Portland Merit Aid

1. Adding up two named scholarships+

   'Eligible students will only receive one of these named merit scholarships; these scholarships cannot be combined.' You get exactly one, not a stack of them.

2. Assuming the $35,000 top award is open to everyone+

   The Archbishop Christie ($35,000) requires a top-2% GPA at a CATHOLIC high school, and the Holy Cross tier also requires a Catholic high school. Public/private/homeschool students top out at the $24,000-$26,000 Schulte/Vollum tiers — a religious-school gate on the highest dollars.

3. Expecting a bigger merit award in your final, partial semester+

   Merit is for up to 8 semesters (fall & spring only); 'Students utilizing less than 8 semesters of eligibility will not be eligible for an increased merit scholarship during their last semester,' and needing more than 8 semesters requires an appeal.

4. Fearing an outside scholarship will cut your UP scholarship+

   When adjusting for outside awards, UP reduces loans and/or work-study FIRST whenever possible — favorable to your gift aid.

5. Treating tuition as an annual number off the cost page+

   The Cost of Attendance page lists figures PER SEMESTER (full-time tuition $30,500/semester = $61,000/year); housing and meal plans are also per-semester and vary by hall/plan.

Strong-GPA applicants — especially Catholic high school graduates, who qualify for the highest tiers (Archbishop Christie $35,000) — who understand only one named scholarship applies and it pays across fall/spring for up to 8 semesters.

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.

Only ONE named merit scholarship is awarded and they cannot be combined. For OUTSIDE/private scholarships, UP will reduce loans and/or work-study first whenever possible (favorable, loan-first). Awards under $1,000 generally apply to the semester received; larger ones split evenly fall/spring.

Institutional page: 'Eligible students will only receive one of these named merit scholarships; these scholarships cannot be combined.' Outside page: 'We may need to adjust your aid package to comply with federal guidelines. Whenever possible, we will reduce loans and/or work-study first.'

Source

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

• Do I have to apply separately for merit scholarships?

  No. All admitted first-year and transfer students (domestic and international) are automatically considered; you're notified of the named scholarship and amount with your acceptance letter.

• Can I receive more than one named merit scholarship?

  No. You will receive only one named merit scholarship; they cannot be combined.

• How long does my merit scholarship last?

  Up to 8 semesters (fall and spring) of undergraduate study. There is no increased award in a final partial semester, and more than 8 semesters requires an appeal to the Director of Financial Aid.

• Lewis & Clark merit aid — Oregon private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Oregon merit aid — Oregon public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Oregon State merit aid — Oregon public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
• Willamette merit aid — Oregon private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

• Portland scholarship stacking — Whether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
• Does Portland displace outside scholarships? — The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.
• Portland four-year renewal rules — GPA floors, credit-hour pace, and the renewal cliffs that knock awards out by sophomore year.