Skip to content

University of Vermont · Vermont

Vermont (UVM) scholarships and merit aid

New England flagship that automatically considers every applicant for five-figure merit — out-of-state students can land a $20,000–$25,000/year Presidential Scholarship with no separate application, while Vermont residents nominated by their high school can earn the full-in-state-tuition Green and Gold award.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Vermont (UVM) worth a closer look?

Vermont (UVM) is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 3 published awards, and 2 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers32 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards58%First-year students, CDS 2025-2026
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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.

$20,000–$25,000 per year…$20,000–$25,000 per year (out-of-state / international)

Presidential Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded to prospective first-time first-year out-of-state and international students; automatically considered based on the application for admission, no separate scholarship application. UVM does not publish a fixed GPA/test cutoff for selection; the 3.0 is the renewal floor.

How to keep it

Four-year (eight semester) award; enroll in 12+ credits per semester and maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.

Source

$10,000–$15,000 per year…$10,000–$15,000 per year (out-of-state / international)

Trustees Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Automatically considered with the Presidential Scholarship based on the application for admission; no separate scholarship application. 3.0 is the renewal floor, not a published selection cutoff.

How to keep it

Four-year (eight semester) award; enroll in 12+ credits per semester and maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.

Source

Full in-state tuition for four years…Full in-state tuition for four years (currently valued at over $67,000)

Green and Gold Scholarship (Vermont residents)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Vermont residents (per UVM residency rules) nominated by their Vermont high school principal at the end of junior year, who graduate from the nominating school. Vermont residents at eligible out-of-state border high schools may qualify if in the top 10% of their class. Nomination-based, not stat-automatic.

How to keep it

Four-year merit scholarship; enroll in 12+ credits per semester and maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. Includes an invitation to UVM's Patrick Leahy Honors College.

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 Vermont (UVM)'s published information.

  • Aid capHard $66,252 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Vermont (UVM) cannot push the package past $66,252. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

Straight from the aid office

What Vermont (UVM)'s aid office says

Per the Student Financial Services, University of Vermont, August 2026. How we verify

Automatic scholarship consideration

Is my son automatically considered for merit scholarships when he applies, or is there a separate application?

Most prospective first-year students are automatically considered for UVM merit scholarships through the admission application, though some specialized scholarships may require a separate application or nomination.

“Most prospective first-year students are automatically considered for UVM merit scholarships through the application for admission.”
Scholarship notification timing

When will we find out about scholarship awards?

Most scholarship notifications are included with the admission decision.

“Most scholarship notifications are included with the admission decision.”
GPA weighting for scholarships

Does UVM look at weighted or unweighted GPA for scholarship consideration?

UVM reviews the complete application including academic rigor, grades, and performance trends, but does not publish a specific weighted-versus-unweighted GPA formula for scholarship consideration.

“UVM does not publish a specific weighted-versus-unweighted GPA formula for scholarship consideration.”
SAT score requirement

Is the SAT score required for admission or scholarship consideration?

SAT scores are optional as part of the admission process.

“SAT scores are optional as part of the admission process.”
Combining scholarships

Can an academic scholarship stack with Honors College or departmental awards?

Whether awards can be combined depends on each scholarship's terms; Honors College admission does not necessarily include a separate scholarship, and departmental awards may have their own requirements or restrictions.

“Whether multiple awards can be combined depends on the terms of each scholarship. Honors College admission does not necessarily include a separate scholarship, and departmental awards may have their own requirements or restrictions.”
Outside scholarship impact on aid

If he wins an outside scholarship, will it reduce loans or cut into the scholarship already offered?

If an outside scholarship is received, UVM will first try to reduce need-based student loans and work-study before adjusting need-based grants or need-based university scholarships; the actual effect depends on the full aid offer and the outside scholarship amount.

“receives an outside scholarship, UVM will first try to reduce need-based student loans and work-study before adjusting need-based grants or university scholarships awarded on the basis of financial need.”
Scholarship renewal requirements

What GPA and enrollment status are required to renew a merit scholarship?

Most admission-based scholarships require a minimum 3.0 cumulative UVM GPA, full-time enrollment, and good academic standing, unless the scholarship notification states different terms, and the cumulative GPA is checked at the end of each spring semester rather than after each individual term.

“Most admission-based scholarships require a minimum 3.0 cumulative UVM GPA, full-time enrollment, and good academic standing, unless the scholarship notification specifies different terms. The cumulative GPA is reviewed at the end of each spring semester rather than after each individual semester.”
Reinstatement after non-renewal

If the scholarship is lost due to GPA, can it be reinstated later?

If a merit scholarship is not renewed after the spring GPA review, UVM reviews eligibility again after future spring semesters and may reinstate the scholarship for the following academic year once the student meets GPA and other eligibility requirements.

“If a merit scholarship is not renewed because of the spring GPA review, UVM will review eligibility again after future spring semesters and may reinstate the scholarship for the following academic year once the student meets the GPA and other eligibility requirements.”

What families often miss

  1. UVM automatically considers every prospective first-time, first-year applicant for both awards based on the admission application alone. There is no separate scholarship form, essay, or interview — applying for admission is what triggers the merit review.

