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University of Mount Union · Ohio

Mount Union scholarships and merit aid

DRAFT: Mount Union posts a clean four-band GPA merit grid ($18,000-$23,000/year, floor of a $15,000 'UMU Gift') awarded automatically at admission — but awards drop $3,000 if you live off campus, multiple awards don't stack (you get the highest), and the ceiling on all aid is full tuition.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Mount Union worth a closer look?

Mount Union awards automatic merit on admission. Mount Union does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers72 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

$18,000-$23,000

First-Year Merit Scholarships (Trustee / Founder's / Dean's / Hartshorn)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Trustee: 3.92+ ($23,000); Founder's: 3.6-3.91 ($22,000); Dean's: 3.2-3.59 ($21,000); Hartshorn Award: 2.67-3.19 ($18,000)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded at the time of admission based on a review of academic credentials; no separate application. Scholarships/awards are reduced by $3,000 if students choose to live off campus.

How to keep it

Scholarships are renewable each year at the amount originally awarded (maximum of eight semesters). Students must be full time (12 credit hours) and remain in good academic standing.

Notes

Amounts stated for the fall 2025 semester (one cycle behind target aid year). Students who don't qualify for the grid may receive the $15,000 UMU Gift.

Source

Full tuition

Presidential Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.85 minimum
SAT
1300 minimum
ACT
28 minimum
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Must be admitted, then register for one of three on-campus competition dates (Dec 6, 2025; Jan 17, 2026; Feb 14, 2026 — registration closes one week prior); interview by campus community members plus a timed essay. Eight awarded annually; results by February 23, 2026.

How to keep it

The awards are based upon the tuition rate each year and are renewable for up to a total of four years (eight semesters), provided the recipient maintains a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Notes

Stats make you eligible to COMPETE, not to win. Recipients also get automatic acceptance into the Honors Program.

Source

Full tuition

Investment Alliance Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Minimum 3.0 GPA in the seventh semester of high school study
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Top 15 students of each Alliance High School graduating class as identified by the district; eligibility determined as of the sixth semester; continuous traditional enrollment at Alliance HS for four full years and an Alliance HS diploma required (excludes home-schooled and transfer students)

Notes

Hyper-local full-tuition pipeline award for Alliance, Ohio students.

Source

$12,000-$18,000

Transfer Merit Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Awarded at time of admission based on review of academic credentials (no published GPA bands): Transfer Achievement $18,000; Transfer University $16,000; Transfer Opportunity $14,000; UMU Gift $12,000 if not eligible for a merit award; plus $3,000 Student Life Grant for students who live on campus

How to keep it

Renewable each year (maximum of eight semesters); full time (12 credit hours) and good academic standing required.

Notes

Fall 2025 amounts. Transfer extras include the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship (up to $2,500, 3.25 GPA), Stark State Honors Pathway ($2,500), and two 50%-of-tuition regional transfer scholarships (Learn Local: Choose Mount; Stronger Stark) where students get the HIGHER of the 50% award or a traditional package.

Source

$18,000-$23,000

International First-Year and Transfer Merit Scholarships

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

International students; automatic consideration upon admission, no separate application: International Distinction $23,000; International Fellow $22,000; International Academic $21,000; International Ambassador $18,000; plus all first-year and transfer international students get the $1,000 Hall International Award

Notes

Fall 2025 amounts.

Source

$2,000-$8,000

Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program - Undergraduate

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.5 unweighted HS GPA or class rank in the top 15%
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Ohio resident; four years of math and/or computer science; four years of HS science (or STEMM Career Academy at Akron North HS); majoring in an approved STEMM major (Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Nursing, Physics); separate application; 2026-2027 deadline February 15, 2026

How to keep it

Renewable for four years of undergraduate study

Notes

Includes a dedicated mentor. The page publishes both cycles' deadlines: 2025-2026 (Feb 15, 2025) and 2026-2027 (Feb 15, 2026).

Source

$3,000-$5,000

Visual and Performing Arts Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Exceptional talent in art, media, music, or theatre; amount based on an audition or portfolio review

Notes

Page directs students receiving multiple awards to the stacking policy in the Financial Aid Handbook.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Mount Union's published information.

  • Renewal ruleFirst-Year Merit Scholarships (Trustee / Founder's / Dean's / Hartshorn): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Scholarships are renewable each year at the amount originally awarded (maximum of eight semesters). Students must be full time (12 credit hours) and remain in good academic standing. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Outside awardsDifferent aid types are displaced differently

    Mount Union treats loans, work-study, and institutional grant under different rules. The same $5,000 outside award can land against any of them depending on category.

What families often miss

  1. The first-year merit section states: 'Scholarships/awards are reduced by $3,000 if students choose to live off campus.' Housing changes must be reported, and Financial Aid checks housing status two weeks into the semester and revises offers.

  2. The Multiple Merit Awards policy says students eligible for several awards 'will receive at least the value of the highest scholarship or award' — extra amounts beyond the highest award are need-based and require the FAFSA. The ceiling is full tuition, and full-tuition winners get no additional Mount Union awards.

  3. Those stats only qualify you to register for an on-campus competition day (interview + timed essay) on Dec 6, 2025, Jan 17, 2026, or Feb 14, 2026; only eight students win, and registration closes a week before each date.

