See what Union University's published rules mean for your student's numbers. Takes 30 seconds.
The merit-aid verdict at Union University
Every admitted freshman gets a stated-amount automatic academic scholarship on a published ACT/SAT/CLT + GPA grid — $11,000-$17,000/year on campus (less off campus) — and the highest-stat students compete at the invitation-only Scholars of Excellence weekend for the full-tuition-room-and-board Founders' Scholarship.
Rules that bite at Union University
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Union University's own published policy, not generic advice.
displacementGrant-first displacement = outside wins can pay the school
Union University reduces institutional grant before any other aid line when an outside award arrives. A $5,000 community-foundation win can leave the family bill unchanged.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Union University
The freshman grid pays a LOWER off-campus amount at every tier (e.g., University Scholarship is $11,000 on campus but $8,000 off campus; Trustees' is $17,000 vs $13,000). Choosing to live off campus reduces the merit award.
Both the President's and Trustees' tiers list the same dollar award ($17,000 on campus / $13,000 off). The benefit of the higher Trustees' stats (29 ACT / 1330 SAT / 95 CLT) is becoming 'Eligible for Scholars' — an invitation to the Scholars of Excellence competition where the larger awards are decided — not a bigger base grid award.
The Founders' Scholarship 'serves as replacement of any institutional aid (Merit and Stackable awards) if received' — it replaces your grid award rather than adding to it. By contrast, a regular Scholars of Excellence Award 'may be combined with all other institutional aid.'
Both the Scholars of Excellence program and the Kalos Scholarship require submission by Friday, January 2, 2026, and require attending an on-campus competition weekend (Feb 6-7 or Feb 20-21, 2026). Miss it and you lose access to the full-tuition Founders' and the humanities 'last dollar' Kalos award entirely.
Under Union's Reduction of Institutional Scholarships Policy, if your total gift aid from all sources exceeds Union's billed charges, Union reduces ITS OWN institutional aid first so the total does not exceed your University charges — so an outside scholarship can displace your Union merit award rather than reduce your out-of-pocket cost.
The 2026-27 $56,630 figure is tuition ($41,170) + fees ($1,520) + Heritage housing ($10,000) + the 140 meal plan ($3,940). It excludes the one-time $175 registration/orientation fee and does not include books, transportation, or personal expenses that the financial-aid Cost of Attendance adds.
Who this school is for
Christian (Baptist-affiliated) students who want a transparent, automatic, stats-based merit award with no separate application; high-stat humanities/theology students (3.75 GPA, 28 ACT) who want the Kalos 'last dollar' near-full-cost award; and top academic/leadership students (29 ACT / 1330 SAT, top-15% rank) who can compete for the full-tuition-room-and-board Founders' Scholarship.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $56,630 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Union University, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Union University, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$25,839
$30,001–$48,000
$26,181
$48,001–$75,000
$23,891
$75,001–$110,000
$27,841
$110,001+
$30,373
All income levels (average)
$27,171
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$40,025
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$27,171
That works out to roughly a 53% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $58,363 (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
66%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
89%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,714 (~$220/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$53,990
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
30%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
41%
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.
Where you landAutomatic merit aid by ACT compositeEach bar marks the ACT score range that qualifies for the tier.
Not on this ladder:University Scholarship (2025 Freshman Academic Award), Founders' Scholarship (Scholars of Excellence), Scholars of Excellence Award, Kalos Scholarship (humanities 'last dollar'), IMPACT 360 Partnership Award — application required, holistic, or scored on a different axis.
$15,000 per year on campus / $11,000 per year off campus
Dean's Scholarship (2025 Freshman Academic Award)
21
$12,000 per year on campus / $9,000 per year off campus
$11,000 per year on campus / $8,000…$11,000 per year on campus / $8,000 per year off campus
University Scholarship (2025 Freshman Academic Award)
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
2.0
SAT
960
ACT
18
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
CLT 55; meet BOTH the test-score and GPA minimums; merit awards are higher for students who live on campus; apply via the Undergraduate Admissions Application (no separate scholarship application). Test-optional applicants and those below the minimums can be considered for a Director's Incentive Grant.
Renewal terms
Most institutional scholarships at Union are renewable each academic year if eligibility requirements are met; undergraduates must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 for financial-aid satisfactory academic progress. Specific per-scholarship renewal GPA is published in the student's online financial aid listing, not on this grid.
