DRAFT: UNE gives every admitted full-time undergrad an automatic GPA-based Merit Scholarship of $13,000–$28,000 (no application), and layers on a Tuition-Free Program for high-GPA (3.85+), lower-income (AGI under $100K, SAI 0) first-year students who live on campus.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers54 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at UNE (Maine)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from UNE (Maine)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalMerit Scholarship — Incoming First-Year Students: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Merit Scholarships renew for four years of undergraduate study at UNE as long as you maintain full-time enrollment (12+ credits) in eligible coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Common merit-aid mistakes at UNE (Maine)
The TFP covers tuition only. UNE's own FAQ says additional educational-related costs 'include, but are not limited to, required fees, residence hall, and dining charges' — and TFP students are REQUIRED to live on campus, so a family still pays roughly $19,400 room and board plus $2,080 fees (2026-27 figures) out of pocket or via other aid.
The TFP also requires AGI under $100,000, a Student Aid Index of 0, dependent status, first-time first-year status (no transfers or international students), living on campus, filing the FAFSA, and accepting all federal/state grant aid. High-income high-GPA students do not qualify — they get the regular merit scholarship instead.
The regular Merit Scholarship requires a 2.5 cumulative GPA to renew, but the Tuition-Free Program has a much higher 3.5 cumulative GPA cliff — fall below 3.5 even once (e.g., after failing a course) and 'they will not be eligible for the TFP.'
The page states: 'full-time enrollment (defined as 12 or more credits) must be maintained to be eligible for all institutional funds, including merit scholarships.' Part-time students are not eligible for UNE gift aid at all, and a TFP student who drops below full-time permanently loses the TFP.
TFP eligibility is capped at four years of undergraduate study; extending enrollment beyond four years, withdrawing, or taking a leave of absence ends it. It also excludes summer terms and course overloads above the published full-time tuition.
UNE requires all outside awards to be reported. The good news: UNE's published policy is to let outside scholarships fill unmet need and, if an adjustment is needed, to reduce loans/work-study first — so reporting usually doesn't cost you grant money.
The Pharm.D. merit award drops from $13,000–$28,000 in the first two years to $7,000–$18,000 in the final four years — a built-in decrease the page states explicitly.
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Strong fit for solid-GPA students who want guaranteed merit money without extra applications, and especially for high-achieving (3.85+ unweighted GPA) students from families earning under $100,000 who can live on campus — that profile may attend tuition-free.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $71,640 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.
$13,000-$28,000
Merit Scholarship — Incoming First-Year Students
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Based on GPA and academic achievement before enrolling; the page does not publish a GPA-to-amount grid
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Full-time enrollment (12+ credits) in an on-campus undergraduate program
Renewal terms
Merit Scholarships renew for four years of undergraduate study at UNE as long as you maintain full-time enrollment (12+ credits) in eligible coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.
Notes
All incoming full-time undergraduates receive one; awarded at time of admission with no separate application. No published table mapping a specific GPA to a specific dollar amount.
Based on academic achievement before enrolling; no published grid
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Transfer student; full-time enrollment in an on-campus undergraduate program
Renewal terms
Renewable Merit Scholarship for full-time enrollment in an on-campus undergraduate program; institutional renewal terms (12+ credits, 2.5 cumulative GPA) apply per the same page.
Notes
Offered at time of admission; no separate application.
First-year, first-time students only; live on campus; file FAFSA; AGI under $100,000 (2023 tax year, per published 2025-26 terms); Student Aid Index (SAI) of 0; dependent student; accept all federal and state grant aid
Renewal terms
Renewable up to four years of undergraduate study; students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5, full-time enrollment, and live on campus. Falling below 3.5, dropping below full-time, withdrawing, or extending beyond four years ends eligibility.
Notes
No separate application (reviewed automatically from the admission application + FAFSA), but it is NOT a pure stats award — it has income (AGI/SAI), residency-hall, and dependency gates. Covers TUITION ONLY, not fees, housing, or dining. Page describes the fall 2025 / 2025-2026 launch cohort; 2026-2027 terms were not posted at retrieval (see Section C).
UNE lets outside scholarships fill unmet financial need first; if an aid adjustment is required, UNE reduces loans and/or work-study before touching grants or merit aid (loan-first displacement). All outside awards must be reported to Student Financial Services. For the Tuition-Free Program, UNE states outside scholarships in most instances will not affect eligibility.
From the Applying for Aid page: outside scholarships fill unmet need; when adjustments are necessary UNE first attempts to reduce loans and/or work-study. Federal rules require students to report all outside assistance. TFP FAQ separately states receipt of outside scholarships in most instances will not impact TFP eligibility but must be reported.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityParent earned a degree from UNE, Westbrook College, or Saint Francis College; student enrolled full-time on campus
Requires submitting the Request for UNE Sibling, Legacy, or Lifetime Partnership Awards form.
Is there a separate scholarship application or deadline at UNE?
No separate application or deadline for the Merit Scholarship — it is awarded automatically at the time of admission based on your GPA and academic record. The Tuition-Free Program also has no application ('There is no application or request process... regardless of when you apply') but requires a FAFSA on file. The Maine State Grant (Maine residents) has a May 1 priority deadline.
How much merit money will I get?
Every incoming full-time first-year student gets $13,000–$28,000 per year; transfers get $9,000–$24,000. UNE does not publish a grid mapping a specific GPA to a specific amount — the exact figure comes with your admission offer.
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?
A 2.5 cumulative GPA plus full-time enrollment (12+ credits) renews the Merit Scholarship for four years. The Tuition-Free Program requires a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
Does the Tuition-Free Program cover housing and food?
No. It covers full tuition only (including future tuition increases). Required fees, residence hall, and dining charges are not covered, and TFP students must live on campus.
Will outside scholarships reduce my UNE aid?
UNE's policy is to let outside scholarships fill unmet financial need; if adjustments are necessary, UNE first reduces loans and/or work-study. All outside scholarships must be reported to Student Financial Services.
What does UNE cost for 2026-2027?
Estimated total cost of attendance is $71,640: tuition $45,960, room and board $19,400 (Featherman triple rate), general service fee $2,080 (direct costs $67,440), plus about $4,200 estimated indirect costs. UNE notes it typically implements a 2-4% increase each year.
How UNE (Maine) compares across our verified dataset
99 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
UNE (Maine) is in the modest minority (99 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UNE (Maine) 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 claim is checked against UNE (Maine)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
