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Truman State scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$28,006per year · 2025-2026 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Truman State awards automatic merit on admission. Truman State does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
3 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. TruMerit Scholarship$2,000-$10,000 per yearAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    TruMerit Scholarship

    $2,000-$10,000 per year

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Cumulative HS GPA 3.00-4.0+ (grid)
    SAT
    SAT ERW+M ~1130-1600 (grid)
    ACT
    ACT 23-36 (grid)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for TruMerit Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Automatically awarded based on cumulative GPA and ACT/SAT at time of application; verified test score required

    How to keep it

    Renewable per Scholarship Renewal Guidelines (SAP-based). Truman continues updating the TruMerit award through the June test date of senior year as GPA / ACT-SAT improve.

    Worth knowing

    Truman publishes SEPARATE Missouri-resident and Out-of-State TruMerit charts (GPA × test). The live chart is an image (truman.edu/?da_image=186579) that could not be OCR'd; the live table states the overall range as $2,000-$10,000. An older 2020-21 PDF showed Missouri tiers of $2,000/$3,000/$4,000 and Out-of-State tiers of $3,500/$5,000/$7,000/$8,000 — STALE, not used as current. Out-of-State TruMerit assists with the out-of-state tuition portion and cannot be combined with other out-of-state-portion awards.

  2. General John J. Pershing Scholarship (competitive)Full tuition + average room and board, plus a one-time $4,000 study abroad stipendNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    General John J. Pershing Scholarship (competitive)

    Full tuition + average room and board, plus a one-time $4,000 study abroad stipend

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

    SAT
    Top 3% nationally
    ACT
    Top 3% nationally
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for General John J. Pershing Scholarship (competitive)

    Who qualifies

    Typically top 3% of HS class; complete application with test score, essay AND activities resume prior to Dec. 1

    How to keep it

    Renewable per Scholarship Renewal Guidelines.

    Worth knowing

    Approximately twelve awards annually. SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER TRUMAN-FUNDED AWARDS (and Bulldog Legacy cannot be combined with Pershing).

  3. President John R. Kirk Scholarship (competitive)$23,000 (out-of-state) / $17,000 (in-state)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    President John R. Kirk Scholarship (competitive)

    $23,000 (out-of-state) / $17,000 (in-state)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    SAT
    Top 3% nationally
    ACT
    Top 3% nationally
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for President John R. Kirk Scholarship (competitive)

    Who qualifies

    Typically top 3% of HS class; complete application with test score, essay AND activities resume prior to Dec. 1

    How to keep it

    Renewable per Scholarship Renewal Guidelines.

    Worth knowing

    Should cover all full-time tuition plus a significant portion of room and board. Except for the Bulldog Legacy Award, the Kirk Scholarship SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER TRUMAN-FUNDED AWARDS.

  4. Harry S. Truman Leadership Scholarship (competitive, in-state)$15,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Harry S. Truman Leadership Scholarship (competitive, in-state)

    $15,000 per year

    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 Harry S. Truman Leadership Scholarship (competitive, in-state)

    Who qualifies

    Missouri residents who demonstrate impactful classroom, school and/or community leadership; essay + activities resume by Dec. 1. (Per the page, only in-state students were eligible for the 2025 awards.)

    How to keep it

    Renewable per Scholarship Renewal Guidelines; includes a 4-year leadership development program.

    Worth knowing

    Should cover all full-time tuition plus a significant portion of room and board. Except for the Bulldog Legacy Award, the HST Scholarship SUPERSEDES ALL OTHER TRUMAN-FUNDED AWARDS.

  5. Bulldog Legacy Scholarship$1,000/year (Missouri residents) / $2,000/year (Out-of-State residents)AutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Bulldog Legacy Scholarship

    $1,000/year (Missouri residents) / $2,000/year (Out-of-State residents)

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Bulldog Legacy Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Children, step-children, or grandchildren of Truman alumni, or whose sibling currently attends or graduated from Truman

    How to keep it

    Renewable per Scholarship Renewal Guidelines.

    Worth knowing

    Notably, Bulldog Legacy can be combined with all scholarships EXCEPT the Pershing award — it is the one award that survives the Kirk/HSTL supersede rule.

  6. Non-Resident Tuition WaiverWaiver of the out-of-state tuition portion (~$9,639 for 2026-2027)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Non-Resident Tuition Waiver

    Waiver of the out-of-state tuition portion (~$9,639 for 2026-2027)

    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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Non-Resident Tuition Waiver

    Who qualifies

    Spouses, dependent children, or current/recent members of a branch of military; OR admitted students whose non-custodial parent is a Missouri resident

    How to keep it

    Updated throughout the year; package adjusted to in-state consideration if the student becomes a Missouri resident.

    Worth knowing

    Out-of-state-portion award. Cannot be combined with Out-of-State TruMerit, Non-Resident Tuition Grant, or MSEP — students get the single greatest-value out-of-state award.

