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The merit-aid verdict at Ursuline
DRAFT: Ursuline (Catholic, Pepper Pike OH) publishes a true GPA-by-test-score merit matrix — every admitted freshman lands between $21,000 and $26,000 automatically — with one of the lowest renewal bars anywhere (2.0 college GPA), but students may add only ONE extra institutional award on top.
Rules that bite at Ursuline
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Ursuline's own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalMerit Scholarship Matrix (Presidential / Dean's / Ursuline Scholarship / Ursuline Award): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
All traditional student scholarships are renewable if the student is full-time undergraduate student and maintains a 2.0 college GPA. Part-time students and students with previous bachelor's degrees are not eligible. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $54,420 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Ursuline cannot push the package past $54,420. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Ursuline
'Students must have clear admission to Ursuline College prior to August 1 for consideration' — an incomplete application file past August 1 can forfeit the automatic merit award entirely.
The published matrix pays up to $5,000/year more for strong scores (e.g., a 3.8+ student moves from $21,000 with no usable score column to $26,000 at 25+ ACT / 1200+ SAT). Test-optional applicants are 'reviewed on an individual basis,' with no guaranteed band.
Beyond the matrix scholarship, students 'may be eligible for ONE of the awards listed below' — one additional institutional award, not several.
Scholarships renew only for full-time undergraduates with a 2.0 college GPA; 'Part-time students and students with previous bachelor's degrees are not eligible.'
Only students from the six listed Greater Cleveland Catholic high schools 'who are admitted by March 1 will be considered.'
The Alumnae Scholarship requires the child/niece relationship to be listed on the admission application itself — adding it later may miss the award.
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Students who like certainty — the floor is $21,000 even under a 3.0 GPA with no test score, and a strong ACT/SAT can add up to $5,000 more; renewal at a 2.0 college GPA is one of the most forgiving cliffs published anywhere.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $54,420 for 2026-2027 (computed sum of published tuition $40,440 + fees $550 + double housing $6,630 + full meal plan $6,800; no single total printed — see Section C). Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Ursuline, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
Average annual net price by family income at Ursuline, academic year 2021-22
Family income
Average net price paid
$0–$30,000
$13,134
$30,001–$48,000
$13,286
$48,001–$75,000
$14,768
$75,001–$110,000
$19,119
$110,001+
$22,048
All income levels (average)
$16,164
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$38,990
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$16,164
That works out to roughly a 68% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $50,523 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
67%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
70%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$26,250 (~$278/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$56,878
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
59%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
93%
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.
Awarded from the application for admission — no separate application; clear admission prior to August 1 required for consideration; test-optional applicants reviewed individually
Renewal terms
All traditional student scholarships are renewable if the student is full-time undergraduate student and maintains a 2.0 college GPA. Part-time students and students with previous bachelor's degrees are not eligible.
Notes
Named tiers per the page: Presidential $26,000; Dean's $25,000; Ursuline Scholarship $23,000-$24,000; Ursuline Award $21,000-$22,000. Full matrix in the excerpt.
One award per year to a graduate of each of six Greater Cleveland Catholic high schools (Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Beaumont School, Saint Joseph Academy, Cleveland Central Catholic, Trinity, Saint Martin de Porres); all students from these schools admitted by March 1 are considered
Full tuition…Full tuition (tuition-free attendance, combined federal/state/institutional aid)
Say Yes Scholarship
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Graduates of Cleveland public schools and partnering charter schools with annual family income at or below $75,000; five awards per year
Notes
Need-gated (income <= $75,000), not pure merit; included as a named, load-bearing tuition-covering award. Page text references the 2019-20 launch — verify current terms.
Outside scholarships only trigger an aid adjustment if total aid would exceed the cost of attendance (or the student's aid eligibility cap); below that ceiling, awards are not displaced.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Q: Can my scholarships affect my eligibility for financial aid? A: In some cases, yes: As we receive funds from additional scholarships, your eligibility for need-based financial aid may decrease. By law, financial aid cannot exceed a student's cost of education. Cost of education does include an estimate for books, living expenses, and transportation and miscellaneous expenses. It is your responsibly to report all scholarship/fellowship/sponsorship assistance to the Financial Aid Office. We encourage you to report any additional assistance as soon as possible to avoid having to repay financial assistance at a later date.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
AmountUp to $1,000EligibilityChild or niece of an Ursuline College or St. Johns College alumnae; relationship must be listed on the admission application
Easy to miss: the legacy connection must appear on the admission application itself.
There is no separate scholarship application; you must have CLEAR ADMISSION prior to August 1 to be considered. The Say Amen full-tuition award requires admission by March 1. The college recommends filing the FAFSA (Ursuline code 003134) by December 1.
How much will I get with my GPA and test scores?
Read it straight off the published matrix: rows are weighted HS GPA (3.80+ down to under 3.00), columns are ACT/SAT bands; awards run $21,000 (floor for every cell) to $26,000 (3.80+ GPA with 25+ ACT or 1200+ SAT). Test-optional applicants are reviewed individually.
What GPA keeps my scholarship?
A 2.0 college GPA with full-time enrollment renews all traditional student scholarships — an unusually low renewal bar.
What does Ursuline cost for 2026-2027?
Full-time tuition is $40,440 (flat rate, 12-18 credits/semester); double-occupancy housing $6,630; full meal plan $6,800; technology fee $225/semester and facilities fee $50/semester; books estimated at $1,200/year for full-time students. No single COA total is printed.
How Ursuline compares across our verified dataset
241 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Ursuline 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.
668 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Ursuline 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.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Ursuline’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
