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The merit-aid verdict at Taylor (IN)
Taylor (IN) runs an automatic GPA+test merit grid (Director $11,000 to President $21,000) with a renewal cliff that drops top tiers to the Trustee level, plus a competitive 100%-of-tuition Alice Hamilton Scholarship and a National Merit award that replaces the standard merit. (DRAFT)
Common merit-aid mistakes at Taylor (IN)
President/Dean/Faculty scholarships require a 3.0 Taylor GPA to renew; falling below 3.0 drops the award to the Trustee level ($15,000), not a total loss but a real reduction.
The $21,000 Academic Merit Award REPLACES the President/Dean/Faculty/Trustee scholarship — it is mutually exclusive, so a President-tier student does not net an extra $21,000.
It covers 100% of TUITION only — housing, food, and fees are not included, so the gap to full cost of attendance remains.
You must apply and be accepted by November 1 to be eligible for a Scholars Day interview invitation; the competition is held in November 2026.
Test scores must be received by April 1 for merit scholarship consideration; late scores can cost a higher tier.
The Transfer Scholarship's top three amounts ($18k/$16k/$14k) require maintaining a 3.0 cumulative Taylor GPA; otherwise it drops to $12,000, and it is awarded in lieu of other academic scholarships.
Who this school is for
High-stat students (3.70+ GPA, 1430 SAT / 32 ACT) hit the $21,000 President tier or compete for the full-tuition Alice Hamilton award; strong students without test scores still reach the $15,000-$17,000 Faculty/Trustee tiers. (DRAFT)
Institutional merit aid tiers
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.
President 3.70+, Dean 3.70+, Faculty 3.70+, Trustee 3.30-3.69, Director 3.29 & below
SAT
President 1430, Dean 1270
ACT
President 32, Dean 27 (Faculty/Trustee/Director: no scores required)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
CLT: President 103, Dean 90; test scores must be received by April 1; decisions made independent of FAFSA
Renewal terms
Renewable with a 3.0 Taylor GPA. RENEWAL CLIFF: students must maintain a 3.0 Taylor GPA to retain the President, Dean, and Faculty scholarships — otherwise the scholarship drops to the Trustee Scholarship level ($15,000).
Notes
Automatic on GPA + test score. Faculty ($17,000), Trustee ($15,000) and Director ($11,000) require no test scores. Test scores must be received by April 1 for consideration.
IMPORTANT: 'This award replaces the President, Dean, Faculty, or Trustee Scholarship' — it is mutually exclusive with the standard merit grid, not stacked on top.
CLT 98; competitive; must apply and be accepted to Taylor by November 1 to be eligible for a Scholars Day interview invitation (Scholars Day November 2026)
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not specified on this page (competitive full-tuition award).
Notes
Tuition-only (100% of tuition, not full cost of attendance). Competitive, by invitation/interview on Scholars Day. Students with a 3.70 GPA and 32 ACT / 1430 SAT / 98 CLT may be invited.
All transfer students with at least one semester of college credit after high school
Renewal terms
Renewable each year with a cumulative 3.0 Taylor GPA. RENEWAL CLIFF: must maintain a 3.0 cumulative Taylor GPA to retain the top three award amounts ($18,000/$16,000/$14,000), otherwise the scholarship drops to the $12,000 level.
Notes
Awarded in lieu of other academic scholarships (does not stack with the freshman merit grid).
All outside awards must be reported and will trigger a repackaging of the aid offer; actual reductions are governed by Taylor's cap that outside aid plus Taylor aid and family resources cannot exceed total educational costs, direct and indirect.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): You must inform the Financial Aid Office of any monies received from sources other than Taylor University. All outside awards are considered financial aid and will require a change in your award. ... The sum of your outside aid and Taylor grants, scholarships, loans, and employment, plus the parents' and student's resources cannot exceed your total educational costs (direct and indirect). Moreover, Taylor University must revise an award at any time to prevent such an occurrence.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$5,000 per year (renewable)EligibilityFiled FAFSA, demonstrate financial need, accepted to Taylor; special interest in entrepreneurship/education/media/government
Test scores must be received by April 1 for merit scholarship consideration. The priority FAFSA deadline for endowed scholarships is February 1; for Alice Hamilton, you must be accepted by November 1.
What do I need for the top ($21,000) President Scholarship?
A 3.70+ GPA and a 1430 SAT, 32 ACT, or 103 CLT. It renews with a 3.0 Taylor GPA; below that it drops to the Trustee level ($15,000).
Is the Alice Hamilton Scholarship a full ride?
No — it covers 100% of tuition only. It's competitive, by interview on Scholars Day (November 2026), and requires acceptance by November 1 with a 3.70 GPA and 32 ACT / 1430 SAT / 98 CLT.
How does the National Merit award interact with my merit scholarship?
The $21,000 Academic Merit Award (National Merit Finalist) replaces the President/Dean/Faculty/Trustee scholarship rather than stacking on top of it.
How Taylor (IN) compares across our verified dataset
242 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Taylor (IN) is in a recognizable cluster (242 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Taylor (IN) is one of them. The cohort minority (81 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
133 of 750 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Taylor (IN) 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 claim is checked against Taylor (IN)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