  7. Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP)Estimated $4,310 (2026-2027) — reduces out-of-state tuition to 150% of in-state rateNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP)

    Estimated $4,310 (2026-2027) — reduces out-of-state tuition to 150% of in-state rate

    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.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP)

    Who qualifies

    Admitted students from IN, KS, MN, NE, ND, OH and WI who do NOT qualify for an Out-of-State TruMerit Scholarship

    How to keep it

    Award value determined annually.

    Worth knowing

    Out-of-state-portion award; cannot be combined with Out-of-State TruMerit / Non-Resident Tuition Waiver / Non-Resident Tuition Grant (greatest value only).

  8. Northeast Missouri (NEMO) Scholarship$2,000/year (living on campus) / $1,000/year (living off campus)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Northeast Missouri (NEMO) Scholarship

    $2,000/year (living on campus) / $1,000/year (living off campus)

    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 Northeast Missouri (NEMO) Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Must have graduated from a high school in Adair, Putnam, Schuyler, Scotland, Knox, Macon, Linn, or Sullivan county

    How to keep it

    Renewed based on SAP criteria at the original award amount.

    Worth knowing

    Does NOT stack with Top Scholar or TruPlus. Residential vs commuter amount split.

Lights up against Truman State's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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The fine print

Aid capHard $28,006 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Truman State cannot push the package past $28,006. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes Truman State different

Truman gives every admitted freshman automatic, stackable TruMerit scholarships ($2,000-$10,000) off a GPA × test grid that differs for Missouri vs out-of-state students — but big competitive awards (Pershing, Kirk, Harry S. Truman) supersede everything else, and Truman money covers tuition + on-campus room/meals only, never fees.

Merit tiers82 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  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 Truman State's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What Truman State's aid office says

Per the Financial Aid Office, Truman State University, August 2026. How we verify

GPA required to keep merit scholarship

What GPA does my son need to maintain to keep a merit scholarship?

He must maintain a 3.25 Truman GPA for the scholarship to apply in full, and this also applies to several other Truman scholarships.

“will need to maintain a 3.25 GPA in Truman coursework for the scholarship to apply in full.”
Pro-rated scholarship scale

Is there a reduced scholarship amount if his GPA dips a bit?

There is a pro-rated scale for scholarships if the Truman GPA is between 3.0 and 3.24, so students don't lose funding outright.

“There is a pro-rated scale for scholarships if the Truman GPA is between a 3.0 and 3.24 so that students do not lose their funding out-right.”
Losing eligibility below 3.0 GPA

What happens if his GPA falls below 3.0?

If a student's Truman GPA falls below 3.0, they become ineligible until they regain at least a 3.0 Truman GPA.

“If a student falls below the 3.0 Truman GPA, they will be ineligible until they are able to regain the minimum of 3.0 in Truman GPA.”
Regaining scholarship eligibility

How can he get the scholarship back after a weak semester?

Once the minimum GPA is regained, the student (only the student, not a parent) can request an eligibility review from Financial Aid by phone, email, or in person with their Student ID#.

“Once a student has regained the minimum, they can request an eligibility review from Financial Aid by calling in, emailing, or walking in with their Student ID#. Only the student requesting the review can do so, no one on their behalf can.”
Scholarship renewal criteria

What are the overall requirements to renew a Truman scholarship?

Renewal requires full-time enrollment, not having used 8 semesters of scholarship, having passed at least 24 Truman credit hours in the last academic year, and having a total Truman GPA of at least 3.00; transfer hours and GPA don't count.

“1. You must be enrolled full-time for the current semester. 2. You must not have used eight (8) semesters of scholarship (or the prorated number of semesters if you are a transfer student). 3. You must have passed at least twenty-four (24) Truman credit hours during the last academic year; transfer hours and GPA are not considered in scholarship renewal. 4. You must have a total institution GPA (Truman GPA) of at least a 3.00; transfer hours and GPA are not considered in scholarship renewal.”
Renewal percentage scale

What percentage of the scholarship is renewed at different GPA levels?

Renewal percentage is 100% at 3.25+, 90% at 3.20-3.24, 80% at 3.10-3.19, 70% at 3.00-3.09, and 0% at 2.99 or below.

“3.25+ Truman GPA 100% 3.20 - 3.24 Truman GPA 90% 3.10 - 3.19 Truman GPA 80% 3.00 - 3.09 Truman GPA 70% 2.99 or below Truman GPA 0%”
Order of reduction for outside scholarships

If he wins an outside scholarship, does it reduce loans or the school's award first?

Loans and work study are reduced first, then SEOG grant (if no need), then need-based Truman grants; Pell Grants are affected only if cost of attendance is reached, and Truman Scholarships are never reduced based on other funding received.

“* The loans and work study will be reduced first. * Then the SEOG Grant if the student has no "Need" according to their Student Aid Index (SAI) on the FAFSA. * Truman Grants that are "Need" dependent will be reduced. * Pell Grants are affected if the Student's Cost of Attendance is reached with Institutional, Private, and State funding. * Truman Scholarships are not reduced based on how much other funding is received, whether Federal, State, or Private.”
SAT score and TruMerit scholarship tier

Would a higher SAT score move the student into a better TruMerit scholarship tier?

