University of Memphis may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.
Open award details for In-State Merit-Based Scholarships (Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential / Provost / Deans / Academic Achievement / Trustee Award)
Who qualifies
Awarded based on information submitted on the UofM admissions application; priority application by Dec. 1; updated GPA and test scores accepted through March 1; superscores considered
How to keep it
Academic scholarships are renewable for up to three (3) additional years; disbursed fall and spring only; recipients must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester and maintain good academic standing; completion of required service hours is also necessary for scholarship renewal.
Worth knowing
No separate scholarship application, but the page says the university 'selectively awards scholarships each year' — not marked automatic. Two pathways: GPA + test, or GPA-only for certain awards (Trustee).
Out-of-State Merit-Based Scholarships (Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential / Provost / Deans / Academic Achievement / Trustee Award)$5,000-$14,000 per year ($20,000-$56,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
Open award details for Out-of-State Merit-Based Scholarships (Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential / Provost / Deans / Academic Achievement / Trustee Award)
Who qualifies
Same Dec. 1 priority and March 1 update window; awarded from the admissions application
How to keep it
Same renewal rules: up to three additional years, 12+ credit hours/semester, good academic standing, required service hours.
Worth knowing
Out-of-state dollar values are roughly double in-state for the same stat bands.
National Merit Finalist & Semi-Finalist (High Achievement Scholarship)$15,000 per year ($60,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
National Merit Finalist & Semi-Finalist (High Achievement Scholarship)
$15,000 per year ($60,000 total)
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for National Merit Finalist & Semi-Finalist (High Achievement Scholarship)
Who qualifies
National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist status; same amount in-state and out-of-state
How to keep it
Same renewal framework as other academic scholarships (up to three additional years, 12+ hours, good standing, service hours).
Valedictorian Scholarship$1,000 per year ($4,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Valedictorian Scholarship
$1,000 per year ($4,000 total)
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Valedictorian Scholarship
Who qualifies
Valedictorian status; uniquely STACKABLE with another first-time freshman scholarship
How to keep it
Same renewal framework as other academic scholarships.
Worth knowing
'Students may receive one first-time freshman scholarship, with the Valedictorian Scholarship eligible to be stacked.'
Emerging Leaders$5,500 per year ($22,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
Emerging Leaders
$5,500 per year ($22,000 total)
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.0+ cumulative high school GPA
SAT
1060+
ACT
21+
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Emerging Leaders
Who qualifies
Separate application in Tiger Scholarship Manager due Feb. 1; limited number selected; on-campus housing required during freshman year; Memphis (Central) Campus only
How to keep it
Recipients must maintain a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA, acquire and maintain involvement in at least one campus-affiliated entity, complete ten community service hours each semester, and submit reflections for co-curricular experiences each semester.
First Scholars Program$5,000 per year ($20,000 total)Not automaticRenewable
Published awardOther selection criteria
First Scholars Program
$5,000 per year ($20,000 total)
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
Start with the award’s published eligibility.
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for First Scholars Program
Who qualifies
Incoming freshmen whose parents did not graduate from college (first-generation); separate online application due Feb. 1; Memphis (Central) Campus only; optional on-campus housing freshman year
How to keep it
Renewable for a total award of $20,000 over four years; ongoing criteria not detailed on the page opened.
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (state lottery scholarship, hosted criteria)$2,250 per semester (Fr/So) / $2,850 per semester (Jr/Sr) at 12+ credit hoursNot automaticRenewable
$2,250 per semester (Fr/So) / $2,850 per semester (Jr/Sr) at 12+ credit hours
Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.
GPA
3.0 unweighted high school GPA (alternative to test score)
SAT
1060 (alternative to GPA)
ACT
21 (alternative to GPA)
RenewableCheck the conditions
Open award details for Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (state lottery scholarship, hosted criteria)
Who qualifies
Tennessee resident for at least one year prior to high school graduation; graduate from an eligible high school; FAFSA required; homeschool students have additional dual-enrollment pathways
How to keep it
Administered under Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) rules; FAFSA required as specified by TSAC.
Worth knowing
Supplements: HOPE Aspire +$750/semester (household AGI $36,000 or less); HOPE Merit +$500/semester (29 ACT and 3.75 final unweighted GPA). Amounts prorate at 6-8 and 9-11 credit hours. TN residents may stack HOPE/TSAC awards with a UofM freshman scholarship.
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“it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa
What makes University of Memphis different
Memphis runs a clean GPA+test merit grid off the admission application ($2,500-$7,000/yr in-state, up to $14,000/yr out-of-state, $15,000/yr for National Merit Finalists) — but a student may hold only ONE freshman scholarship (Valedictorian excepted), and renewal requires service hours, not just grades.
Merit tiers7See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards10%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team
Selection beyond grades and scores
Start with the selection process.
These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.
Read the selection rules
Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.
Check the application dates
Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.
Know what happens next year
Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.
The fine print / Three questions to carry forward
Before you count on it.
Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.
Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.
Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.
A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.
See what could change an award+
What families often miss
Award Limitations: 'Students may receive one first-time freshman scholarship' — only the $1,000/yr Valedictorian Scholarship can stack on top of another award.
