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University of Dallas · Texas

UDallas scholarships and merit aid

University of Dallas (Catholic, Irving TX — NOT UT Dallas) publishes an automatic GPA/test grid of $28,000-$36,000/yr plus several competitive full-tuition tracks; all non-need awards are tuition-directed and stack only up to full tuition.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is UDallas worth a closer look?

UDallas is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and 2 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers72 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

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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.

$28,000-$36,000

Freshman Academic Achievement Scholarship (automatic merit grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Weighted 3.0+ / unweighted 3.0+ (tier depends on GPA)
SAT
1000+ (tier depends on score)
ACT
20+ (tier depends on score)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded at admission on the higher of best test score (or superscore) OR weighted/unweighted GPA; no separate application; CLT also accepted

How to keep it

Requires full-time enrollment (12+ credits/semester) and Satisfactory Academic Progress; a 2.5 cumulative GPA is required by the end of sophomore year. GPAs of 2.0-2.4999 are prorated to 50%; below 2.0 the award is suspended.

Notes

Automatic at admission, completely funded by UDallas, no additional application. Amounts are for students starting fall 2026 or later. Tuition-directed (see stacking).

Source

$28,000-$35,000

Transfer Scholarship (automatic grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0+ cumulative college GPA (tier depends on GPA)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Based on cumulative college GPA; the admission application is the scholarship application

How to keep it

Same renewal terms (full-time, SAP, 2.5 CGPA by end of sophomore year).

Notes

Elite $35,000 (3.75+), Premier $31,000 (3.5-3.749), Select $28,000 (3.0-3.49). Scholarships/grants except Pell may be stacked up to but not beyond full tuition.

Source

Full tuition

Full-Tuition Scholars of Excellence & Crusader Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Any incoming full-time undergraduate seeking first bachelor's degree; competitive (Crusader has a creative/expressive component). FAFSA completion required even though merit-based.

How to keep it

Renewable for all four years; full tuition scholarships cover up to 18 credit hours each for fall and spring; standard 2.5 CGPA renewal applies.

Notes

Open Aug 1, deadline Jan 5. Full-tuition winners are ineligible for additional non-need awards (anti-stacking).

Source

Full tuition

Full-Tuition Disciplinary Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Outstanding potential in one of: Philosophy/Politics, English, Business, Biology/Chemistry/Biochemistry. Four awards, one per discipline.

How to keep it

Standard full-tuition renewal terms.

Notes

Open Sept 1, deadline Jan 5; competitions held Spring 2026.

Source

Full tuition

Fall 2026 Full-Tuition Transfer Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

One transfer candidate with exceptional academic accomplishments and strong promise to contribute to the community

How to keep it

Renewable for three consecutive years of enrollment.

Notes

Deadline June 1, 2026. One recipient.

Source

$1,000-$5,000

Departmental Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
2.95 CGPA to renew
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

High school seniors and transfer students; apply in one department (may apply for up to two but receive only one); may require interview, test, or work submission

How to keep it

Renewable for up to eight semesters; require a 2.95 cumulative GPA (no proration) plus department-specific performance criteria.

Notes

Open Aug 1, deadline Dec 1 (additional-requirements deadline Dec 15, 2025). Applied to tuition. A departmental scholarship may NOT be added on top of a full-tuition scholarship.

Source

$2,000

National Merit Finalist Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Any National Merit Finalist who lists UDallas as first choice with the National Merit Corporation. Finalists with a Corporate-sponsored award or National Merit $2,500 Scholarship are NOT eligible.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.

Notes

Modest $2,000/yr — a common surprise for high scorers expecting a large NM award.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from UDallas's published information.

  • Renewal ruleFreshman Academic Achievement Scholarship (automatic merit grid): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Requires full-time enrollment (12+ credits/semester) and Satisfactory Academic Progress; a 2.5 cumulative GPA is required by the end of sophomore year. GPAs of 2.0-2.4999 are prorated to 50%; below 2.0 the award is suspended. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $79,160 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at UDallas cannot push the package past $79,160. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. All non-need UDallas scholarships and grants stack only up to full tuition; a full-tuition scholarship winner is ineligible for any additional non-need award, including the Family Grant, and departmental awards cannot be added on top of a full-tuition scholarship.

