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University of South Florida · Florida

USF scholarships and merit aid

Florida public research university that distributes 10,000+ merit awards annually with a three-tier in-state ladder (Presidential ~$16k total, Directors, Scholars Gold) and a parallel three-tier out-of-state waiver ladder (Green & Gold Presidential ~$44k, Directors ~$36k, Scholars ~$20k) — but residency changes to Florida cancel the OOS portion outright.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago· CB-1

The short answer

Is USF worth a closer look?

USF may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Merit tiers7See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards15%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
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.

Up to $4,000 per year…Up to $4,000 per year (approximately $16,000 over 4 years)

USF Presidential Award (Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Highest merit award for Florida residents. Based on academic excellence throughout high school. Auto-considered for all admitted Florida-resident first-year applicants who complete the application by January 15. No separate application.

How to keep it

Renewable for up to 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years of coursework, or completion of bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.

Notes

The Presidential is structured to stack with Florida Bright Futures (state lottery) — together they meaningfully close the in-state COA gap.

Source

Not publicly disclosed in a per-yea…Not publicly disclosed in a per-year table; second-tier in-state award

USF Directors Award (Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Florida residents below Presidential threshold but with strong academic credentials. Auto-considered through admission application by January 15.

How to keep it

8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.

Source

Not publicly disclosed in a per-yea…Not publicly disclosed in a per-year table; third-tier in-state award

USF Scholars Gold Award (Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Florida residents at the entry tier. Auto-considered through admission application by January 15.

How to keep it

8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.

Source

Up to $11,000 per year…Up to $11,000 per year (approximately $44,000 over 4 years)

Green & Gold Presidential Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Top tier of USF's out-of-state waiver program. Auto-considered for non-Florida residents who complete the application by January 15. Waiver applies only to out-of-state tuition — not housing, meals, books, or other COA components.

How to keep it

Out-of-state tuition waiver — must remain classified as a non-Florida resident to retain the waiver. If residency updates to Florida, the waiver is canceled and not replaced by an in-state award.

Notes

Cannot be combined with the USF Grandparent Waiver or Green & Gold Talent Award (both waive the same portion of non-resident tuition).

Source

Up to $9,000 per year…Up to $9,000 per year (approximately $36,000 over 4 years)

Green & Gold Directors Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Second tier of OOS waiver program. Auto-considered through admission application by January 15.

How to keep it

Out-of-state tuition waiver; must remain non-Florida resident to retain.

Source

Up to $5,000 per year…Up to $5,000 per year (approximately $20,000 over 4 years)

Green & Gold Scholars Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)

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Who qualifies

Entry tier of OOS waiver program.

How to keep it

Out-of-state tuition waiver; must remain non-Florida resident to retain.

Source

Full USF National Merit package…Full USF National Merit package (combines USF + NMSC funding; specific composition varies by Florida residency)

USF Tradition of Excellence National Merit / USF Golden Achievement (NMF)

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Who qualifies

National Merit Finalists who designate USF as their first-choice institution. Florida Benacquisto Scholarship covers Florida residents; Golden Achievement Scholarship covers non-Florida residents. Recipients also eligible for a one-time $2,000 USF Passport Scholarship for a USF-sponsored study abroad experience.

How to keep it

8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.

Notes

USF's most generous merit pathway for NMF. The Golden Achievement Tuition and Fee Waiver is a combination out-of-state + in-state waiver — should the student establish Florida residency mid-college, the waiver adjusts to cover the full in-state COA.

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 USF's published information.

  • renewalUSF Presidential Award (Florida Resident): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for up to 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years of coursework, or completion of bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • capHard $39,140 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at USF cannot push the package past $39,140. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. USF's January 15 deadline is the cliff for merit consideration — applications submitted after this date are not eligible for the auto-considered admissions merit scholarships. Applications must be fully complete (submitted, fees paid, test scores received, STARS/transcript on file) by January 15 to qualify.

  2. USF's Green & Gold Waivers (Presidential ~$11k/yr, Directors ~$9k/yr, Scholars ~$5k/yr) are tied to out-of-state status. If a student updates to Florida residency mid-college, the waiver is canceled and is NOT replaced by an in-state equivalent. The cost-of-attendance math can flip unfavorably — running both scenarios before initiating residency change is essential. The single exception: Golden Achievement bundle, which adjusts to cover in-state COA on residency change.

  3. USF explicitly excludes combining the Green & Gold Waivers with the USF Grandparent Waiver or Green & Gold Talent Award — all waive the same portion of non-resident tuition. Other OOS waivers may combine but the total cannot exceed the OOS tuition charge. Multiple-source families need to compare amounts and accept the largest single waiver.

