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Sweet Briar scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$45,660per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Sweet Briar 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
4 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

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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. Merit Scholarships (automatic consideration)Amount not publishedNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Merit Scholarships (automatic consideration)

    Amount not published

    Published award termsNot 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 Merit Scholarships (automatic consideration)

    Who qualifies

    Based on GPA, academic achievement and other criteria; all applicants automatically considered during application review

    How to keep it

    Sweet Briar merit awards are renewable based on the GPA stated in your merit scholarship letter.

    Worth knowing

    No dollar amounts or GPA/test grid are published. The College points prospective students to its Scholarship Calculator / Net Price Calculator for an estimate. Automatic CONSIDERATION is stated, but no page states an award is automatically granted at a fixed amount from stats, so automaticOnStats is set false.

  2. SBCommitment ScholarshipFull tuitionNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    SBCommitment Scholarship

    Full tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.5 GPA or higher
    Open award details for SBCommitment Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Pell Grant–eligible; Virginia resident; domestic, first-time, first-year student

    Worth knowing

    Full tuition only — room & board and fees are not stated as covered. Virginia applicants are automatically considered (no separate application stated), but eligibility is gated on Pell eligibility and residency, not stats alone.

  3. Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering Scholarship$5,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering 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 Margaret Jones Wyllie ’45 Engineering Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Academic achievement and demonstrated interest in engineering (engineering science major); separate application

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to three additional years, providing a total award of $20,000 over four years.

    Worth knowing

    Not need-based. Page states this award may be combined with other forms of financial aid offered by Sweet Briar.

  4. Stay Close, Go Far Promise Scholarship$9,000Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Stay Close, Go Far Promise Scholarship

    $9,000

    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 Stay Close, Go Far Promise Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Eligible students in Lynchburg City Schools (Virginia); non-competitive, universal for eligible students; application via Beacon of Hope

    How to keep it

    Up to $36,000 in total / $9,000 annually over four years.

    Worth knowing

    Deadline to Apply: May 15, 2026. Application is administered through beaconofhopelynchburg.org.

  5. Performing Arts Scholarships$1,500Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Performing Arts Scholarships

    $1,500

    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 Performing Arts Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Interest in pursuing music, theatre or dance; open to all majors; separate application; may apply for all three but can only accept one award

    How to keep it

    Renewable all four years.

  6. Al Stroobants Foundation GrantFull tuition and feesNot automatic
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Al Stroobants Foundation Grant

    Full tuition and fees

    Published coverage or packageNot 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 Al Stroobants Foundation Grant

    Who qualifies

    Two incoming first-year women from the City of Lynchburg or Bedford, Campbell, Amherst, or Appomattox Counties in Virginia; merit- or need-based; separate application

    Worth knowing

    Only two awards. Covers full tuition and fees, not room and board.

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What makes Sweet Briar different

Sweet Briar considers every applicant for a merit scholarship automatically (no published amount grid), and layers on named full-tuition awards — SBCommitment for Pell-eligible Virginians and the Al Stroobants Foundation Grant for two local Virginia women — plus regional and talent scholarships.

Merit tiers6See 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 Sweet Briar'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. The catalog says any scholarship from outside the College 'must be considered part of her financial aid award,' you must report all additional resources, and the award is reviewed and adjusted so the package does not exceed need. The catalog states Federal Work-Study or need-based loans may be adjusted before any need-based grant — so outside money first replaces self-help, and your package cannot exceed need/cost of attendance.

  2. The catalog states financial aid awards 'may be renewable, although not automatically and not guaranteed' — merit aid requires maintaining satisfactory academic progress and a GPA 'specified in the award letter.' That renewal GPA is not published anywhere; it is in each student's individual merit scholarship letter, so families must read the letter carefully.

  3. The catalog limits full-time students to four years (eight semesters) of eligibility for College-funded need and/or merit aid (part-time: six years / 12 semesters), and semesters spent studying away that count toward graduation count toward this total.

  4. It is full TUITION only — room & board ($16,350) and fees are not stated as covered — and it is gated on being a Pell Grant–eligible Virginia resident, a domestic first-time first-year student, with a 3.5 GPA or higher.

  5. The page states 'Each scholarship award is for the first year of study' — it is a one-year $2,500 award, and only five are available.

  6. The page states students 'may choose to apply for all three but can only accept one award' — the music, theatre and dance scholarships ($1,500 each) cannot be combined.

