Stonehill Merit Aid

1. Assuming the Catholic High School Scholarship stacks on top of the Shields/Stonehill/Founders merit awards.+

   The Catholic HS Scholarship is its own program — a student who is part of another Stonehill scholarship or grant program is not eligible for it. You receive one Stonehill merit pathway, not several added together.

2. Expecting a published dollar figure for the Shields Merit, Stonehill Scholarship, or Founders Award.+

   Stonehill names these three admission-time merit awards but does not publish their amounts. Eligibility is 'established on an individual basis,' so the exact figure only appears in your admission/aid offer — ask the office rather than assuming.

3. Planning to commute to save money without expecting the merit award to shrink.+

   A change in residency status from resident to commuter reduces the merit scholarship by approximately 20%, because cost of attendance is one of the factors that sizes the award.

4. Budgeting only to tuition ($60,610) or the billed total ($79,960).+

   The 2026-2027 estimated cost of attendance for a resident is $82,460; on top of billed tuition, general service fee, and food & housing, it adds indirect costs (books ~$893, personal ~$867, transportation ~$675, federal loan fees ~$65).

5. Recruited Division I athletes counting on the merit commitment.+

   Division I recruited student-athletes are not eligible for the merit commitment (including the Catholic HS Scholarship) because of athletics-related aid.

Catholic-high-school graduates who want a large, automatic, no-application merit floor at a Holy Cross liberal-arts college; strong applicants from any high school can still earn the (unpublished-amount) Shields Merit, Stonehill, or Founders awards at admission.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $82,460 for 2026-2027. Source

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.

Outside/private scholarships are applied loan-first: students must report all private scholarships, and Stonehill reduces SEOG/Perkins-MASS NIL loans, then Federal Work-Study, then the Federal Direct Loan, in that order. Stonehill's own gift aid is protected and is only cut if total gift aid exceeds federal need or billed costs (a billed-cost / need cap overlay).

From the Award Guidelines: students must notify Student Financial Services of all private scholarships so any effect on awarded resources can be determined. If federal regulations require an adjustment, the College eliminates/reduces 1) SEOG then Perkins/MASS NIL Loans, 2) Federal Work-Study, then 3) Federal Direct Student Loan, in that order. Stonehill gift aid is not reduced unless total gift aid exceeds federal need or billed costs. Note the three named admission merit awards and the Catholic High School Scholarship are mutually exclusive programs (you hold one, not several Stonehill merit awards at once).

Source

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

• Do I have to apply separately for the Catholic High School Scholarship?

  No. Upon acceptance, all graduates from Catholic high schools in the United States automatically receive it; a separate application is not required unless you are also seeking need-based aid. It is worth a minimum of $25,000 (up to $40,000) per year.

• How much are the Shields Merit, Stonehill, and Founders awards?

  Stonehill names all three as merit scholarships awarded at the time of admission (beginning with the class of 2026) but does not publish their dollar amounts. The amount is set on an individual basis from academic achievement, class rank, curriculum rigor, and your resident-vs-commuter status, so confirm your figure in your admission/aid offer.

• What GPA do I need to keep my Stonehill merit scholarship?

  All merit-based awards are renewable for up to four years as long as you maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 and Satisfactory Academic Progress, with continuous full-time enrollment for a maximum of eight semesters.

• If I win an outside scholarship, does it cut my Stonehill merit money?

  Not first. You must report all private scholarships. If an adjustment is required, Stonehill reduces SEOG/Perkins-NIL loans, then Federal Work-Study, then the Federal Direct Loan, in that order. Your Stonehill gift aid is only reduced if your total gift aid exceeds federal need or billed costs.

• Boston College merit aid — Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Gordon College merit aid — Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Northeastern merit aid — Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Bentley merit aid — Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

• Stonehill scholarship stacking — Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
• Does Stonehill displace outside scholarships? — The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.
• Stonehill four-year renewal rules — GPA floors, credit-hour pace, and the renewal cliffs that knock awards out by sophomore year.