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Wabash College · Indiana

Wabash scholarships and merit aid

Wabash (all-male, IN) publishes an automatic unweighted-GPA merit grid ($21,000-$34,000) awarded at admission, layered with a separate competitive Honors/Lilly track that can reach full tuition or a full ride. (DRAFT)

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Wabash worth a closer look?

Wabash is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 8 published awards, and one is based on those numbers.

Merit tiers81 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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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.

$21,000-$34,000

Wabash Merit-Based Scholarships (President's / Dean's / Alumni automatic GPA grid)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.00+ unweighted (tier depends on band)
SAT
Test-optional; superscored if submitted
ACT
Test-optional; superscored if submitted
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Awarded upon admission; amount within each band set by holistic review of grade trend, curriculum strength, scores if submitted, class rank if available. Grades/scores reviewed through May 1, 2026

How to keep it

Renewable annually provided the student attains the cumulative GPA and number of course credits required at the end of each academic year to make normal progress toward graduating in four years. Available for 4 years. Amounts do NOT increase each year.

Notes

Automatic from the admission application — no separate form. Tier band is set by unweighted HS GPA.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition, fees, on-campus housing and food (full ride)

Wabash College Lilly Awards

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.5 (4.0 scale) OR top 10% of class OR SAT 1240 (EBRW+M) OR ACT 26 — meet 1 of 3 stated criteria to apply
SAT
1240 EBRW+M (one qualifying path)
ACT
26 (one qualifying path)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Submit the Lilly Award application by January 4, 2026; finalists interviewed February 22-23, 2026. Selected on character, creativity, and academic accomplishment

How to keep it

Renewable annually; covers tuition, fees, on-campus housing and the standard meal plan each year. More than $240,000 over four years.

Notes

The College's most prestigious scholarship and the ONLY one needing a separate application. Effectively a full ride (not just full tuition).

Source

$2,000-Full tuition

Honor Scholarships (Scarlet Honors Weekend)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Apply for admission by December 1, 2025; attend Scarlet Honors Weekend (December 5-6, 2025 OR February 15-16, 2026). Awarded without regard to financial need

How to keep it

$2,000 base is guaranteed and renewable for 4 years; larger awards up to full tuition possible.

Notes

Competitive track separate from the automatic GPA grid; includes named endowed Honor Scholarships (Hadley, McLain-McTurnan-Arnold, etc.).

Source

$3,000

Early Decision Scholarship

Apply separately
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Apply Early Decision by November 15, 2025. $3,000 in addition to your merit scholarship

Notes

Stacks on top of the merit grid. ED applicants are NOT eligible for the FAFSA ($2,000) or Campus Visit ($1,000) add-on scholarships.

Source

Up to $10,000 (added to grid amount)

Snodell Scholarships

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Residence in Chicago, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and eastern Iowa; complete admission application; file FAFSA by March 1, 2026. Academically qualified Federal Pell Grant recipients receive grants to cover the balance of tuition and fees not covered by government grants

How to keep it

Annually renewable for 4 years.

Notes

Geography-gated, layered on top of the automatic merit grid; need/Pell element for the full tuition-and-fees coverage.

Source

$2,000

FAFSA Scholarship

Apply separately
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Be admitted; complete application for admission and file a FAFSA by April 15, 2026. No additional selection criteria. NOT available to Early Decision applicants

Notes

Stacks on merit; ED applicants ineligible.

Source

$1,000

Campus Visit Scholarship

Apply separately
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Be admitted; attend any campus visit except Scarlet Honors Weekend. NOT available to Early Decision applicants

Notes

Stacks on merit; ED applicants ineligible.

Source

Full tuition…Full tuition + on-campus room & board (full ride; >$240,000 over 4 years)

Army ROTC / Wabash ROTC Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
2.50 cumulative (HS or college)
SAT
1000 minimum
ACT
19 minimum
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

U.S. citizen, ages 17-26, medically qualified, agree to commission. Up to three Army-selected freshmen per year; up to five additional get the Wabash ROTC Scholarship

How to keep it

Four-year participants; Wabash ROTC recipients get room & board year one and full-ride for remaining three years.