Renewal is not GPA-only: 'Completion of required service hours is also necessary for scholarship renewal,' and the Honors College page notes Dean's, Provost and Presidential awards 'require a service obligation to the institution of 25-50 hours per academic year.'
'For priority consideration, freshmen students should apply to the University of Memphis by Dec. 1' — the admission application IS the scholarship application for the merit grid.
Emerging Leaders ($5,500/yr) and First Scholars ($5,000/yr) require separate applications due Feb. 1 — they are not awarded from the admission application; both are Central-campus-only, and Emerging Leaders requires on-campus housing freshman year.
Recipients 'must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester and maintain good academic standing'; awards run fall/spring only and renew for at most three additional years.
'All scholarships are awarded for the academic year (fall and spring semesters only)' and renew 'for up to three (3) additional years' — eight semesters maximum, no summer disbursement.
HOPE (up to $2,250/semester early years, plus Aspire/Merit supplements) requires completing the FAFSA as specified by TSAC — and HOPE stacks with a UofM merit award, so missing it leaves state money on the table.
'Updated GPA and test scores may be submitted through March 1' — superscores count, but only if they arrive by the cutoff.
See costs and school data+
Who this school may work for
Freshmen with a 3.25+ GPA and ACT 22+ (or a 3.80+ GPA with no test score for the Trustee Award) who apply by December 1; out-of-state students get roughly double the in-state dollar amounts; National Merit Finalists/Semi-Finalists earn $15,000/yr either way.
Published yearly cost: Approximately $30,536 for 2025-2026. Source
Cost and graduation facts
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at University of Memphis, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at University of Memphis, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$10,607
$30,001–$48,000
$10,968
$48,001–$75,000
$13,923
$75,001–$110,000
$17,384
$110,001+
$18,691
All income levels (average)
$12,397
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$10,728
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$15,384
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$12,397
That works out to roughly a 51% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $25,169 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
University of Memphis is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
51%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
77%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$23,300 (~$247/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$48,458
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
64%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
47%
See other scholarships and cost examples+
If your student brings another scholarship
Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): If the UofM has met 100% of your demonstrated need and subsequently you receive an outside scholarship, one or more of your financial aid sources may need to be adjusted as required by law. Loan assistance is adjusted first, whenever possible. Separately, the school's own award-stacking rules: One first-time freshman scholarship per student — except the Valedictorian Scholarship, which can stack on top. (per https://www.memphis.edu/scholarships/ftf/)
From the University of Memphis Common Data Set 2023-2024:
Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From University of Memphis’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
10%of admitsget merit
Average award$4,461Covers ~15% of $30,536 cost of attendance
At University of Memphis, roughly 1 in 10 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $4,461 — about 15% of total cost.
As filed in University of Memphis's CDS Section H2A: of 2,535 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 266 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $4,461. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 1,156 of 11,221, averaging $4,448. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.
Receive institutional merit10%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$4,461Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Other University of Memphis scholarships worth checking
These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityContinuing Honors College members in Good Standing for 1+ year; at least one Honors course in the past year; minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA; resume; preference to high merit + demonstrated need via FAFSA; deadline February 1, 2026
One-time, NONRENEWABLE award — not a four-year commitment.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFull-time Honors members (sophomore-senior) majoring in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Earth Sciences or Biomedical Engineering; 3.25+ cumulative GPA; community/university service; two faculty recommendations; deadline February 1, 2026
Only ONE award available per academic year; can fund a year of study, study abroad, or an international internship.
AmountVaries by external programEligibilityHonors College assists well-qualified students; successful applicants generally have a 3.7+ GPA plus leadership or research
Apply for admission by December 1 for priority scholarship consideration; the admission application is the merit application. Updated GPA/test scores are accepted through March 1. Separate applications for Emerging Leaders and First Scholars are due February 1, and the Honors College and Perryman scholarships are due February 1, 2026.
Is there a test-optional merit award?
Yes — the Trustee Award ($2,500/yr in-state; $5,000/yr out-of-state) is GPA-only at 3.80+, and the university offers a 'GPA-Only Evaluation' pathway for certain scholarships.
How much more do out-of-state students get?
Roughly double: e.g., the Cecil C. Humphreys Presidential is $7,000/yr in-state vs $14,000/yr out-of-state; National Merit Finalists/Semi-Finalists get $15,000/yr in both cases.
Can I stack my UofM scholarship with the Tennessee HOPE?
Yes — 'Tennessee residents may stack Memphis Promise and additional awards from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) if eligible and awarded.'
What does renewal require?
Minimum 12 credit hours per semester, good academic standing, and completion of required service hours; scholarships renew for up to three additional years (fall/spring only). Emerging Leaders adds a 3.00 GPA, campus involvement, ten service hours per semester, and reflections.
What is the cost of attendance?
Published 2025-2026 figures (the most recent on the COA page): in-state undergraduate on-campus total $30,536; out-of-state $35,240 (based on 12 hours). 2026-27 figures were not yet posted.
See sources and other schools+
How University of Memphis compares
145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
University of Memphis is in a recognizable cluster (145 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.
University of Memphis 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.
University of Memphis 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 University of Memphis’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
