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Susquehanna scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$82,300per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Susquehanna 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
2 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 (First-Year)$40,000-$44,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Academic Scholarships (First-Year)

    $40,000-$44,000

    Published rangeNot 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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Academic Scholarships (First-Year)

    Who qualifies

    Awarded on a competitive basis from an assessment of academic achievement and potential; no separate application required.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for eight regular academic terms; reviewed annually by the Scholarship Selection Committee; must meet GPA requirements, be a responsible member of the community, and enroll full-time.

    Worth knowing

    Awarded without regard to family income. No published GPA/test grid — holistic.

  2. Transfer Scholarships$40,000-$44,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Transfer Scholarships

    $40,000-$44,000

    Published rangeNot 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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Transfer Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Outstanding academic achievement in previous college work.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to eight regular academic terms (university scholarship renewal policy).

    Worth knowing

    Community-college transfers in Phi Theta Kappa receive a $5,000 scholarship in addition to the merit award; transfers with an associate degree receive an additional $2,500 (matriculation-timing restrictions apply — dual-enrollment associate degrees not eligible).

  3. Alumni Scholarships$2,500Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Alumni Scholarships

    $2,500

    Published amountNot 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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Alumni Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Children, stepchildren or grandchildren of Susquehanna alumni.

    How to keep it

    Annual award; standard university scholarship renewal applies.

    Worth knowing

    Awarded in addition to any other merit scholarship.

  4. Janet Weis Writers Institute Scholarship$5,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Janet Weis Writers Institute Scholarship

    $5,000

    Published amountNot 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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Janet Weis Writers Institute Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    First-year creative writing majors; based on quality of writing portfolio (submit a 5–10 page portfolio within two weeks of applying, no later than Feb. 15).

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to four years with full-time enrollment as a creative writing major and a 3.2 GPA in the major.

    Worth knowing

    Ten awards. The Bundy Scholarship may also be awarded if funding is available. These awards are in addition to merit scholarships but MAY NOT EXCEED the total cost of tuition.

  5. The Lawrence M. & Louise Kresge Isaacs Scholarship for Music$4,000-$12,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    The Lawrence M. & Louise Kresge Isaacs Scholarship for Music

    $4,000-$12,000

    Published rangeNot 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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for The Lawrence M. & Louise Kresge Isaacs Scholarship for Music

    Who qualifies

    Exceptional music major; by audition.

    Worth knowing

    Annual award.

  6. Music Scholarships$1,000-$5,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Music Scholarships

    $1,000-$5,000

    Published rangeNot 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 Music Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Outstanding music students; by audition.

    Worth knowing

    Performance scholarships.

  7. International Student Merit ScholarshipsUp to $45,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    International Student Merit Scholarships

    Up to $45,000

    Variable or qualified amountNot 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 International Student Merit Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    International applicants; automatically considered on completion of the application. Submitting SAT/ACT scores helps maximize the award. Sponsored students not eligible.

    Worth knowing

    Partial-tuition only — the page states applicants can receive up to a $45,000 (USD) merit scholarship and that full scholarships are NOT available. No need-based aid for international students.

  8. Lutheran Summer Music Alumni Scholarship$1,000Not automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Lutheran Summer Music Alumni Scholarship

    $1,000

    Published amountNot 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 Lutheran Summer Music Alumni Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Lutheran Summer Music alumni who are admitted and complete a music audition.

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The fine print

Renewal ruleAcademic Scholarships (First-Year): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Renewable for eight regular academic terms; reviewed annually by the Scholarship Selection Committee; must meet GPA requirements, be a responsible member of the community, and enroll full-time. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes Susquehanna different

Every admitted student is automatically considered for a competitive academic merit scholarship of $40,000–$44,000/yr (no separate application), but the awards are holistic — Susquehanna publishes no GPA/test grid.

Merit tiers8See 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 Susquehanna'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. Susquehanna publishes only a $40,000–$44,000 first-year range and states awards are 'based upon an assessment of each admitted student's academic achievement and potential' on a competitive basis — there is no published grid, so the exact amount cannot be predicted from stats.

  2. Outside scholarships are 'used first to offset equal amounts of loans and/or work-study awards' — they reduce self-help (loans/work-study) first rather than adding cash savings beyond it.

  3. The page states these add-on awards 'may not exceed the total cost of tuition,' so the combined institutional award is capped at tuition.

  4. Each of those $2,000 grants explicitly excludes students awarded Tuition Exchange or Tuition Remission.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong-but-holistic applicants (no minimum GPA/test cutoff is published) who want a high sticker-discount automatically; creative-writing and music students who can add portfolio/audition awards on top.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $82,300 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Susquehanna, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$19,757
$30,001–$48,000$18,493
$48,001–$75,000$21,171
$75,001–$110,000$24,190
$110,001+$33,866
All income levels (average)$28,819

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$59,850
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$28,819

That works out to roughly a 62% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $75,410 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
82%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$61,723
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
27%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
70%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships are applied first to reduce loans and/or work-study (loan-first treatment), not to displace the merit grant. University scholarship + grant aid is capped at eight semesters. Named endowed (need-based) awards may be exchanged dollar-for-dollar with need-based aid. Add-on awards such as the Janet Weis writing scholarships may not exceed the total cost of tuition.

Per the scholarships page: outside scholarships 'will be incorporated into financial aid packages and will be used first to offset equal amounts of loans and/or work-study awards.' Susquehanna-funded aid (scholarship and grant) is limited to a maximum of eight semesters. Need-based awards may be exchanged dollar for dollar with named endowed scholarships.

Source

Other Susquehanna scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$5,000EligibilityCommunity college transfer students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa.

In addition to the merit award.

Source

Amount$2,500EligibilityTransfer students with an associate degree (must have matriculated to community college after high school graduation; dual-enrollment associate degrees not eligible).

In addition to the academic merit scholarship.

Source

Amount$2,500EligibilityDependent children of ordained Lutheran clergy.

Per year.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityFirst-year students who apply and are admitted by Dec. 1, 2025 ($8,000 over four years).

Students awarded Tuition Exchange or Tuition Remission are not eligible.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityEligible students who visit campus (Spring & Fall 2027 first-years: visit Jan. 5–Nov. 21, 2026); $8,000 over four years.

Students awarded Tuition Exchange or Tuition Remission are not eligible.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityEligible students who file the FAFSA (entering fall first-years file by March 15); renewable if FAFSA filed annually (school code 003369).

Students awarded Tuition Exchange or Tuition Remission are not eligible.

Source

AmountFull tuitionEligibilityChildren of full-time faculty/staff at ~600 participating colleges; selection based on academic credentials.

Several awarded each year; excludes the Early Admit/Visit/FAFSA grants.

Source

Susquehanna merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

    No. The page states students are 'automatically considered for scholarships through Susquehanna and cannot apply directly for them.' The only exceptions are music auditions and the creative-writing portfolio.

  • What is the creative-writing scholarship deadline?

    Submit a 5- to 10-page portfolio within two weeks of applying, and no later than Feb. 15.

  • When must I apply to get the Early Admit Grant?

    First-year students who apply and are admitted by Dec. 1, 2025 receive the $2,000/yr Early Admit Grant ($8,000 over four years).

  • How long do scholarships renew?

    All university scholarships can be renewed for eight regular academic terms, subject to GPA requirements, full-time enrollment, and annual review by the Scholarship Selection Committee.

See sources and other schools

How Susquehanna compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Susquehanna is in a recognizable cluster (145 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.

    Susquehanna 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 Susquehanna’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Susquehanna merit aid

The next chapter

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