Every first-time first-year is automatically offered a St. Thomas Scholarship of up to $34,000/year, and — unusually favorably — outside aid does not reduce it for most students, with the award protected for eight semesters up to the cost of attendance.
Verified Jun 2026today· COWORK
Merit tiers21 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at St. Thomas (MN)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from St. Thomas (MN)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalSt. Thomas Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Not reduced during the undergraduate program for up to eight semesters as long as the student is consecutively enrolled full-time, degree-seeking, making Satisfactory Academic Progress, and total St. Thomas + outside aid does not exceed the cost of attendance. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $77,772 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at St. Thomas (MN) cannot push the package past $77,772. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at St. Thomas (MN)
100% of first-year students are OFFERED a St. Thomas scholarship, but $34,000 is the ceiling ('up to $34,000'); the actual amount varies by student.
Outside aid does not reduce the St. Thomas scholarship for MOST students — note the 'most.' If total St. Thomas plus outside aid exceeds your cost of attendance, awards can be reduced.
The scholarship is protected for up to eight semesters only while you are consecutively enrolled full-time, degree-seeking, and making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
The Dease Scholarship covers full tuition only, not room and board; federal or state grants (not the Dease award) would cover housing/food.
The Dease Scholarship is explicitly not open to international students.
University of St. Thomas (stthomas.edu) is in St. Paul, Minnesota — not the University of St. Thomas in Houston (stthom.edu) or St. Thomas University in Florida (stu.edu).
Who this school is for
Any admitted first-year (100% are offered a St. Thomas Scholarship up to $34,000); high-need, high-achieving students — especially domestic students — can compete for full-tuition named awards like the Dease Scholarship.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $77,772 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.
Up to $34,000
St. Thomas Scholarship
AutomaticRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
All first-time, first-year students are automatically offered a St. Thomas Scholarship (100%); no separate application. Award amount varies up to the $34,000 ceiling.
Renewal terms
Not reduced during the undergraduate program for up to eight semesters as long as the student is consecutively enrolled full-time, degree-seeking, making Satisfactory Academic Progress, and total St. Thomas + outside aid does not exceed the cost of attendance.
Notes
Merit-based ceiling of $34,000/year; can be used toward any cost of attendance. Per-tier GPA-keyed amounts are on the JS-rendered /scholarships/ page that did not render via fetch (see Section C) — not fabricated here.
Ten first-year students with high financial need who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and community commitment. Competitive (separate application + interview). NOT open to international students.
Renewal terms
Scholars must participate in program activities for all 4 years and the Emerging Scholars LLC in the first year.
Notes
Covers FULL TUITION only — not room and board (federal/state grants may help with room/board). Deadline Feb 9, 2026; FAFSA/MN Dream Act recommended by Feb 1, 2026.
Favorable but qualified: outside aid does NOT reduce the St. Thomas scholarship for most students, and the merit award is protected for up to eight semesters — unless total St. Thomas plus outside aid exceeds the cost of attendance (a COA cap).
'Outside aid does not reduce the St. Thomas scholarship for most students.' The merit award is not reduced during the program (up to 8 semesters) as long as the student stays consecutively full-time, degree-seeking, makes SAP, and St. Thomas + outside aid does not exceed cost of attendance. St. Thomas must consider all outside scholarships/grants when calculating the aid package.
Do I have to apply for the St. Thomas Scholarship?
No. 100% of first-time, first-year students are automatically offered a St. Thomas merit scholarship of up to $34,000 per year; no separate application is required.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my St. Thomas scholarship?
For most students, no — outside aid does not reduce the St. Thomas scholarship, unless your total St. Thomas plus outside aid exceeds your cost of attendance.
How long does the merit scholarship last?
Up to eight semesters, not reduced as long as you remain consecutively enrolled full-time, degree-seeking, and making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
What is the Dease Scholarship deadline?
February 9, 2026 (with the FAFSA or MN Dream Act recommended by February 1, 2026). It is a competitive full-tuition award for ten domestic first-year students with high need.
What does St. Thomas cost for 2026-2027?
The total estimated cost of attendance is $77,772 (tuition $56,856 + required fees $1,742 + housing, food, and indirect costs).
How St. Thomas (MN) compares across our verified dataset
62 of 272 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
St. Thomas (MN) is in a recognizable cluster (62 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
St. Thomas (MN) is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 St. Thomas (MN)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
