DRAFT: William Peace publishes a clean, fully automatic weighted-GPA merit grid ($13,000-$22,000 for freshmen, $10,000-$16,000 for transfers) plus the Peace Pledge, a 100%-of-tuition guarantee for Pell-eligible North Carolina students with household income under $75,000 and a 3.25+ weighted GPA.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers42 automatic on stats
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Common merit-aid mistakes at William Peace
The Pledge covers 100% of TUITION only. The school states students 'are still responsible for all fees, housing and food, and other expenses associated with attending Peace' — on the 2026-27 cost page that is at least $700 in comprehensive fee plus $13,700 housing/food for a residential student.
It is gated four ways: North Carolina residency, household income under $75,000 (per FAFSA), Federal Pell Grant eligibility, AND a 3.25+ weighted GPA — and it is limited to first-time-in-college students. The page also still says it is 'available to first-time students starting... in Fall 2025'; families entering in Fall 2026 should confirm the program is still offered.
The school describes the Pledge as reducing tuition costs 'by maximizing available financial aid resources' — i.e., it works with Pell, state, and institutional aid to reach the tuition figure, not as a separate stackable grant.
Peace requires all outside awards to be reported. They are first applied to self-help aid (work-study/need-based loans), but once self-help is replaced, 'Peace scholarships and grants may be reduced, dollar for dollar, for any remaining amount.'
The scholarships page only says merit awards are 'renewable each year if you maintain a designated minimum grade point average' — but never publishes that designated GPA. The separate SAP policy (1.7/1.8/2.0 by credits attempted, 67% pace, 150% timeframe) governs all aid including Peace scholarships, but the merit award may carry its own higher threshold. Ask the aid office for the exact figure in writing.
The scholarships page's notice states: 'All awards cannot exceed tuition and are determined by the appointed committee. The Board of Trustees can change these limitations at any time.' Awards stop at the tuition figure — they will not cover housing, food, or fees.
The page states plainly: 'Adult and online students are not eligible for institutional aid because of the discounted tuition rate.'
The Peace Transfer Scholarship is 'renewable for up to two additional years' — i.e., three years total — provided the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Peace's other awards require no application, but the Honors Scholarship 'requires additional application materials' and possibly an interview — and renewal requires actively working toward the Honors curriculum and a 3.25 GPA.
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Strongest for North Carolina students from households under $75,000 who are Pell-eligible with a 3.25+ weighted GPA — the Peace Pledge covers 100% of tuition for them. Every other admitted freshman and transfer gets an automatic merit award off the weighted-GPA grid with no separate application, even below a 2.8 GPA.
Institutional merit aid tiers
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.
Awarded automatically upon admission; no further action required (except the Honors Scholarship, which requires additional application materials). Adult and online students are not eligible for institutional aid.
Renewal terms
These scholarships are renewable each year if you maintain a designated minimum grade point average. The specific GPA threshold per award is not published on the page.
Notes
Five named awards on a single weighted-GPA (WGPA) grid; every admitted first-time-in-college student lands in a band, including students below a 2.8 WGPA.
Considered automatically upon admission without further action. The companion 'Peace Transfer Scholarship' text says awards are based on number of transferable credits earned at an accredited college or university and cumulative GPA at each institution attended.
Renewal terms
Per the related Peace Transfer Scholarship description on the same page: 'The scholarships are renewable for up to two additional years, provided recipients maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress with Financial Aid.'
Notes
The page also describes a 'Peace Transfer Scholarship' of $10,000 to $16,000 — the same dollar range as this tier grid — which appears to describe the same program; the descriptions differ slightly on criteria (GPA-only grid vs. transferable credits plus GPA). Flagged in Section C.
Household income of less than $75,000 (as determined by the FAFSA); eligible for a Federal Pell Grant; resident of North Carolina; first-time-in-college students only (current students not eligible). Requires completing the FAFSA; no extra steps beyond the admission application.
Renewal terms
The Peace Pledge is renewable for four years, provided you continue to meet all stipulated criteria.