Notes
Stated amount, awarded automatically on test score + GPA for Fall 2025 entrants. The off-campus figure is the lower award for students not living on campus. Union superscores standardized tests for scholarship purposes.
CLT 95; meet BOTH minimums. At this stat level the student is also 'Eligible for Scholars' (the invitation-only Scholars of Excellence competition, which is where larger/full-tuition awards are decided).
Renewal terms
Renewable each year if eligibility requirements are met; undergrad SAP floor is a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Notes
Stated amount; same dollar award as the President's tier but the higher stats (29 ACT / 1330 SAT / 95 CLT, 3.5 GPA) make the student eligible to be invited to the Scholars of Excellence weekend. Note the marked dollar amount is the same as the President's tier — the value of crossing into the Trustees' band is the Scholars invitation, not a larger base grid award.
Full tuition…Full tuition, room and board (covers tuition, room, meals and student services fees for up to eight undergraduate semesters)
Founders' Scholarship (Scholars of Excellence)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.5 (Section B option) or Top 15% class rank
SAT
1330 (Section A option)
ACT
29 (Section A option)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Incoming freshman for Fall 2026; CLT 95 OR National Merit Finalist / National Hispanic Scholar / National Merit Semi-Finalist (Section A) AND top-15% class rank OR 3.5 GPA (Section B). Invitation-only; requires the Undergraduate Admissions Application first, then the Scholars of Excellence application + essay, then on-campus competition. One recipient chosen per year.
Renewal terms
To retain the Founders' Scholarship, recipients must maintain a 3.25 cumulative Union University GPA and perform up to 50 hours per semester of leadership services for the University; covers a maximum of eight undergraduate semesters. Recipients are also automatically admitted to the Honors Community.
Notes
Union's single top award; competitive, not automatic. IMPORTANT: the Founders' Scholarship 'serves as replacement of any institutional aid (Merit and Stackable awards) if received' — it is not stacked on top of the grid award; it replaces it. Apply by Jan 2, 2026; competition weekends Feb 6-7 and Feb 20-21, 2026; decisions mailed in March.
Amounts vary based on the applicant…Amounts vary based on the applicant's participation in the weekend events
Scholars of Excellence Award
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.5 or Top 15% class rank (Section B)
SAT
1330 (Section A)
ACT
29 (Section A)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
CLT 95 or National Merit/Hispanic recognition (Section A); incoming Fall 2026 freshman; must participate in the on-campus competition weekend. Invitation only.
Renewal terms
Renewal terms not stated on the page.
Notes
Unlike the Founders' Scholarship, the Scholars of Excellence Award 'may be combined with all other institutional aid' (it stacks on top of the freshman grid award). The specific dollar amount is not published — it is set by weekend performance — so no figure is asserted here.
Last-dollar award that covers tuiti…Last-dollar award that covers tuition, fees, housing, and meals after all other aid (for Fall 2026 and later entrants)
Kalos Scholarship (humanities 'last dollar')
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.75 (unweighted, 4.0 scale)
SAT
1320 (combined)
ACT
28 (excluding Writing)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
CLT 92; humanities focus (Art, Communication Arts, History, Languages/Literature/Writing, Music, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology & Family Studies, Theology & Missions, or other areas approved by committee); one pastoral + one academic reference; writing sample (the Scholars of Excellence essay); must participate in Scholars of Excellence competition ON CAMPUS (not virtual). Priority to students intending graduate study.
Renewal terms
Recipients must complete a FAFSA annually, prepare an annual progress summary, meet annually with the Kalos representative, and execute a Student Information Release. All recipients are automatically admitted to the Honors Community. Specific renewal GPA not stated.
Notes
A 'last dollar' merit award: it is applied after all other financial aid is calculated and essentially covers the recipient's tuition, fees, housing, and meals (students who entered before Fall 2026 have it cover tuition and fees only). No flat dollar figure is published, so amount is described, not numbered. Apply by Jan 2, 2026; recipients notified by April 1, 2026.
Completion of the IMPACT 360 Gap Year program (beginning Fall 2022). Identified institutionally by Union; no additional application required.
Renewal terms
Awarded at initial admission; renewal governed by Union's general institutional scholarship policy (renewable if eligibility met). Requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.0.
Notes
A stated-amount partnership award for IMPACT 360 gap-year completers. Stacks as an 'Additional Scholarship Award' but subject to the cost-of-attendance cap.