Notes

Selected by the Army; apply via goarmy.com ROTC application and select Wabash.

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 Wabash's published information.

  • Aid capHard $73,170 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Wabash cannot push the package past $73,170. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. Wabash states scholarship amounts 'do not increase each year' and are flat for 4 years, while cost of attendance rises annually (e.g., $71,220 in 2025-26 to $73,170 in 2026-27) — so your out-of-pocket share grows each year even with the same award.

  2. The automatic GPA grid ($21,000-$34,000) is awarded at admission with no application, but the larger Honor Scholarships (up to full tuition) require attending Scarlet Honors Weekend, and the Lilly Award (full ride) requires a separate application by January 4, 2026 — miss those steps and you only get the grid amount.

  3. Per the academic catalog, merit scholarships renew only if you attain the required cumulative GPA and number of course credits each year to stay on track to graduate in four years; falling below that can cost the scholarship. The exact GPA/credit thresholds are not published on the public scholarships page.

  4. Early Decision applicants are explicitly NOT eligible for the $2,000 FAFSA scholarship or the $1,000 Campus Visit scholarship, so the ED $3,000 add-on does not stack with those two.

  5. Recipients of Tuition Exchange or the GLCA Tuition Remission Exchange are not eligible for Wabash merit-based assistance.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Academically strong men: a 3.85+ unweighted GPA locks in the top $34,000 automatic award, while top-10%/3.5-GPA candidates willing to attend Scarlet Honors Weekend or apply for the Lilly Award compete for full-tuition-to-full-ride packages. (DRAFT)

Published yearly cost: Approximately $73,170 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Wabash, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$16,586
$30,001–$48,000$13,526
$48,001–$75,000$18,175
$75,001–$110,000$18,681
$110,001+$30,511
All income levels (average)$24,336

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$50,800
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$24,336

That works out to roughly a 63% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $65,144 (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
77%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
93%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$27,000 (~$286/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$69,952
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
21%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
66%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Wabash reduces need-based aid only when total awards exceed direct costs of tuition, on-campus housing, the 15-meal plan, and books — fees are not part of that cap; merit-only awards are separately protected below a direct-cost cap of tuition, fees, on-campus housing, and the 15-meal plan, which does not include books.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): "If a student with need-based financial aid and/or merit award/s receives outside scholarships, the outside funding may reduce or eliminate other aid. Outside scholarships and awards do not affect the value of other aid unless the total of all awards exceeds total direct costs (tuition, on-campus housing and 15-meal plan), and books. ... Outside scholarships typically do not affect the value of merit-only awards unless the total of all awards exceeds direct educational costs (tuition, fees, on-campus housing and 15-meal plan)." Separately, the school's own award-stacking rules: Add-ons (ED, FAFSA, Visit, Snodell) otherwise stack on top of the GPA grid. (per https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources)

Source

Other Wabash scholarships worth checking

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

AmountPart of the Honor Scholarship poolEligibilityAwarded via the Honors Admissions event (no separate application)

Listed in the academic catalog as components of the Honor Scholarships.

Source

Wabash merit aid FAQ

  • What is the largest automatic merit scholarship?

    The top automatic award is the $34,000 President's Scholarship for an unweighted high school GPA of 3.85+. The grid runs $21,000 (3.00-3.24) up to $34,000 (3.85+).

  • When is the Lilly Award application due?

    Submit the Lilly Award application by January 4, 2026; finalists are interviewed February 22-23, 2026. It covers tuition, fees, on-campus housing and food each year.

  • What are the Honors Scholarship deadlines?

    Apply for admission by December 1, 2025 and attend Scarlet Honors Weekend (December 5-6, 2025 or February 15-16, 2026). A $2,000 award is guaranteed with the possibility of up to full tuition.

  • Is Wabash test-optional for scholarships?

    Yes. Wabash practices test-optional admission; scores are not required and are superscored if submitted. The merit grid is based on unweighted high school GPA.

See sources and other schools

How Wabash compares

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

    Wabash 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.

    Wabash 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 Wabash’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

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