Does UVA give merit scholarships?

Effectively no — Student Financial Services explicitly does not administer merit scholarships. The Jefferson Scholarship (run by the independent Jefferson Scholars Foundation) is the closest thing UVA has to a non-need merit award, and it is by nomination only. UVA also lists 'a limited number of special scholarships' that are not need-based, but these are narrow exceptions, not a published ladder.

When are the financial aid deadlines?

March 1 for all need-based aid (Regular Decision). Early Decision and Early Action applicants should complete the CSS Profile by November 15 and the FAFSA as soon as it opens December 1. Late applicants forfeit state and University need-based aid; only federal aid remains available.

UVA· Renewal Rules

Keeping UVA’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year — minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified May 20265 days ago· PT

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 4 of 4
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 3
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

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

AccessUVa — In-State Income < $50K: See notes
AccessUVa — In-State Income $50K–$100K: See notes
AccessUVa — In-State Income $100K–$150K: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

AccessUVa — In-State Income < $50K
Full cost of tuition, fees, housing, and food (no loans needed)
To keep it: Reapply each year with FAFSA + CSS Profile by March 1; meet enrollment and Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
Source: https://www.virginia.edu/life/affordinguva
AccessUVa — In-State Income $50K–$100K
Full cost of tuition and fees
To keep it: Reapply annually with FAFSA + CSS Profile by March 1.
Source: https://www.virginia.edu/life/affordinguva
AccessUVa — In-State Income $100K–$150K
$2,000 tuition grant
To keep it: Annual reapplication.
Source: https://www.virginia.edu/life/affordinguva

Renewal questions families ask

Does UVA give merit scholarships?: Effectively no — Student Financial Services explicitly does not administer merit scholarships. The Jefferson Scholarship (run by the independent Jefferson Scholars Foundation) is the closest thing UVA has to a non-need merit award, and it is by nomination only. UVA also lists 'a limited number of special scholarships' that are not need-based, but these are narrow exceptions, not a published ladder.
When are the financial aid deadlines?: March 1 for all need-based aid (Regular Decision). Early Decision and Early Action applicants should complete the CSS Profile by November 15 and the FAFSA as soon as it opens December 1. Late applicants forfeit state and University need-based aid; only federal aid remains available.

How UVA compares across our verified dataset

70 of 78 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UVA is one of them. The cohort minority (8 schools) only awards one-year scholarships — meaning 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 UVA’s own published materials.

policyUVA stacking policy
cdsUVA Common Data Set
coaUVA cost-of-attendance worksheet
tierJefferson Scholarship
scholarshipVASA — Virginia Alternate State Aid Application
scholarshipAthletic Grants-in-Aid