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.

Portland award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at Portland?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

6 of 6 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 6 of 6
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 6
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Portland's published renewal rules cluster around a 3.0 floor with no major-GPA gating, which is survivable for the typical freshman with steady study habits. The risk is non-renewal due to enrollment status (dropping below full-time), not GPA.

Archbishop Christie Scholarship: See notes
President's Scholarship: See notes
Holy Cross Scholarship: See notes
Arthur A. Schulte, Jr. Scholarship: See notes
Howard Vollum Scholarship: See notes
Transfer Merit Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Archbishop Christie Scholarship
$35,000
Entry requirements: Top 2% GPA at a Catholic high school GPA · Optional SAT · Optional ACT
To keep it: Available for up to 8 semesters (fall & spring); no increased award in the final semester if fewer than 8 semesters used; >8 semesters requires appeal to the Director of Financial Aid.
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html
President's Scholarship
$28,000-$30,000
Entry requirements: Top GPAs GPA · Optional SAT · Optional ACT
To keep it: Up to 8 semesters (fall & spring); same renewal terms.
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html
Holy Cross Scholarship
$24,000-$26,000
Entry requirements: Strong GPA GPA · Optional SAT · Optional ACT
To keep it: Up to 8 semesters (fall & spring).
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html
Arthur A. Schulte, Jr. Scholarship
$24,000-$26,000
Entry requirements: Strong GPA GPA · Optional SAT · Optional ACT
To keep it: Up to 8 semesters (fall & spring).
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html
Howard Vollum Scholarship
$24,000-$26,000
Entry requirements: Strong GPA GPA · Optional SAT · Optional ACT
To keep it: Up to 8 semesters (fall & spring).
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html
Transfer Merit Scholarship
Up to $28,000 per year
Entry requirements: Qualifying transfer GPA GPA
To keep it: Up to 8 semesters (fall & spring); undergraduate study only.
Source: https://www.up.edu/admissions-aid/office-of-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/institutional-scholarships.html

How families lose this aid

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.
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.
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.

Renewal questions families ask

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.

How Portland compares across our verified dataset

665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Portland 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 renewal claim is checked against Portland’s own published materials.

Policy pagePortland stacking policy
Merit tiersArchbishop Christie Scholarship