TruMerit scholarships are based on GPA only, so a higher SAT score would not move him into a higher TruMerit tier.

“Our TruMerit scholarships are based on GPA only, so a higher SAT score would not move him to a higher tier for our TruMerit scholarships.”
SAT score and top scholarships

Does the SAT score matter for the top scholarships?

Test scores play a significant role in the review process for top scholarships, and a strong SAT score can be a significant asset in competing for one.

“However, test scores play a significant role in our top scholarships review process. To compete for a top scholarship, a strong SAT score can be a significant asset.”
Deadline for top scholarship consideration

By when must test scores and materials be submitted to be considered for a top scholarship?

All scores and other required materials must be submitted by December 1st to qualify for consideration for top scholarships.

“All scores would need to be submitted, along with other required materials, by December 1st to qualify for consideration.”

What families often miss

  1. Truman-funded scholarships apply only to tuition and on-campus room and meal plans — they do not apply to fees.

  2. Pershing, Kirk, and Harry S. Truman Leadership all 'supersede all other Truman-funded awards' (only Bulldog Legacy survives, and not with Pershing) — you don't keep both.

  3. Out-of-State TruMerit, the Non-Resident Tuition Waiver, the Non-Resident Tuition Grant, and MSEP all target the out-of-state tuition portion and cannot be combined — you get only the single greatest-value award.

  4. The NEMO Scholarship does NOT stack with Top Scholar or TruPlus, and its amount drops from $2,000 to $1,000 if you live off campus.

  5. Competitive scholarship review begins December 1; only students who submit all application materials (including essay and activities list) by Dec 1 are considered for Pershing/Kirk/Harry S. Truman.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong, stat-driven applicants (Truman publishes an explicit GPA × ACT/SAT grid) — especially Missouri residents and students from NEMO counties; top 3% students should target the December 1 competitive deadline for full-tuition Pershing/Kirk awards.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $28,006 for 2025-2026. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Truman State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$6,046
$30,001–$48,000$7,926
$48,001–$75,000$12,426
$75,001–$110,000$15,425
$110,001+$17,220
All income levels (average)$12,780

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$9,838
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$18,566
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$12,780

That works out to roughly a 49% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $25,115 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Truman State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
69%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
85%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$21,000 (~$223/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$56,280
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
24%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
38%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Automatic awards are generally stackable and renewable, and a student may receive multiple automatic and/or competitive awards. BUT: (1) Truman-funded scholarships apply only to tuition and on-campus room and meal plans — never to fees; (2) competitive awards (Pershing, Kirk, Harry S. Truman) supersede all other Truman-funded awards, except the Bulldog Legacy Award (which can combine with everything except Pershing); (3) out-of-state-portion awards (Out-of-State TruMerit, Non-Resident Tuition Waiver, Non-Resident Tuition Grant, MSEP) cannot be combined — only the greatest-value one is given; (4) NEMO does not stack with Top Scholar or TruPlus; (5) some larger awards replace/supersede smaller ones.

Truman money is restricted to tuition + on-campus room/meals (not fees). Superseding competitive awards and the single-greatest-value rule for out-of-state-portion awards govern combinations.

Source

Other Truman State scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$500 per yearEligibilityMissouri A+ program completion verified on final HS transcript.

Truman-funded, automatic.

Source

Amount$2,000 per yearEligibilityIB Diploma Candidate status noted on HS transcript; completion verified on final transcript.

Automatic.

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityAttended Girls State or Boys State.

Automatic (a separate competitive Missouri Boys/Girls State award also exists).

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityAttended Joseph Baldwin Academy (JBA).

Automatic.

Source

Amount$1,000 per yearEligibilityDeclared Music majors.

Automatic.

Source

AmountVarying amountsEligibilityLimited number of awards given to students.

Automatic per the freshman scholarship table.

Source

Truman State merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    December 1 is the Scholarship Priority Deadline and the start of competitive review (essay + activities list must be in by then). The FAFSA opens October 1 and the Missouri priority deadline is February 1. There is no separate scholarship application — admission materials are used.

  • How is the TruMerit award determined?

    Automatically from your cumulative HS GPA and ACT/SAT score against a published grid (separate Missouri and Out-of-State charts). The range is $2,000-$10,000, and Truman keeps updating it as your GPA/scores improve through the June test date of senior year.

  • Can I combine my scholarships?

    Many automatic and competitive awards stack, but Truman money covers only tuition + on-campus room/meals (not fees); the Pershing/Kirk/Harry S. Truman awards supersede other Truman-funded awards; out-of-state-portion awards can't be combined; and NEMO doesn't stack with Top Scholar or TruPlus.

See sources and other schools

How Truman State compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Truman State is in a recognizable cluster (235 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Truman State merit aid

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