How is my automatic merit amount determined?

By GPA or test score — Findlay applies whichever yields the highest amount. The first-year grid runs $18,500 (Merit) to $25,000 (Trustee), with a $2,000 bump for a 30 ACT/1360 SAT or higher.

Are test scores required for merit?

No. UF is test-optional and will award on GPA alone (Faculty $20,000 / Merit $18,500 tiers), but a qualifying test score can move you to a higher tier.

How do I get a full-tuition scholarship?

Through an invitation-only Competition Day (Elite, Leadership, or Oiler). Call Admissions at 419-434-4732; eligibility is based on the stated ACT/SAT/GPA minimums.

Findlay· Renewal Rules

Keeping Findlay’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20261 day ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 2 of 5
One-time tiers: 3
Tiers with published renewal terms: 2
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Findlay's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

Automatic Merit Scholarships (First-Year) — GPA/Test Grid: See notes
Transfer Merit Scholarships — GPA Grid: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Automatic Merit Scholarships (First-Year) — GPA/Test Grid
$18,500-$25,000
Entry requirements: 3.29 (Merit) to 4.0 (Trustee) GPA · 1090 (Deans) to 1290 (Trustee) SAT · 21 (Deans) to 27 (Trustee) ACT
To keep it: Renewal terms not specified on the scholarships page (the grid lists annual award amounts).
Source: https://www.findlay.edu/admissions-aid/scholarships/
Transfer Merit Scholarships — GPA Grid
$18,500-$25,000
Entry requirements: Up to 2.99 (Merit) to 3.5+ (Trustee) GPA
To keep it: Renewal terms not specified on the page.
Source: https://www.findlay.edu/admissions-aid/scholarships/

How families lose this aid

Assuming a test-optional applicant loses out on merit.
UF takes the HIGHER of the GPA-based or test-based amount 'in your favor' — applying without scores still places you on the GPA grid; submitting strong scores can only raise the award (and a 30 ACT/1360 SAT adds $2,000).

Renewal questions families ask

How is my automatic merit amount determined?: By GPA or test score — Findlay applies whichever yields the highest amount. The first-year grid runs $18,500 (Merit) to $25,000 (Trustee), with a $2,000 bump for a 30 ACT/1360 SAT or higher.
Are test scores required for merit?: No. UF is test-optional and will award on GPA alone (Faculty $20,000 / Merit $18,500 tiers), but a qualifying test score can move you to a higher tier.
How do I get a full-tuition scholarship?: Through an invitation-only Competition Day (Elite, Leadership, or Oiler). Call Admissions at 419-434-4732; eligibility is based on the stated ACT/SAT/GPA minimums.

How Findlay compares across our verified dataset

249 of 275 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Findlay is one of them. The cohort minority (26 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 renewal claim is checked against Findlay’s own published materials.