How much can a top student get?

At GPA 3.5-4.0 and ACT 33-36: $6,000 academic + $6,000 housing per year, plus a laptop and a study-abroad stipend up to $4,500, plus an estimated $10,065 TOPS for Louisiana residents — a published total of $22,065/year.

What does renewal require?

24 earned credit hours each academic year, 12+ hours by the 15th class day each Fall/Spring, continuous full-time enrollment, and a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of Spring — for eight semesters or until your bachelor's degree.

ULM· Renewal Rules

Keeping ULM’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 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 3 of 3
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 2
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

ULM's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

2026-2027 Freshman Academic Scholarships — GPA 3.5-4.0 grid (President's Distinguished / Academic Excellence / Academic Merit / Ace's Award): 3.0 GPA
2026-2027 Freshman Academic Scholarships — GPA 3.0-3.49 grid: 3.0 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

2026-2027 Freshman Academic Scholarships — GPA 3.5-4.0 grid (President's Distinguished / Academic Excellence / Academic Merit / Ace's Award)
Academic Scholarship $1,000-$6,000/year + Housing Award $2,000-$6,000/year (no housing award at ACT 20-22); ACT 30-32 adds a laptop, ACT 33-36 adds a laptop + study abroad stipend up to $4,500
Entry requirements: 3.5-4.0 (6th-semester GPA used) GPA · See ULM's SAT Scholarship Grid PDF (linked from the page) SAT · 33-36 ($6,000+$6,000), 31-32 ($5,000+$5,000), 30 ($5,000+$5,000), 27-29 ($3,250+$3,250), 23-26 ($2,000+$2,000), 20-22 ($1,000, no housing) ACT
To keep it: Awarded for eight semesters or until Bachelor's graduation, whichever comes first, provided retention criteria are met: earn 24 credit hours each academic year (Aug-Jul), enroll in 12+ hours by the 15th class day each Fall/Spring, maintain full-time continuous enrollment, and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of Spring. Once cancelled, appeal decisions by the Scholarship Committee are final.
Source: https://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/freshmen.html
2026-2027 Freshman Academic Scholarships — GPA 3.0-3.49 grid
Academic Scholarship $1,000-$5,000/year + Housing Award $1,500-$3,000/year (no housing award at ACT 20-22)
Entry requirements: 3.0-3.49 (6th-semester GPA) GPA · See ULM's SAT Scholarship Grid PDF SAT · 30-36 ($5,000+$3,000), 27-29 ($3,000+$2,500), 23-26 ($2,000+$1,500), 20-22 ($1,000, no housing) ACT
To keep it: Same retention criteria: 24 hours/year, 12+ hours by 15th class day each Fall/Spring, continuous full-time enrollment, 3.0 cumulative GPA at end of Spring; eight semesters or Bachelor's graduation.
Source: https://www.ulm.edu/scholarships/freshmen.html

How families lose this aid

Enrolling in an online degree program and expecting merit money.
'First time freshmen who enroll in an online degree program are NOT eligible for academic scholarships' — and students who switch from on-campus to an online program after their first semester have their scholarship REDUCED BY 50%.
Declining quietly or enrolling elsewhere first.
The offer is 'only valid if the student enrolls at ULM beginning with the Fall 2026 semester. If the student chooses not to accept the academic award, their award will be forfeited for all future semesters.'
Falling short of 24 earned hours for the year.
Renewal requires 24 earned credit hours each academic year (Aug-Jul) plus 12+ hours by the 15th class day each Fall/Spring and a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of Spring. AP/CLEP/credit-by-exam can't fill the gap (freshmen may use up to 6 dual-enrollment hours in year one only); off-campus courses need PRIOR Scholarship Office approval. Cancelled awards are gone for all future terms, and committee appeal decisions are final.

Renewal questions families ask

How much can a top student get?: At GPA 3.5-4.0 and ACT 33-36: $6,000 academic + $6,000 housing per year, plus a laptop and a study-abroad stipend up to $4,500, plus an estimated $10,065 TOPS for Louisiana residents — a published total of $22,065/year.
What does renewal require?: 24 earned credit hours each academic year, 12+ hours by the 15th class day each Fall/Spring, continuous full-time enrollment, and a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of Spring — for eight semesters or until your bachelor's degree.

Rules that bite at ULM

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from ULM's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewal2026-2027 Freshman Academic Scholarships — GPA 3.5-4.0 grid (President's Distinguished / Academic Excellence / Academic Merit / Ace's Award): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Awarded for eight semesters or until Bachelor's graduation, whichever comes first, provided retention criteria are met: earn 24 credit hours each academic year (Aug-Jul), enroll in 12+ hours by the 15th class day each Fall/Spring, maintain full-time continuous enrollment, and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the end of Spring. Once cancelled, appeal decisions by the Scholarship Committee are final. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How ULM compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
ULM 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 renewal claim is checked against ULM’s own published materials.

policyULM stacking policy
scholarshipULM Foundation Scholarships
scholarshipHonors-only scholarships (ULM Honors Program)