UMN Duluth automatically considers applicants for a single GPA-based admissions scholarship ($750-$8,000/yr, up to $32,000 over four years) with Duluth-landmark tier names; you can only hold one UMD admissions scholarship.
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers41 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at UMN Duluth
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from UMN Duluth's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalFirst Year Student Admissions Scholarship (Best of Class / Zenith / Superior / Beacon / North Shore / Ascent tiers): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to 4 years (total $3,000-$32,000) contingent on maintaining a 3.0 University of Minnesota cumulative GPA and full-time (12+ credit) enrollment. Graduating in less than four years forfeits the remaining award and it cannot transfer to non-degree/grad/professional enrollment. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $31,100 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at UMN Duluth cannot push the package past $31,100. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at UMN Duluth
UMD awards only ONE admissions scholarship per student from the Office of Admissions — the named tiers are mutually exclusive, not additive.
Total aid (all scholarships + grants) cannot exceed UMD's cost of attendance; receiving an outside scholarship triggers a review and may reduce your loans, work-study, or institutional aid.
The admissions scholarship requires a 3.0 University of Minnesota cumulative GPA and full-time (12+ credit) enrollment to renew; graduating early forfeits the remaining award.
Swenson College of Science & Engineering undergraduates pay an additional $520/year in tuition that is NOT shown in the COA charts but is included in financial-aid eligibility.
Best of Class requires a 3.9 GPA and is tied to being ranked #1 or #2 in a Minnesota class (with an appeal path for non-ranking schools); homeschooled students do not qualify.
Duluth has its own scholarships, costs, and One Stop system of record on the d.umn.edu domain.
Who this school is for
A solid-GPA applicant (3.9+ unlocks the top Best of Class honor) who applies by the Jan 15 regular-decision deadline, will live on campus, and understands UMD awards exactly one admissions scholarship and caps total aid at cost of attendance.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $31,100 for 2026-2027. Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$750-$8,000
First Year Student Admissions Scholarship (Best of Class / Zenith / Superior / Beacon / North Shore / Ascent tiers)
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Primarily based on GPA at time of admission (Best of Class tier requires 3.9+)
ACT
A strong composite ACT may benefit/raise the award if submitted (test-optional)
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Automatic consideration on the admission application; no separate scholarship application. Apply by the Jan 15 regular-decision deadline for full consideration.
Renewal terms
Renewable for up to 4 years (total $3,000-$32,000) contingent on maintaining a 3.0 University of Minnesota cumulative GPA and full-time (12+ credit) enrollment. Graduating in less than four years forfeits the remaining award and it cannot transfer to non-degree/grad/professional enrollment.
Notes
The page names six tiers by Duluth landmarks (Best of Class, Zenith, Superior, Beacon, North Shore, Ascent) but publishes only the overall $750-$8,000 range — NO per-tier dollar amounts are given, so none are invented here. Best of Class is the top honor.
Highest-honor admissions tier; effectively for students ranked #1 or #2 in their MN class (schools that don't rank require a scholarship-appeal verification). Homeschooled students do NOT qualify. Must apply by the Jan 15 regular-decision deadline.
Renewal terms
Same renewal terms (3.0 UMN CGPA + full-time).
Notes
Distinct named top tier with a hard 3.9 GPA floor and a rank/MN-resident pathway; the dollar amount is not published on this page (do not assume the $8,000 top of the general range applies).
A student may hold only ONE admissions scholarship from the Office of Admissions. Outside (non-UMD) scholarships may be combined with the admissions scholarship, but total aid (all scholarships and grants) cannot exceed UMD's cost of attendance; an outside award may reduce loans, work-study, or institutional aid.
Per the FAQ: students may only qualify for one admissions scholarship; scholarships from outside the university may be combined. Total annual aid cannot exceed COA; financial aid (loans, work-study, scholarships, grants) may be reduced if total aid exceeds the program cost. An outside scholarship triggers a review and possible reduction of other aid.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityNon-resident students with UMD alumni parents or grandparents; apply by Jan 15 of senior year; contingent on acceptance and enrollment
December 1 is the Early Action priority deadline; January 15 is the Regular Decision deadline for all merit scholarship consideration (and the deadline to qualify for Best of Class). August 1 offers limited consideration depending on availability. For spring entry, the Regular Decision merit deadline is October 15.
Do I need to apply separately for the scholarship?
No — UMD automatically considers you for the merit scholarship when you apply for admission, primarily based on your GPA (a strong ACT may help if submitted).
What is the 2026-27 cost of attendance?
Resident living on campus is about $31,100 (tuition $13,815; fees $1,725; housing $6,160; food $6,200; books $760; personal $2,000; transportation $340; loan fees $100). Midwest nonresident on campus is $31,760 and full nonresident on campus is $38,650. Swenson science/engineering students add $520/year.
How UMN Duluth compares across our verified dataset
62 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
UMN Duluth is in a recognizable cluster (62 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UMN Duluth 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.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against UMN Duluth’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