  4. USF's National Merit package (Florida Benacquisto for Florida residents, USF Golden Achievement for non-residents) requires the finalist to designate USF as first-choice institution with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Missing this designation forfeits both the USF package and the $2,000 USF Passport Scholarship for study abroad.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong Florida residents stacking USF Presidential with Bright Futures; out-of-state students with high stats who can hit the $11k/year Green & Gold Presidential Waiver; National Merit Finalists targeting Florida Benacquisto (FL residents) or USF Golden Achievement (non-residents) — both offer the most generous USF package.

Cost of attendance$27,134–$39,140 for 2025-26Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
Out-of-state, on-campus$39,140
In-state, on-campus$27,134
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal

On-campus full-time undergraduate. In-state and out-of-state differ only in tuition & fees.

USF cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at USF, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$4,122
$30,001–$48,000$5,444
$48,001–$75,000$9,326
$75,001–$110,000$15,224
$110,001+$18,497
All income levels (average)$9,812

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$6,410
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$17,324
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$9,812

That works out to roughly a 57% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $22,859 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

USF is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
77%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
91%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$17,988 (~$191/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$57,743
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
28%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
24%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

USF caps total aid at the estimated cost of attendance per federal regulations. Out-of-state waivers cannot combine with one another (same tuition portion), and the OOS waiver tier is canceled outright if a student updates to Florida residency. The waiver does NOT convert to an in-state equivalent.

Per USF's published terms and conditions, total aid from federal, state, and institutional sources cannot exceed the estimated total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation, miscellaneous). Excess aid is reduced. Out-of-state tuition waivers from multiple sources combined cannot exceed the OOS tuition charge. The OOS waiver and USF Grandparent Waiver / Green & Gold Talent Award are mutually exclusive. Residency changes terminate OOS waivers without replacement (except the Golden Achievement bundle, which adjusts).

Source

More school data

From the USF Common Data Set 2023-2024:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From USF’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
15%of admitsget merit
Average award$3,493Covers ~9% of $39,140 cost of attendance

At USF, roughly 1 in 7 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $3,493 — about 9% of total cost.

As filed in USF's CDS Section H2A: of 5,678 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 827 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $3,493. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 3,998 of 30,064, averaging $3,404. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit15%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Average merit award$3,493Across recipients, CDS 2023-2024

Source: Common Data Set 2023-2024 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other USF scholarships worth checking

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

AmountState-funded; covers institutional cost of attendance for Florida-resident NMFEligibilityFlorida resident National Merit Finalists who designate a Florida college as first choice. Awarded by the state; USF participates.

Source

Amount$2,000 one-time semester awardEligibilityTradition of Excellence National Merit, Florida Benacquisto Scholarship, and USF Golden Achievement recipients. For one semester of USF-sponsored study abroad. Full-time enrollment not required for this award.

Source

AmountPrivately funded; ~$7 million awarded annuallyEligibilityApply through AwardSpring scholarship database. Various donor-restricted criteria.

Source

USF merit aid FAQ

  • How much merit aid does USF give?

    USF awards 10,000+ merit scholarships annually. Florida residents: Presidential Award up to $4,000/year (~$16k over 4), plus tiered Directors and Scholars Gold awards below. Non-Florida residents: Green & Gold Waivers — Presidential up to $11,000/year (~$44k), Directors up to $9,000/year (~$36k), Scholars up to $5,000/year (~$20k) — all applied only to out-of-state tuition. National Merit Finalists who designate USF first-choice receive the most generous USF package (Florida Benacquisto for FL residents; USF Golden Achievement for non-residents).

  • Do I need to apply separately for USF scholarships?

    No. All first-time-in-college applicants who complete the admission application by January 15 are automatically considered. Notifications arrive via postal mail and the Student Self-Service portal after initial admissions decisions are released.

  • What happens to my USF scholarship if I become a Florida resident?

    It depends on the award. Out-of-state Green & Gold Waivers are canceled if a student updates to Florida residency, and are NOT replaced by an in-state equivalent. The USF Golden Achievement Tuition and Fee Waiver — the National Merit award — DOES adjust to cover the full in-state cost of attendance on residency change. Verify which award you hold before initiating a residency change.

  • Can I stack USF scholarships with Florida Bright Futures?

    Generally yes — Bright Futures (state) layers with USF institutional awards. The combined total still cannot exceed USF's estimated cost of attendance. Florida residents at the top end stacking Presidential + Bright Futures Academic Scholar typically end up at very low net cost.

  • Is there a USF full ride?

    Yes — for National Merit Finalists. The Florida Benacquisto Scholarship (state-funded, for Florida-resident NMF) and the USF Golden Achievement Scholarship (for non-resident NMF) combine USF and NMSC funding into a full institutional COA package. Both also include a one-time $2,000 USF Passport Scholarship for a USF-sponsored study abroad semester.

See sources and other schools

How USF compares

  • 241 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    USF is in a recognizable cluster (241 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 667 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    USF 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.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    USF is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

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

Compare with similar schools

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  • Florida merit aid. Florida public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Florida State merit aid. Florida public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • FIU merit aid. Florida public university — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring USF merit aid