  7. SCGF is only for eligible students in Lynchburg City Schools, and the published deadline to apply is May 15, 2026.

  8. The catalog states 'Financial aid is limited to the student's cost of attendance and is based on enrollment hours' — aid from all sources is capped at COA.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong students (especially Virginians) drawn to a small women's college: Pell-eligible Virginia residents with a 3.5+ GPA can get full tuition via SBCommitment, Lynchburg-area students have multiple dedicated awards, and every applicant is automatically considered for an (unpublished-amount) merit scholarship.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $45,660 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Sweet Briar, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$11,734
$30,001–$48,000$12,568
$48,001–$75,000$15,247
$75,001–$110,000$20,188
$110,001+$24,710
All income levels (average)$17,758

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$26,160
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$17,758

That works out to roughly a 60% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $43,898 (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
52%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
69%
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)
$51,943
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
31%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
41%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

All scholarships — Sweet Briar's own and outside/private awards — are counted as part of the financial aid package, the total package may not exceed the student's need/cost of attendance, and outside gift aid that arrives later triggers a review. When an adjustment is needed, Federal Work-Study or need-based student loans are reduced before any need-based grant.

The 2025-2026 catalog states that any scholarship from the College or from outside the College must be considered part of the financial aid award; additional outside grant money received after the award requires review and, if appropriate, adjustment so the package does not exceed need. Students must report all additional resources. If adjustment is necessary, Federal Work-Study or need-based student loans may be adjusted before any need-based grant. Financial aid overall is limited to the cost of attendance. The Wyllie Engineering Scholarship page separately states that award 'may be combined with other forms of financial aid offered by Sweet Briar.'

Source

Other Sweet Briar scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$2,500EligibilityGirl Scouts who have completed the Gold Award and been accepted at Sweet Briar, from anywhere in the U.S.; current (or recent) active troop membership; five awards available

Each scholarship award is for the first year of study only (not renewable). Separate application required.

Source

Amount$5,000EligibilityFirst-year students from the city of Lynchburg, or from Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford or Campbell counties (two awards from a $10,000 grant)

Separate application required.

Source

AmountUp to $10,000EligibilityStudents entering an undergraduate women's college in the United States; two scholarships awarded annually

Third-party award listed on Sweet Briar's scholarships page; renewable for four years based on academic performance. Application via thesunflowerinitiative.org.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityBy invitation only, based on grade point average and academic achievement in high school

Named in the 2025-2026 academic catalog; no dollar amount published on any page opened.

Source

Sweet Briar merit aid FAQ

  • Is there a separate application for Sweet Briar merit scholarships?

    No separate application for the general merit scholarships — 'Students are automatically considered for merit scholarships in the application review process.' Named awards like the Wyllie Engineering, Performing Arts, Girl Scout Gold Award, Al Stroobants and Greater Lynchburg scholarships do require their own applications.

  • What is the financial aid deadline?

    Per the 2025-2026 catalog, financial aid applications for new students are accepted beginning Oct. 1 each year and the priority deadline is Feb. 1. The Stay Close, Go Far Promise Scholarship has its own published deadline of May 15, 2026.

  • How much does Sweet Briar cost for 2026-2027?

    Tuition $27,790, room & board $16,350, student life fee $650, technology fee $420, health center fee $450 — total $45,660 for residential undergraduates (books, transportation and personal expenses are estimated separately).

  • Does the SBCommitment Scholarship cover room and board?

    The page states it provides 'full tuition coverage for Pell Grant–eligible Virginia students.' Room & board and fees are not stated as covered.

  • Do I need to file the FAFSA to keep my aid?

    Sweet Briar grants are based on the annual submission of the FAFSA, and the catalog says students must reapply and qualify for financial assistance each year. Merit awards renew based on the GPA stated in your merit scholarship letter.

  • Is there extra money for Virginia residents?

    Yes — Virginia residents at this private college can apply for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG), set at $5,250 for 2026-2027. Completed applications must be submitted to the financial aid office on or before July 31 prior to the fall semester of enrollment (late applications through Dec. 1 considered only if funds are available).

  • Does Sweet Briar offer athletic scholarships?

    No. The catalog states: 'As an NCAA Division III athletics institution, Sweet Briar College does not offer athletics scholarships.'

See sources and other schools

How Sweet Briar compares

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

    Sweet Briar 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Sweet Briar merit aid

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