Westmont · California
Westmont auto-awards named academic scholarships ($15,000-$25,000/yr) on a GPA-by-test grid, plus an invitation-only Augustinian award worth 75% of tuition — and unusually lets need- and talent-based aid stack on top.
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Westmont's own published policy, not generic advice.
President's $20,000 (3.75 college GPA, renew 3.25/3.0 honors); Ruth Kerr $15,000 (3.35 college GPA, renew 3.0); Founder's $12,000 (3.0 college GPA, renew 2.75). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
Renewal floors vary by award: President's and Augustinian require 3.25 (3.0 with 2+ honors courses), Ruth Kerr and Emerson 3.0, Founder's 2.75, and the Warrior award 2.0 — the larger awards carry steeper GPA floors, and dropping below your award's floor forfeits it.
It is by invitation only — Westmont invites exemplary Early Action I & II applicants to compete — and it is 75% of TUITION (a percentage that scales with tuition), not a fixed dollar amount or a full ride.
Westmont's financial-aid landing materials have shown an older (2023-24) tuition figure; the dedicated Cost of Attendance page is current — 2026-27 tuition is $56,630 and the on-campus financial-aid cost of attendance is $79,300.
The dollar amounts and renewal GPAs are published in text, but the exact GPA-by-SAT/ACT cutoffs that place you in a tier are shown only in an image grid on the page — confirm your specific tier in your offer of admission.
Westmont is residential and expects most students to live on campus; off-campus approval is limited and not guaranteed, and the off-campus COA uses allowances, not actual costs.
A strong-GPA Christian-liberal-arts applicant who benefits from Westmont's stacking-friendly model (academic + need + talent), with top students applying Early Action I/II to compete for the invitation-only Augustinian 75%-of-tuition award.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $79,300 for 2026-2027. Source
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.
By invitation only; Westmont invites exemplary Early Action I & II applicants to compete. Between 30 and 60 scholarships awarded.
Renewable with a 3.25 GPA (3.0 for students enrolled in two or more honors courses each year).
A tuition-PERCENTAGE award (75% of tuition), not a fixed dollar amount — its value scales with tuition. Competitive and invitation-only.
Awarded automatically to qualifying students; eligibility noted within the offer of admission. Test-optional applicants are eligible for all tiers.
Renewable with a 3.25 GPA (3.0 if enrolled in two or more honors classes each year). $100,000 total over four years.
Top of the fixed-dollar academic tiers. The exact GPA/test cutoff is in an image grid on the page (not machine-readable here).
Automatic on the academic grid
Renewable with a minimum 3.0 GPA. $92,000 total over four years.
Automatic on the academic grid
Renewable with a minimum 3.0 GPA. $84,000 total over four years.
Automatic on the academic grid
Renewable with a minimum 2.75 GPA. $72,000 total over four years.
Automatic on the academic grid
Renewable for students in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.0. $60,000 total over four years.
Lowest fixed-dollar academic tier.
Transfer students entering Westmont
President's $20,000 (3.75 college GPA, renew 3.25/3.0 honors); Ruth Kerr $15,000 (3.35 college GPA, renew 3.0); Founder's $12,000 (3.0 college GPA, renew 2.75).
Three transfer tiers based on college GPA, $12,000-$20,000/yr.
Unusually stacking-friendly: need-based aid (from the FAFSA) and talent-based awards (athletics, music, art, theatre) can stack ON TOP of the academic scholarships. Total aid is still limited to the cost of attendance.
The scholarships page states the academic amounts do not include need-based or talent-based aid, and that 'Need- and talent-based awards can stack on top of academic scholarships.' The COA page notes total financial aid is limited to the cost of attendance.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Can stack on top of academic scholarships.
No — academic scholarships are automatically awarded to qualifying students upon admission, and eligibility is noted within your offer of admission. The Augustinian Scholarship is invitation-only and tied to applying Early Action I & II. Talent awards require contacting the department/coach.
Yes — need-based aid (FAFSA) and talent-based awards (athletics, music, art, theatre) can stack on top of your academic scholarship, up to the total cost of attendance.
On-campus financial-aid cost of attendance is $79,300 (tuition $56,630; health fee $628; activity fee $362; technology fee $340; housing $10,830; meal plan $7,510; books $1,600; personal $1,400). Direct (billed) costs are $76,300; off-campus COA is $75,585.
Westmont is in the small minority (8 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
Westmont 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.
Every claim is checked against Westmont’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
