The starting point
SUNY Potsdam automatically considers every admitted student (HS GPA 88/100+, valid FAFSA) for named merit scholarships — Provost, Dean's, and St. Lawrence Academy — but publishes NO dollar amounts for them; awards are applied to non-tuition costs only, capped at room-rent charges, and require living on campus.
More than one award path. Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 6 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Freshman Merit Scholarships (Provost, Dean's, St. Lawrence Academy)
Amounts not published · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Minimum 88 on a 100-point HS scale (or equivalent)
Eligibility: Accepted to SUNY Potsdam; valid FAFSA on file (not required for international students); MUST live on campus to receive the award; awarded first-come, first-served and as funding allows
Renewal: Up to eight semesters of consecutive full-time study; the freshman scholarships page states recipients 'must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA each year of study.' (The scholarship-policy page lists a 2.5 cumulative GPA renewal floor and a 30% reduction for first-time students entering Fall 2025 who move off campus in years 3-4 — see notes/Section C for the conflict.)
Other terms: Automatic on stats: 'Students who are accepted to SUNY Potsdam are automatically considered for merit scholarships; no scholarship application is required.' The 2026 Merit Scholarship/Grant Rules page names the programs (Provost Scholarship, Dean's Scholarship, St. Lawrence Academy (SLA) Scholarship) but DOES NOT publish dollar amounts. CRITICAL: awards 'are deducted from non-tuition educational costs' and a recipient's scholarship 'cannot exceed the cost of room rent charges' — so the award reduces housing/meals, not tuition, and is functionally void for a commuter. No dollar figure could be sourced; do not infer one.
https://www.potsdam.edu/admissions/financial-aid/types-aid/scholarships
St. Lawrence Academy (SLA) Grant
Amounts not published · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Minimum 88 on a 100-point HS scale (or equivalent), same as merit consideration
Eligibility: Student Aid Index (SAI) of $15,000 or less; valid FAFSA; MUST live on campus
Renewal: SLA Grant recipients must 'maintain good satisfactory academic standing per federal guidelines' (not the 3.0 merit-scholarship GPA). Same up-to-eight-semesters and live-on-campus conditions apply.
Other terms: This is a need/SAI-tested grant, not pure merit — included because it is awarded on the same automatic, no-application basis as the merit scholarships and is the only one of the four named programs with a published quantitative eligibility threshold (SAI <= $15,000). No award dollar amount is published. Like the merit scholarships, it is deducted from non-tuition costs and capped at room-rent charges.
https://www.potsdam.edu/admissions/financial-aid/types-aid/scholarships
Transfer Merit Scholarship
Amounts not published · Published award terms
Recorded as automatic on academic criteria; all conditions apply.
GPA: Minimum 3.25 college GPA on a 4.0 scale
Eligibility: Accepted as a transfer; valid FAFSA on file; must choose to live on campus; first-come, first-served as funding allows
Renewal: Up to four semesters of consecutive full-time study; maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Must choose to live on campus to receive the award.
Other terms: Automatic consideration on the 3.25 college GPA — no separate application. No dollar amount is published. Same non-tuition-cost / live-on-campus mechanics as the freshman awards.
https://www.potsdam.edu/admissions/financial-aid/types-aid/scholarships
