DRAFT: TMU publishes a clean unweighted-GPA grid ($3,000-$9,000 for freshmen, $3,000-$6,500 for transfers) where every student gets exactly one academic scholarship — plus a menu of small institutional awards (Christian school, home school, Baptist, sibling, cross-cultural) that are explicitly stackable with all other aid.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers22 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Common merit-aid mistakes at Truett McConnell
The institutional aid document states students 'will receive one Academic Scholarship based on unweighted GPA' — the grid awards are mutually exclusive, though the smaller institutional scholarships do stack on top.
All freshman criteria are stated as UNWEIGHTED high school GPA. A weighted 4.0 that is unweighted 3.6 earns the $6,500 Vice Presidential tier, not the $9,000 Presidential.
The document is headed 'Applicable to Full-time Students Enrolled in On-Campus Courses' — part-time and online students are outside the published grid.
The $1,000 award requires at least 6 credit hours or 2 courses of dual enrollment 'through TMU' before graduation — credit earned at other colleges does not qualify.
That $1,000 scholarship requires a completed application with the parent/spouse's signature 'each year' — it does not auto-renew.
Both are 'renewed annually' at the discretion of the Music Department or Athletic Department — they are year-to-year awards, not four-year commitments.
The 2026-27 institutional aid document publishes awarding criteria but no renewal GPA — families should ask the aid office what college GPA keeps each award.
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Students with strong unweighted GPAs (every admitted full-time on-campus student lands somewhere on the grid, even below 3.0), plus Christian-school/home-school graduates and Georgia Baptist families who can stack several smaller awards on top.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $40,932 for 2026-2027. Source
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.
$3,000-$9,000
Freshman Academic Scholarships (GPA Grid)
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Presidential Scholar $9,000 at 4.0+ unweighted HS GPA; Trustee Scholar $8,000 at 3.7; Vice Presidential Scholar $6,500 at 3.4; Dean Scholar $5,000 at 3.0; Bear Award $3,000 below 3.0 (all unweighted HS GPA minimums)
SAT
Not used
ACT
Not used
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Freshman status = fewer than 30 earned college hours after high school/home study graduation; applicable to full-time students in on-campus courses; students receive ONE academic scholarship
Renewal terms
Renewal criteria not stated in the institutional financial aid document.
Notes
Official 'Institutional Financial Aid – Incoming 2026-2027 Students' document; GPA-only (no test scores), with a floor award ($3,000 Bear) even below 3.0.
Presidential Scholar $6,500 at 3.7+ college GPA; Trustee Scholar $5,000 at 3.4; Vice Presidential Scholar $4,000 at 3.0; Dean Scholar $3,500 at 2.5; Bear Award $3,000 below 2.5
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Transfer status = 30 or more earned college hours after high school/home study graduation; one academic scholarship per student
Renewal terms
Renewal criteria not stated in the institutional financial aid document.
Notes
Same one-award-per-student structure as the freshman grid, at lower dollar levels.
Each student receives exactly ONE academic scholarship from the GPA grid, but TMU's other institutional scholarships (Christian school, home school, dual enrollment, Georgia Baptist, minister dependent, sibling discount, cross-cultural, music, athletic) are explicitly 'stackable with all other student financial aid.' Outside/private scholarship displacement is not addressed in the documents opened.
The institutional aid PDF footnotes: academic grids — 'Students will receive one Academic Scholarship based on unweighted GPA'; institutional scholarships — 'Institutional Scholarships are stackable with all other student financial aid.' No COA cap, tuition-only restriction, or outside-scholarship rule appears in the PDF or on the Scholarships & Aid page sections that rendered.
Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityEarn at least 6 credit hours or complete 2 courses of dual enrollment credit THROUGH TMU prior to high school/home study graduation.
Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityDependent of a parent/spouse who is an ordained or licensed Baptist minister, a full-time missionary through a Baptist mission board, or full-time with the GBMB.
Application with parent/spouse signature required EACH YEAR.
No scholarship deadline is published in the 2026-27 institutional aid document — academic scholarships are assigned from GPA at admission. The Scholarships & Aid page directs students to complete the FAFSA, acceptance, and aid steps; application-based awards (minister dependent, cross-cultural) require their own forms.
How much merit aid will I get as a freshman?
By unweighted high school GPA for 2026-27: 4.0+ = $9,000 (Presidential Scholar); 3.7 = $8,000 (Trustee); 3.4 = $6,500 (Vice Presidential); 3.0 = $5,000 (Dean); below 3.0 = $3,000 (Bear Award). Every full-time on-campus student receives exactly one of these.
How much do transfer students get?
By college GPA: 3.7+ = $6,500; 3.4 = $5,000; 3.0 = $4,000; 2.5 = $3,500; below 2.5 = $3,000. Transfer status means 30+ earned college hours after high school graduation.
Can I stack other TMU scholarships on top?
Yes — the institutional scholarships (Christian School $1,000, Home School $1,500, TMU Dual Enrollment $1,000, Georgia Baptist $500, Baptist Minister Dependent $1,000, Sibling 10% tuition discount, Cross-Cultural $1,000, music and athletic awards) are 'stackable with all other student financial aid.'
What does TMU cost for 2026-27?
Full-time tuition is $13,896 per semester plus a $1,058 student fee — $29,908/year in tuition and mandatory fees. With semi-private traditional housing and the unlimited (Golden Bear) meal plan, a freshman's annual tuition, fees, and room and board total $40,932 ($40,436 for upperclassmen in apartment housing with the basic plan).
How Truett McConnell compares across our verified dataset
19 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use no-displacement displacement.
Truett McConnell is in the small minority (19 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Truett McConnell is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Truett McConnell’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
