, housing and meals ($11,306), books, transportation, and personal expenses are added. Living with parents reduces the budget by $2,975 per semester.

Renewal questions families ask

Do I have to apply separately for the Presidential Scholarship?: No. All admitted new incoming first-year students are automatically considered; it is merit-based and awarded through the Office of Admissions with no additional application. You qualify with a 24 ACT or a 2.6+ cumulative high-school GPA on a 4.0 scale.
How much is the Presidential Scholarship and is it renewable?: It is $2,500, $1,500, $750, or $500 per year. The official page does not say which stats earn which amount. It is renewable for up to four years pending SCSU GPA and course completion (the exact renewal GPA is not published).
What is the deadline for the Huskies Scholarships?: For 2026-27 the single foundation application ran February 2 through March 15, 2026, and offers must be accepted with the required questionnaire before June 7, 2026 or they may be forfeited. One application covers more than 450 scholarships.

How St. Cloud State compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
St. Cloud State 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 renewal claim is checked against St. Cloud State’s own published materials.