  2. A 2.5 cumulative GPA is required by the end of sophomore year (end of four semesters). GPAs of 2.0-2.4999 are prorated to 50% and below 2.0 are suspended; departmental awards need a 2.95 CGPA with no proration.

  3. The National Merit Finalist Scholarship is only $2,000/year, and finalists who hold a corporate-sponsored or National Merit $2,500 award are not eligible for it.

  4. The full-tuition competitive scholarships still require FAFSA completion for consideration.

  5. University of Dallas is a private Catholic college in Irving; UT Dallas is a separate public university in Richardson with entirely different aid.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

A strong-stats applicant (especially one aiming high enough to compete for a full-tuition Scholars of Excellence/Crusader/Disciplinary award) who understands every non-need dollar is capped at tuition and that a 2.5 CGPA must be hit by the end of sophomore year.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $79,160 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at UDallas, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$12,711
$30,001–$48,000$15,431
$48,001–$75,000$17,075
$75,001–$110,000$20,384
$110,001+$32,608
All income levels (average)$22,610

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$53,930
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$22,610

That works out to roughly a 67% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $68,583 (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
73%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
77%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$23,117 (~$245/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$58,285
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
29%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
47%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

All UDallas non-need scholarships and grants are tuition-directed: they may be combined (stacked) up to but not over full tuition. A full-tuition scholarship recipient is therefore ineligible for any additional non-need scholarship or grant, including the Family Grant; departmental awards cannot sit on top of a full-tuition scholarship.

Non-need scholarships/grants (except a Federal Pell Grant) stack up to but not beyond full tuition. The number of scholarships is not limited, but combined non-need awards cannot exceed tuition unless otherwise noted. Full-tuition winners get no further non-need aid.

Source

Other UDallas scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,000 toward first-year tuitionEligibilityProspective students who visit UDallas; one per student

Source

Amount$5,000 toward tuitionEligibilityFirst-year admits with one or more siblings already enrolled full-time at any college, regardless of family income

Deadline April 1. Cannot be received by a full-tuition scholarship winner.

Source

Amount$5,000/yearEligibilityOne senior per U.S. region (West, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Texas non-DFW) at a Catholic high school

Deadline March 1.

Source

AmountVariableEligibilitySeniors from listed DFW Catholic high schools

Open Aug 1, deadline March 1.

Source

AmountMatched up to $2,000/year (8 semesters)EligibilityStudents awarded a parish scholarship in any Catholic diocese

Source

Amount$5,000/yearEligibilitySeniors homeschooled all four years (one accredited, one self-designed award)

Open Aug 1, deadline March 1.

Source

Amountapprox. $6,000EligibilityIncoming students; covers room, board and tuition for an 8-week summer General Chemistry program

Open Nov 1, deadline April 1.

Source

Amount$2,000/yearEligibilityIncoming transfer students who are PTK members

Fall deadline July 1 / Spring Jan 1; renewal requires 2.0 CGPA reviewed annually.

Source

Amount$1,000 toward first-year tuitionEligibilityComplete FAFSA (code 003651) before Dec 15

Open Oct 1, deadline Dec 15.

Source

UDallas merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    Scholars of Excellence & Crusader: Jan 5 (open Aug 1). Disciplinary: Jan 5 (open Sept 1). Departmental: Dec 1 (additional requirements by Dec 15, 2025). DFW/Regional Catholic & Homeschool: March 1. Full-Tuition Transfer: June 1, 2026. Family Grant: April 1. FAFSA Early Application Grant: Dec 15. Phi Theta Kappa: July 1 (fall) / Jan 1 (spring).

  • Is the automatic merit award really automatic?

    Yes — the admission application automatically enters you into consideration for the academic-achievement grid ($28,000-$36,000) based on your GPA or best test score; no separate application is needed.

  • What is the 2026-27 cost of attendance?

    On-campus total $79,160 (tuition $54,760; fees $4,140; books $1,090; housing $8,430; food $7,650; transportation $2,130; personal $960). Off-campus $76,300; at home $71,420.

See sources and other schools

How UDallas compares

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

    UDallas 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.

    UDallas 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

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

Compare with similar schools

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