Notes
Covers 100% of TUITION only — students remain responsible for all fees, housing and food, and other expenses. Page states availability 'to first-time students starting at William Peace University in Fall 2025'; confirm the program continues for Fall 2026 entry (flagged in Section C). automaticOnStats is false because eligibility turns on FAFSA-determined income, Pell eligibility, and NC residency, not solely GPA/test stats — though the school says it is automatically awarded with no application beyond admission + FAFSA.
3.5+ weighted GPA for incoming students; transfer students need a 3.5 cumulative GPA and fewer than 46 credit hours
SAT
Considered if submitted
ACT
Considered if submitted
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Requires additional application materials and possibly an interview with the Honors Committee; community engagement and leadership are also strong factors.
Renewal terms
Honors scholarships are renewable for a further three years of study at William Peace University, provided recipients actively work toward completion of the Honors Program curriculum and maintain a 3.25 GPA. The scholarship increases annually during your time at Peace (later-year amounts not published).
Notes
Stacks on top of the merit grid as a separate named award; the only Peace scholarship that requires additional application materials.
Outside scholarships must be reported and are applied loan-first: they first replace self-help aid (Federal Work-Study or need-based loans); once self-help is fully replaced, Peace scholarships and grants may be reduced dollar for dollar. Separately, the school caps its non-merit awards at tuition.
Federal regulations require outside scholarships to be incorporated into the aid package. An outside scholarship is first applied to the self-help portion (Federal Work-Study or need-based loans). After all self-help has been replaced, Peace scholarships and grants may be reduced dollar for dollar for any remaining amount. The page's 'IMPORTANT NOTICE about Non-Merit Scholarships' also states all (non-merit) awards cannot exceed tuition and are determined by the appointed committee, and that the Board of Trustees can change these limitations at any time.
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$375-$1,000 per yearEligibilitySelect students nominated by the Peace Admissions Committee upon admission; limited number of awards; competitive. Highlight leadership and community service involvement on the application to be considered.
Renewable each year pending good academic standing.
Amount$2,000EligibilityCurrent or past members of Phi Theta Kappa (two-year/community college honor society, including dual-enrolled high school students); send proof of membership to your admissions counselor.
Granted as an additional $2,000 PTK scholarship along with your merit scholarship — explicitly stacks on the merit grid.
Amount$500 per semester per siblingEligibilitySiblings simultaneously enrolled in the day program at Peace; must indicate simultaneous enrollment on the application for admission and alert the Office of Financial Aid of continued eligibility.
May apply to renew each year both siblings are enrolled.
There is no separate scholarship deadline — merit awards are made automatically at admission, and Peace uses rolling admissions. The school encourages applying by April 1 for the fall term and December 1 for the spring term (no year printed on the page).
Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?
No. All first-year and transfer students accepted for admission are considered for merit-based scholarships and grants 'without further action required' — the one exception is the Honors Scholarship, which requires additional application materials and possibly an interview.
Is the Peace Pledge a full ride?
No. It guarantees 100% of tuition for eligible students (NC residents, household income under $75,000, Pell-eligible, 3.25+ weighted GPA). Students are still responsible for all fees, housing and food, and other expenses.
Will an outside scholarship reduce my Peace aid?
Possibly. You must report all outside awards. They are first applied to the self-help portion of your package (Federal Work-Study or need-based loans); after all self-help is replaced, Peace scholarships and grants may be reduced dollar for dollar for any remaining amount.
What GPA do I need to keep my merit scholarship?
The scholarships page says merit awards are renewable each year 'if you maintain a designated minimum grade point average,' but does not publish the number. Separately, the SAP policy that governs all aid requires a cumulative GPA of 1.7 (0-29 hours attempted), 1.8 (30-59), and 2.00 (60+), a 67% completion pace, and finishing within 150% of program length. Confirm the merit-specific renewal GPA with the aid office.
Is the FAFSA required?
For need-based aid and the Peace Pledge, yes — the school says 'As long as you fill out the FAFSA, we'll consider you for both merit and need-based aid, without additional essays or applications.' Use FAFSA code 002953.
How William Peace compares across our verified dataset
99 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.
William Peace is in the modest minority (99 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
William Peace 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 claim is checked against William Peace’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
