Do I have to apply separately for Louisville's out-of-state scholarships?

No. Louisville states there is 'No scholarship application required' and the awards are 'Guaranteed to be awarded to students admitted by April 1.' Your award is placed automatically based on your residency, GPA, and (if it helps you) test scores.

How much is the automatic out-of-state award worth?

Every admitted non-resident gets a $16,000 Border Benefit base, with up to $5,000 stacked on by a published GPA/test grid (top tier $21,000 at 36 ACT / 1570-1600 SAT and 3.5 weighted GPA). Students from designated regional areas instead receive $12,000-$16,000 through the Regional Scholars Program, and other out-of-state students fall on the $5,000-$15,000 National Scholars grid. National Merit Finalists/Semifinalists receive $20,000.

Louisville· Renewal Rules

Keeping Louisville’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 May 20268 days ago· A2-2

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 5 of 5
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 5
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

Louisville'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.

Border Benefit Award (base): See notes
Border Benefit Award (top stacked tier): See notes
Regional Scholars Program: See notes
National Scholars Program: See notes
National Merit Finalist/Semifinalist Award: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Border Benefit Award (base)
$16,000 per year
To keep it: All awards listed on the out-of-state grid are renewable. The grid does not publish a renewal GPA on the page; confirm the renewal GPA with the financial aid office.
Source: https://louisville.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/out-state-scholarships-aid
Border Benefit Award (top stacked tier)
$21,000 per year ($16,000 base + $5,000)
Entry requirements: 3.5 weighted GPA GPA · 1570-1600 SAT · 36 ACT
To keep it: Renewable. The $5,000 add-on is the top band on the published grid.
Source: https://louisville.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/out-state-scholarships-aid
Regional Scholars Program
$12,000–$16,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable. Accepted freshmen from designated regional areas automatically receive this award.
Source: https://louisville.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/out-state-scholarships-aid/regional-scholars-program
National Scholars Program
$5,000–$15,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable. Five-band published grid for out-of-state students who do not qualify for Border Benefit / Regional tiers.
Source: https://louisville.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/out-state-scholarships-aid
National Merit Finalist/Semifinalist Award
$20,000 per year
To keep it: Renewable with a 3.5 weighted GPA requirement.
Source: https://louisville.edu/cost-aid/undergraduate-scholarships-aid/out-state-scholarships-aid

Renewal questions families ask

Do I have to apply separately for Louisville's out-of-state scholarships?: No. Louisville states there is 'No scholarship application required' and the awards are 'Guaranteed to be awarded to students admitted by April 1.' Your award is placed automatically based on your residency, GPA, and (if it helps you) test scores.
How much is the automatic out-of-state award worth?: Every admitted non-resident gets a $16,000 Border Benefit base, with up to $5,000 stacked on by a published GPA/test grid (top tier $21,000 at 36 ACT / 1570-1600 SAT and 3.5 weighted GPA). Students from designated regional areas instead receive $12,000-$16,000 through the Regional Scholars Program, and other out-of-state students fall on the $5,000-$15,000 National Scholars grid. National Merit Finalists/Semifinalists receive $20,000.

Rules that bite at Louisville

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

renewalNational Merit Finalist/Semifinalist Award: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable with a 3.5 weighted GPA requirement. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Louisville compares across our verified dataset

11 of 203 verified schools publish a top renewal tier requiring 3.5+ GPA or major-GPA gating.
Louisville is one of them. Calibrate year-one academic load against the renewal floor, not just freshman survival.
178 of 203 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Louisville is one of them. The cohort minority (25 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
61 of 203 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
Louisville 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 renewal claim is checked against Louisville’s own published materials.