  4. The 2026-2027 Choose Ohio First application deadline is February 15, 2026 — this STEMM award ($2,000-$8,000/yr) needs a separate application, unlike the automatic merit grid.

  5. The FAFSA Filer Grant pays simply for filing (renewable if filed yearly), and any second-award stacking beyond your highest merit award is need-based and requires the FAFSA.

  6. First-year scholarships are 'renewable each year at the amount originally awarded' while the Presidential full-tuition award is the exception ('based upon the tuition rate each year').

  7. For full-tuition ROTC recipients, 'All other Mount Union grants or scholarships awarded at the time of admission become honorary,' the room/board benefit is reduced by federal/state grants, and private outside scholarships exceeding direct costs reduce the room-and-board scholarship.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

DRAFT: Students with a 2.67+ GPA who plan to live on campus — everyone admitted lands somewhere on the grid (even sub-2.67 students get a $15,000 UMU Gift); 3.85+/28 ACT students should enter the Presidential competition for one of eight full-tuition awards.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $55,344 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Mount Union, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Mount Union, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$16,786
$30,001–$48,000$19,428
$48,001–$75,000$17,741
$75,001–$110,000$23,474
$110,001+$26,495
All income levels (average)$23,280

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$36,600
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$23,280

That works out to roughly a 53% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $49,276 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
59%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
77%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$53,217
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
29%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
86%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Students eligible for multiple Mount Union awards receive at least the value of the highest single award — not the sum. Any portion of a second award is based on financial need and requires the FAFSA. The maximum total award equals full tuition; full-tuition recipients get nothing additional. For ROTC full-tuition recipients, all other Mount Union awards become honorary, and private outside scholarships that exceed direct costs reduce the ROTC room-and-board benefit.

Highest-award rule with a full-tuition ceiling (Multiple Merit Awards policy); first-year merit awards cut by $3,000 for living off campus; ROTC room/board benefit reduced by federal/state grants and by outside scholarships exceeding direct costs. A fuller stacking policy lives in the Financial Aid Handbook (not opened in this extraction).

Source

Other Mount Union scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$1,000/year ($4,000 total)EligibilityFirst-year and transfer students admitted Fall 2024 or later who schedule and attend an on-campus visit through the Office of Admission

Renewable up to four years — literally money for visiting campus.

Source

Amount$1,000/year ($4,000 total) — page elsewhere says $500/year ($2,000 total); see Section C conflictEligibilityFirst-year and transfer students who complete the FAFSA; renewable if FAFSA filed each year

Two fetches of the same page showed different amounts ($500/yr vs $1,000/yr) — verify with aid office.

Source

Amount$2,000EligibilityIncoming first-year students with 2.5+ HS GPA who are first-generation college students

Renewable for eight semesters.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityStudents from high schools in Mahoning, Columbiana, or Trumbull County majoring in science, health/medical, education, or math (General) or engineering (Engineering)

Committee reviews all eligible students on acceptance; no separate application.

Source

AmountFull tuition and technology feesEligibilityFive awards; Cleveland residents continuously enrolled in CMSD or partnering charter school grades 9-12, family income at or below $75,000; FAFSA required

Up to eight semesters; full-time required.

Source

AmountTuition and technology fees (gap coverage)EligibilityPell-eligible, family income $65,000 or less, 2.8+ HS GPA; in-state and out-of-state

Meets tuition+tech fees using grants/scholarships, Federal Loans, and Work Study (loans/work-study are part of the package). Renewable 8 semesters with continued FAFSA eligibility and SAP.

Source

Amount$1,500EligibilitySuperior performance at State Science Day or District 13 Science Fair in junior/senior year

Source

Amount$1,000 each (Esports open-tryout range $150-$1,000)EligibilityDependents of Mount Union graduates / cheer, dance team, mascot members / esports varsity recruits (2.5 GPA to keep Esports)

Source

Mount Union merit aid FAQ

  • What are the scholarship deadlines?

    The automatic merit grid has no separate deadline (awarded at admission). Presidential Scholarship competition dates: December 6, 2025; January 17, 2026; February 14, 2026 (registration closes one week prior; results by February 23, 2026). Choose Ohio First (undergraduate) 2026-2027 deadline: February 15, 2026. Ohio Transfer Council Scholarship: June 30.

  • Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

    No for the GPA grid — awards are made at the time of admission from your academic credentials. Yes for Presidential (competition), Choose Ohio First (application), and Visual/Performing Arts (audition or portfolio).

  • What keeps my scholarship renewed?

    Grid scholarships renew at the original amount for up to eight semesters with full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) and good academic standing. The Presidential Scholarship requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Esports requires a 2.5.

  • What does Mount Union cost?

    Per the 2026-2027 COA page: tuition $37,300, technology fee $500, on-campus food and housing $13,490, plus books, transportation, equipment, and personal allowances (no single total is printed; the on-campus line items sum to roughly $55,300). COA figures determine aid eligibility and are not the bill.

See sources and other schools

How Mount Union compares

  • 32 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use mixed displacement.

    Mount Union is in the small minority (32 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.

    Mount Union 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.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Mount Union’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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