How much merit aid does Widener give automatically?

Merit scholarships for first-year students start at $100,000 over four years, and Widener says nearly 100% of new full-time undergraduates receive financial aid. Amounts above the starting figure are based on high school academic performance and curriculum strength — there is no published GPA/test grid.

Is the merit scholarship renewable, and what does it cover?

It is reviewed annually, limited to eight full-time semesters, and is applicable to tuition charges only — it does not cover housing, food, or fees beyond tuition. To keep it you must make satisfactory progress in credit hours and grades while maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status.

What merit aid do transfer students get?

Transfer merit scholarships start at $20,000 per academic year, based on cumulative college GPA from all institutions attended. Phi Theta Kappa members get an additional $2,000/year on top of all other merit scholarships, and the transfer admissions page advertises a $30,000-yearly award toward tuition for community college transfers who meet eligibility requirements (criteria not published).

What is Widener's full cost of attendance for 2026-27?

Tuition is $30,019 per semester ($60,038/year including fees). Estimated total annual billable costs are $75,050 for residence-hall/on-campus students and $58,280 for commuters. Engineering and nursing majors pay additional annual fees, and books, health insurance, and personal expenses are extra.

Widener· Renewal Rules

Keeping Widener’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 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 11 of 11
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 11
Renewal risk profile: low

Renewal risk profile

Widener'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.

Academic, Merit Scholarships (first-year students): Full-time enrollment
Merit Scholarships for Transfer Students: Full-time enrollment
Award for Community College Transfers: See notes
Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Student Scholarships: See notes
University Honors Program Scholarships: See notes
Presidential Service Corps (a Bonner Leaders Program): See notes
High School Leadership Awards (Apogee Scholars Program): See notes
Band Scholarship - Music: See notes
Band Scholarship - Color Guard: See notes
Widener Presidential Scholarship (international students): See notes
#YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship (international students): See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Academic, Merit Scholarships (first-year students)
$100,000+ over four years
To keep it: In order to maintain a merit scholarship, students must progress toward the completion of their program of study at a rate that will ensure graduation is a reasonable length of time, both quantitatively (credit hours) and qualitatively (grades) while maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status. Limited to eight full-time semesters; reviewed annually.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
Merit Scholarships for Transfer Students
$20,000+ per academic year
To keep it: Same maintenance terms as other merit scholarships: progress quantitatively (credit hours) and qualitatively (grades) while maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status; limited to eight full-time semesters total; reviewed annually.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
Award for Community College Transfers
$30,000 yearly toward tuition
To keep it: Described as a yearly award; specific renewal terms not published on the page.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/transfer-admissions
Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Student Scholarships
$2,000/year
To keep it: Stated as a per-year amount; specific renewal conditions not published.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
University Honors Program Scholarships
Up to $2,000 per year for up to 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.5 (cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher considered for invitation) GPA
To keep it: To continue in the University Honors Program, each participant must attend a minimum of six outside-of-class academically or culturally enriching events during each academic year, and must have an overall GPA of 3.25 by completion of the next to last semester.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
Presidential Service Corps (a Bonner Leaders Program)
$5,000 per academic year
To keep it: To retain the award, PSC members must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 and satisfy 300 hours of service per year, perform service in the local community, attend service leader meetings, participate and support Widener service events and programs, and act as a positive representative of the Widener University community.
Source: https://catalog.widener.edu/content.php?catoid=45&navoid=1935
High School Leadership Awards (Apogee Scholars Program)
$20,000 over four years
To keep it: Paid in installments over four years; students must commit to the Apogee Scholar Leadership Program. Specific continuation terms not published.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/high-school-programs/high-school-leadership-awards
Band Scholarship - Music
$2,000 - $3,000
To keep it: Renewable each year. Students are expected to participate in band and wind ensemble, and take private lessons.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
Band Scholarship - Color Guard
$2,500
To keep it: Renewable each year.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/tuition-financial-aid/scholarships-grants
Widener Presidential Scholarship (international students)
$25,000+ per year ($100,000 over four years)
To keep it: Stated as a per-year/four-year award; renewal terms not published on the page.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/international-admissions/undergraduate-international-student-scholarships
#YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship (international students)
$2,000 per year
To keep it: Described as "annual, renewable scholarships"; specific renewal conditions not published.
Source: https://www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/international-admissions/undergraduate-international-student-scholarships

How families lose this aid

Expecting a published GPA/SAT award grid to predict your scholarship amount.
Widener publishes only a starting figure ('start at $100,000 over four years') based on 'academic performance in high school and the strength of your high school's curriculum.' There is no stat-based grid, so the exact award is only known from the offer letter.
Planning on more than four years of merit support.
The merit scholarship 'is limited to eight full-time semesters' and 'is reviewed annually' — a fifth year (common in some programs) would not be covered.
Dropping below full-time day status and losing the scholarship.
Maintenance requires 'maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status' while progressing both quantitatively (credit hours) and qualitatively (grades); the catalog SAP policy also requires completing 67% of attempted credits and a rising GPA floor (2.00 at 61+ credits) for institutional aid.
Treating the Presidential Service Corps award as free money with easy renewal.
PSC members must maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA AND complete 300 hours of service per year; the award also only stacks with other aid 'up to the amount of full tuition.'
Honors students forgetting the program's continuation requirements and losing the annual $2,000.
To continue in the University Honors Program students must attend at least six enriching events per academic year and reach a 3.25 overall GPA by the next-to-last semester.

Renewal questions families ask

How much merit aid does Widener give automatically?: Merit scholarships for first-year students start at $100,000 over four years, and Widener says nearly 100% of new full-time undergraduates receive financial aid. Amounts above the starting figure are based on high school academic performance and curriculum strength — there is no published GPA/test grid.
Is the merit scholarship renewable, and what does it cover?: It is reviewed annually, limited to eight full-time semesters, and is applicable to tuition charges only — it does not cover housing, food, or fees beyond tuition. To keep it you must make satisfactory progress in credit hours and grades while maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status.
What merit aid do transfer students get?: Transfer merit scholarships start at $20,000 per academic year, based on cumulative college GPA from all institutions attended. Phi Theta Kappa members get an additional $2,000/year on top of all other merit scholarships, and the transfer admissions page advertises a $30,000-yearly award toward tuition for community college transfers who meet eligibility requirements (criteria not published).
What is Widener's full cost of attendance for 2026-27?: Tuition is $30,019 per semester ($60,038/year including fees). Estimated total annual billable costs are $75,050 for residence-hall/on-campus students and $58,280 for commuters. Engineering and nursing majors pay additional annual fees, and books, health insurance, and personal expenses are extra.

Rules that bite at Widener

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

renewalAcademic, Merit Scholarships (first-year students): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
In order to maintain a merit scholarship, students must progress toward the completion of their program of study at a rate that will ensure graduation is a reasonable length of time, both quantitatively (credit hours) and qualitatively (grades) while maintaining full-time, undergraduate, day status. Limited to eight full-time semesters; reviewed annually. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Widener compares across our verified dataset

669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Widener is one of them. The cohort minority (82 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 Widener’s own published materials.