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St. Olaf award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at St. Olaf?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

6 of 6 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers
6 of 6
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
3
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

St. Olaf's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • Academic Scholarships (Buntrock, Regents, Presidential, Dean's, Faculty, St. Olaf): See notes
  • Campus Living Scholarship: See notes
  • Transfer Student Scholarships: 2.0 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

  • Academic Scholarships (Buntrock, Regents, Presidential, Dean's, Faculty, St. Olaf)

    $17,000-$34,000

    Entry requirements: No minimum set GPA · Test-optional; considered if submitted SAT · Test-optional; considered if submitted ACT

    To keep it: Renews automatically with Satisfactory Academic Progress — generally a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and completing at least 67% of courses. GPA checked once a year in June. If lost on GPA and grades improve, the scholarship can be reinstated.

    Source: https://wp.stolaf.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/

  • Campus Living Scholarship

    $3,000-$4,000

    To keep it: Tied to living on campus with a meal plan; would be forfeited if the student moves off campus.

    Source: https://wp.stolaf.edu/financialaid/merit-scholarships/

  • Transfer Student Scholarships

    $5,000-$35,000

    To keep it: Subject to the same Satisfactory Academic Progress renewal (2.0 GPA, 67% completion).

    Source: https://wp.stolaf.edu/financialaid/merit-scholarships/

How families lose this aid

  • Forgetting the Campus Living Scholarship requires living on campus with a meal plan

    The $3,000-$4,000 Campus Living Scholarship is only payable to students who live on campus AND have a meal plan; move off campus and you lose it.

  • Overlooking the renewal SAP requirement

    Merit scholarships renew automatically only if you make Satisfactory Academic Progress — generally a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and completing at least 67% of your courses, checked each June. Falling below can cost the scholarship (though students with demonstrated need typically have it replaced with need-based aid).

  • Trying to predict your award from a GPA/test grid

    St. Olaf explicitly does NOT set minimum criteria and evaluates holistically, so there is no published grid; the academic award is determined by an individual review and stated in your admission letter.

Renewal questions families ask

How do I keep my scholarship?
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress — generally a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and completing at least 67% of your courses, reviewed each June.

Rules that bite at St. Olaf

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from St. Olaf's own tier rules and not generic advice.

  • Renewal ruleCampus Living Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Tied to living on campus with a meal plan; would be forfeited if the student moves off campus. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How St. Olaf compares across our verified dataset

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

    St. Olaf 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    St. Olaf is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against St. Olaf’s own published materials.

More on St. Olaf merit aid