  2. Green and Gold is nomination-based: your Vermont high school principal must nominate you at the end of junior year, and you must graduate from that nominating school. It is not awarded off stats automatically the way the out-of-state Presidential and Trustees scholarships are. Confirm your school participates and submits a nomination.

  3. UVM caps total gift aid at the cost of attendance — if grants, scholarships, and similar benefits together exceed COA, your UVM scholarship can be reduced or cancelled. A student already holding a large Presidential award has less room under the cap, so call Student Financial Services before banking on stacking.

See award cutoffs and special programs

Presidential Scholarship — UVM's top automatic merit for out-of-state students

The Presidential Scholarship is UVM's highest automatic merit award, $20,000 to $25,000 per year for four years, aimed squarely at out-of-state applicants who face the nonresident tuition premium. UVM states that 'prospective, first-time, first-year undergraduate students are automatically considered for the Presidential Scholarship and the Trustees Scholarship based on their application for admission' — there is no separate scholarship application, essay, or interview. At the top of the range, $25,000/year meaningfully closes the gap between UVM's in-state and out-of-state cost. Renewal is straightforward but real: 'You must be enrolled in 12 or more credits per semester and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.' The next tier down, the Trustees Scholarship, runs $10,000 to $15,000 per year on the same automatic basis.

Source

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong out-of-state students who want a flagship public with no-application merit that blunts the nonresident sticker price, and high-achieving Vermont residents whose high school can nominate them for the Green and Gold full-tuition award plus an Honors College invitation.

Cost of attendance$37,786–$66,252 for 2025-2026Each 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$66,252
In-state, on-campus$37,786
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Personal
  • Travel
  • Loan fees

Full-time undergraduate, on-campus. Tuition & fees = tuition + comprehensive fee + IRA fee; optional $1,000 program fee (Nursing/Business/Engineering only) and optional SHIP excluded. Total computed from official components (UVM does not print a single total line because program fee is conditional). Sums exactly.

Vermont (UVM) cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Vermont (UVM), academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$11,127
$30,001–$48,000$13,373
$48,001–$75,000$14,339
$75,001–$110,000$20,926
$110,001+$25,775
All income levels (average)$19,343

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$19,058
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$45,502
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$19,343

That works out to roughly a 46% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $35,649 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Vermont (UVM) 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
79%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
89%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,951 (~$222/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$62,472
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
14%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
46%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

UVM caps total gift aid at the cost of attendance — your scholarship can be reduced or cancelled if grants, scholarships, employer benefits, and VA benefits together exceed COA. UVM's policy page documents this COA ceiling but does not publish a specific reduction order for outside private scholarships, so confirm with Student Financial Services before assuming an outside award stacks on top of a Presidential or Trustees scholarship.

UVM's scholarship policy states that a UVM scholarship may be reduced or cancelled if total gift aid (including grants, scholarships, employer tuition benefits, and VA educational benefits) exceeds the total cost of attendance. The page does not separately describe whether outside private scholarships reduce loans first or institutional aid first, so the practical effect on a merit award near the COA ceiling should be confirmed with the office.

Source

More school data

From the Vermont (UVM) Common Data Set 2025-2026:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Vermont (UVM)’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
58%of admitsget merit
Average award$18,070Covers ~27% of $66,252 cost of attendance

At Vermont (UVM), 58% of first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $18,070 — about 27% of total cost.

SAT mid-50%1300–143025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%29–3325th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit58%First-year students
Average merit award$18,070Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Other Vermont (UVM) scholarships worth checking

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

Amount$1,000 per year (renewable up to 4 years)EligibilityProspective first-year applicants (noted for Fall 2027 applicants) who complete a qualifying campus visit; stacks on top of merit consideration.

Source

Vermont (UVM) merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need to apply separately for UVM merit scholarships?

    No, not for the main out-of-state awards. UVM says 'prospective, first-time, first-year undergraduate students are automatically considered for the Presidential Scholarship and the Trustees Scholarship based on their application for admission.' Submitting your admission application is the application.

  • How much is UVM merit aid worth for an out-of-state student?

    The Presidential Scholarship runs $20,000 to $25,000 per year for four years, and the Trustees Scholarship runs $10,000 to $15,000 per year. Both are automatic for prospective first-year out-of-state and international applicants based on the admission file.

  • What do Vermont residents get?

    Vermont residents nominated by their high school can earn the Green and Gold Scholarship, which UVM describes as a 'full in-state tuition, four-year merit scholarship (currently valued at over $67,000),' and it comes with an invitation to UVM's Patrick Leahy Honors College. Nomination by the high school principal at the end of junior year is required.

  • How do I keep my UVM scholarship each year?

    Enroll in 12 or more credits per semester and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. That renewal standard applies to the merit scholarships across four years (eight semesters).

  • Will outside scholarships reduce my UVM award?

    They can, at the margin. UVM's policy says your scholarship 'may be reduced or cancelled if your total gift aid... exceeds the total cost of attendance.' The public policy page doesn't spell out a reduction order for outside private scholarships, so if you already hold a large UVM merit award, confirm the treatment with Student Financial Services before assuming an outside award stacks on top.

See sources and other schools

How Vermont (UVM) compares

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

    Vermont (UVM) is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

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

    Vermont (UVM) 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 claim is checked against Vermont (UVM)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Vermont (UVM) merit aid