Union's freshman academic grid award is a 'base award.' A set of named 'Stackable Scholarship Awards' (Alumni Legacy, Ministry Dependent, TBC/SBC) stack on top of it but are capped at a $2,000 annual limit combined. Scholars of Excellence Awards 'may be combined with all other institutional aid.' BUT the Founders' Scholarship and several others (INAMB, certain endowed/other awards) are 'Merit Replacement' awards that replace — not stack with — the grid award. Outside scholarships are governed by a reduction policy: if total gift aid from all sources exceeds Union billed charges, Union reduces its own institutional aid first, and total aid can never exceed the cost of attendance.
Reduction of Institutional Scholarships Policy: when total scholarships/grants from all sources (institutional, state, federal, or outside) exceed Union billed charges (tuition, fees, and in some cases books/room/meals), Union reduces the student's institutionally funded aid so total gift aid does not exceed University charges. In a full cost-of-attendance overage, the return order is institutional aid first, then PLUS loans, unsubsidized loans, subsidized loans, SEOG, work-study — i.e. the institution's own grant/scholarship is displaced before loans (grant-first). Stackable named awards are subject to a $2,000 annual cap; Founders' and INAMB are replacement (not stackable) awards.
Amount$1,500 per yearEligibilityOn-campus students who are residents of designated West TN counties (Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, or Weakley).
Recipients must maintain on-campus residence for continued eligibility. Min HS GPA 2.0.
AmountUp to $4,000 in annual scholarship assistanceEligibilityInternational students not eligible for federal student aid; identified through the Admissions application.
AmountSubject to a $2,000 annual limit (combined)EligibilityAlumni Legacy = dependent of a Union alum (parent/grandparent) with 48+ Union credit hours; Ministry Dependent = dependent of a minister of the Gospel; TBC/SBC = member of a Southern Baptist church for at least one year.
These stack ON TOP of the freshman merit award but the combined stackable total is capped at $2,000/yr. No separate application; min HS GPA 2.0; awarded at initial admission.
AmountHalf-tuition per yearEligibilityStudents whose parent(s) serve full-time with the IMB or NAMB.
A merit REPLACEMENT award — half-tuition in place of the merit scholarship the student would otherwise qualify for. Self-identify and provide documentation to admissions@uu.edu.
Yes. The Freshman Academic Awards (University, Dean's, Provost's, President's, Trustees') are awarded automatically based on your test score (ACT/SAT/CLT) and GPA when you complete the Undergraduate Admissions Application — no separate scholarship application is required. Union superscores test sections for scholarship purposes.
What is the scholarship deadline?
There is no separate deadline for the automatic freshman grid award (it follows admission). But the competitive awards have a hard deadline: the Scholars of Excellence application and the Kalos Scholarship are both due Friday, January 2, 2026, with on-campus competition weekends on February 6-7 and February 20-21, 2026, and notifications mailed in March (Kalos by April 1, 2026).
Can I combine Union scholarships?
Some, not all. The named 'Stackable' awards (Alumni Legacy, Ministry Dependent, TBC/SBC) stack on top of your merit award but are capped at $2,000/year combined, and a Scholars of Excellence Award 'may be combined with all other institutional aid.' However, the Founders' Scholarship and the INAMB award are 'Merit Replacement' awards that replace your grid award. In all cases total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
What do I have to maintain to keep my scholarship?
Most institutional scholarships are renewable if you meet eligibility each year; undergraduates must keep at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA for financial-aid satisfactory academic progress, and fund-specific GPA requirements appear in your online financial-aid listing. The Founders' Scholarship specifically requires a 3.25 cumulative Union GPA plus up to 50 hours of leadership service per semester.
What is the Kalos Scholarship?
Kalos is a humanities-focused 'last dollar' merit scholarship: for Fall 2026 and later entrants it is applied after all other aid and essentially covers tuition, fees, housing, and meals. It requires a 3.75 unweighted GPA and a 28 ACT / 1320 SAT / 92 CLT, a humanities major, references, a writing sample, and participation in the on-campus Scholars of Excellence competition; apply by January 2, 2026.
How Union University compares across our verified dataset
19 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use grant-first displacement.
Union University 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.
Grant-first displacement is the rarest published policy in our dataset.
It also produces the worst family-dollar outcome on outside scholarships. Union University sits in this small minority, so treat outside-award strategy here as conservatively as you would at a school with no published policy at all.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Union University 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 Union University’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
