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+).

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.

Wabash· Renewal Rules

Keeping Wabash’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 Jun 2026today· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 5 of 8
One-time tiers: 3
Tiers with published renewal terms: 5
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

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

Wabash Merit-Based Scholarships (President's / Dean's / Alumni automatic GPA grid): See notes
Wabash College Lilly Awards: See notes
Honor Scholarships (Scarlet Honors Weekend): See notes
Snodell Scholarships: See notes
Army ROTC / Wabash ROTC Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Wabash Merit-Based Scholarships (President's / Dean's / Alumni automatic GPA grid)
$21,000-$34,000
Entry requirements: 3.00+ unweighted (tier depends on band) GPA · Test-optional; superscored if submitted SAT · Test-optional; superscored if submitted ACT
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.
Source: https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources
Wabash College Lilly Awards
Full tuition, fees, on-campus housing and food (full ride)
Entry requirements: 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 GPA · 1240 EBRW+M (one qualifying path) SAT · 26 (one qualifying path) ACT
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.
Source: https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources
Honor Scholarships (Scarlet Honors Weekend)
$2,000-Full tuition
To keep it: $2,000 base is guaranteed and renewable for 4 years; larger awards up to full tuition possible.
Source: https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources
Snodell Scholarships
Up to $10,000 (added to grid amount)
To keep it: Annually renewable for 4 years.
Source: https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources
Army ROTC / Wabash ROTC Scholarship
Full tuition + on-campus room & board (full ride; >$240,000 over 4 years)
Entry requirements: 2.50 cumulative (HS or college) GPA · 1000 minimum SAT · 19 minimum ACT
To keep it: Four-year participants; Wabash ROTC recipients get room & board year one and full-ride for remaining three years.
Source: https://www.wabash.edu/admissions/finances/sources

How families lose this aid

Thinking the GPA grid and the Honors/Lilly awards are the same thing
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.
Overlooking the annual renewal requirement
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.

Renewal questions families ask

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+).
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.

How Wabash compares across our verified dataset

247 of 272 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Wabash is one of them. The cohort minority (25 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 Wabash’s own published materials.