How much merit aid does VCU give?

VCU runs two parallel tracks. Virginia residents: Presidential Scholarship up to $16,000/year tuition+fees plus room and board (estimated $114,356 over 4 years) or Provost Scholarship up to $16,000/year tuition+fees only (~$64,000 over 4 years). Out-of-state: $12,000/year at 3.3+ HS GPA or $10,000/year at 3.0-3.29 HS GPA, both renewable for four years. National Merit Finalists who designate VCU as first choice receive the Presidential.

Are VCU merit scholarships renewable for four years?

Yes, with a contract: maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better and complete at least 28 credit hours full-time over fall and spring semesters each year. The Presidential and Provost scholarships are explicitly four-year awards renewable for three consecutive additional years past the first.

Can out-of-state students get VCU merit scholarships?

Yes. VCU has a dedicated out-of-state scholarship track separate from the in-state Presidential/Provost. Non-resident applicants with at least 3.0 high school GPA receive at least $10,000/year; 3.3+ GPA receives at least $12,000/year. These are four-year renewable awards keyed to the same 3.3 college GPA renewal contract.

VCU· Renewal Rules

Keeping VCU’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 20268 days ago· CB-1

At a glance

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

Renewal risk profile

VCU's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

Presidential Scholarship (Virginia resident): Full-time enrollment
Provost Scholarship (Virginia resident): Full-time enrollment
Out-of-State Scholarship — 3.3+ GPA Tier: 3.3 GPA
Out-of-State Scholarship — 3.0-3.29 GPA Tier: 3.3 GPA

Renewal terms by tier

Presidential Scholarship (Virginia resident)
Up to $16,000/year tuition and fees ($8,000 per semester) + room and board (Honors College residence room + 250 Block + $225 Dining Dollars meal plan)
To keep it: Renewable for up to three consecutive additional years (4 total) with at least 28 credit hours full-time over fall and spring semesters per year and a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better.
Source: https://admissions.vcu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships-funding/first-year-scholarships/
Provost Scholarship (Virginia resident)
Up to $16,000/year tuition and fees ($8,000 per semester); estimated 4-year total value $64,000
To keep it: Renewable for up to three consecutive additional years (4 total) with at least 28 credit hours full-time over fall and spring per year and a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better.
Source: https://admissions.vcu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships-funding/first-year-scholarships/
Out-of-State Scholarship — 3.3+ GPA Tier
At least $12,000 per year
Entry requirements: Minimum 3.3 high school GPA GPA
To keep it: Four-year award renewable with cumulative 3.3 GPA and 28 credit hours full-time per year (fall+spring).
Source: https://admissions.vcu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships-funding/out-of-state-scholarships
Out-of-State Scholarship — 3.0-3.29 GPA Tier
At least $10,000 per year
Entry requirements: Minimum 3.0 high school GPA GPA
To keep it: Four-year award renewable with cumulative 3.3 GPA and 28 credit hours full-time per year. Note: 3.0+ GPA is the entry threshold but 3.3+ is the renewal floor — students entering at 3.0-3.29 must lift their college GPA to 3.3 to renew.
Source: https://admissions.vcu.edu/cost-aid/scholarships-funding/out-of-state-scholarships

How families lose this aid

Missing the November 1 deadline.
November 1 is the cliff for VCU's top university-level scholarships (Presidential, Provost, National Merit pathway). Applications received after November 1 are not eligible for these awards even if the student would have qualified on stats. The general admission deadline is January 15, but waiting until then forfeits Presidential/Provost consideration entirely.
Out-of-state students entering at 3.0-3.29 GPA without budgeting for the 3.3 renewal cliff.
The $10,000 OOS tier opens at 3.0 high school GPA, but renewal across all four years requires a cumulative 3.3 college GPA plus 28 credit hours full-time per year. A student admitted at 3.1 high school GPA can lose the $40,000 four-year value mid-college by failing to push their college GPA above the 3.3 floor.
National Merit Finalists missing the May 31 NMSC first-choice deadline.
The NMF-to-Presidential pathway requires two coordinated actions: apply to VCU by November 1, AND separately notify the National Merit Scholarship Corporation by May 31 that VCU is the finalist's first-choice institution. Missing the NMSC deadline forfeits the pathway even if VCU admission and the November 1 deadline are met.

Renewal questions families ask

How much merit aid does VCU give?: VCU runs two parallel tracks. Virginia residents: Presidential Scholarship up to $16,000/year tuition+fees plus room and board (estimated $114,356 over 4 years) or Provost Scholarship up to $16,000/year tuition+fees only (~$64,000 over 4 years). Out-of-state: $12,000/year at 3.3+ HS GPA or $10,000/year at 3.0-3.29 HS GPA, both renewable for four years. National Merit Finalists who designate VCU as first choice receive the Presidential.
Are VCU merit scholarships renewable for four years?: Yes, with a contract: maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better and complete at least 28 credit hours full-time over fall and spring semesters each year. The Presidential and Provost scholarships are explicitly four-year awards renewable for three consecutive additional years past the first.
Can out-of-state students get VCU merit scholarships?: Yes. VCU has a dedicated out-of-state scholarship track separate from the in-state Presidential/Provost. Non-resident applicants with at least 3.0 high school GPA receive at least $10,000/year; 3.3+ GPA receives at least $12,000/year. These are four-year renewable awards keyed to the same 3.3 college GPA renewal contract.

Rules that bite at VCU

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from VCU's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalPresidential Scholarship (Virginia resident): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to three consecutive additional years (4 total) with at least 28 credit hours full-time over fall and spring semesters per year and a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How VCU compares across our verified dataset

133 of 150 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
VCU is one of them. The cohort minority (17 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 renewal claim is checked against VCU’s own published materials.