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Wofford scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$82,201per year · 2026-2027 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Wofford may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
8 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

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.

Where does your student land?

  1. Wofford Merit Scholarship$15,000-$25,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Wofford Merit Scholarship

    $15,000-$25,000 per year

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Wofford Merit Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Based on academic merit, leadership and service to the community. Evaluated automatically upon receipt of the Common Application. No published GPA/test grid.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to three years after your first year (four years total / eight semesters), if eligibility requirements in the student's financial aid award letter are met.

    Worth knowing

    No separate application required.

  2. Old Main Scholarship$27,000-$30,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Old Main Scholarship

    $27,000-$30,000 per year

    Published rangeNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Old Main Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Based on academic merit, leadership, and service to the community. Automatic via Common Application.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to three years after your first year, if eligibility requirements in the financial aid award letter are met.

    Worth knowing

    Wofford's top published academic merit tier.

  3. First Generation Scholarship$25,000 per yearNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    First Generation Scholarship

    $25,000 per year

    Published amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for First Generation Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    First-generation students (neither parent completed a bachelor's degree; single-parent household: that parent). 15 awards, competitive, based on the admission application. No additional application.

    How to keep it

    Not separately stated; subject to general renewal (eight-semester) criteria.

    Worth knowing

    15 awards offered.

  4. Citizen Scholars Scholarship$25,000/year (Palmetto Fellow recipients) / $20,000/year (Life Scholarship recipients)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Citizen Scholars Scholarship

    $25,000/year (Palmetto Fellow recipients) / $20,000/year (Life Scholarship recipients)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Citizen Scholars Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Citizen Scholars Program participants who attend Wofford and qualify for the S.C. Palmetto Fellow Scholarship or the Life Scholarship (S.C. Lottery Scholarship Fund). No additional application.

    How to keep it

    Stated as four-year values ($100,000 / $80,000).

    Worth knowing

    Wofford partners with the Citizen Scholars Program; amount depends on which S.C. state scholarship the student holds.

  5. Palmetto Boys State Scholarship$100,000 total ($25,000 per year)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Palmetto Boys State Scholarship

    $100,000 total ($25,000 per year)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Palmetto Boys State Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Graduates of Palmetto Boys' State accepted for admission; ≥1 entering freshman/year. Selected from the admission application; no additional application.

    How to keep it

    Payable at $25,000/year, renewable for three years (four years total).

    Worth knowing

    At least one award per year.

  6. Palmetto Girls State Scholarship$100,000 total ($25,000 per year)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Palmetto Girls State Scholarship

    $100,000 total ($25,000 per year)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Palmetto Girls State Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Graduates of Palmetto Girls' State accepted for admission; ≥1 entering freshman/year. Selected from the admission application; no additional application.

    How to keep it

    Payable at $25,000/year, renewable for three years (four years total).

    Worth knowing

    At least one award per year.

  7. Tuition Exchange ScholarshipTuition or the set rate (predetermined by the TE program annually)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Tuition Exchange Scholarship

    Tuition or the set rate (predetermined by the TE program annually)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Tuition Exchange Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Students whose parents are employed by participating Tuition Exchange colleges/universities; the home/exporting school certifies eligibility. Limited number of awards.

    How to keep it

    Subject to continued TE eligibility.

    Worth knowing

    Wofford limits awards based on budget, available TE slots, and import/export balance.

  8. Tuition Remission Scholarship100% tuition remission (first undergraduate degree)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Tuition Remission Scholarship

    100% tuition remission (first undergraduate degree)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Tuition Remission Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Qualifying child (of an eligible Wofford employee) who independently meets the college's admission qualifications

    How to keep it

    Maximum of eight semesters (including summer school); 12 credits per term or 24 hours cumulative; must continue to meet eligibility.

    Worth knowing

    Employee-dependent benefit.

Free Merit Check

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The fine print

Aid capHard $82,201 cost-of-attendance ceiling

Institutional aid at Wofford cannot push the package past $82,201. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What makes Wofford different

Wofford evaluates every applicant automatically for merit scholarships ($15,000-$30,000/year, plus several $100,000 full-four-year awards) — but a comprehensive-fee cap means gift aid (including outside scholarships) can't exceed your billable costs plus a book allowance unless you take loans.

Merit tiers8See who qualifies
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Wofford's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What Wofford's aid office says

Per the Office of Financial Aid, Wofford College, August 2026. How we verify

Who determines scholarship awards

Does the Financial Aid Office decide which scholarships are awarded?

The Financial Aid Office does not determine which scholarships are awarded; that is done by the Admissions Office.

“The Financial Aid Office does not determine which scholarships are awarded; our Admissions Office does this.”

What families often miss

  1. A comprehensive-fee cap limits gift aid (federal/state/institutional grants + scholarships) to the comprehensive fee (tuition, fees, food, housing) plus a book allowance for boarders — beyond that the Wofford scholarship/grant is reduced unless you use loans. Report all outside awards.

  2. Wofford merit scholarships are renewable only 'up to three years after your first year' (four years / eight semesters total), and renewal depends on the criteria in your financial aid award letter.

  3. Most named awards are $25,000-$30,000/year, but the 2026-27 on-campus cost of attendance is $82,201 — merit alone leaves a large balance.

  4. For day students, the gift-aid cap is only tuition + fees + a book allowance (no food/housing component), which is a lower ceiling than for boarders.

  5. Most awards are automatic via the Common Application, but the Launch Scholarship and the Bonner Scholar Program require separate applications.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong applicants (academic merit, leadership, service) who want automatic, no-extra-application merit money at a small SC liberal-arts college; first-gen students and Palmetto Fellows/Boys-State/Girls-State recipients have dedicated high-value tracks.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $82,201 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

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

Average annual net price by family income at Wofford, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$8,493
$30,001–$48,000$11,627
$48,001–$75,000$10,830
$75,001–$110,000$19,092
$110,001+$23,770
All income levels (average)$18,732

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$56,005
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$18,732

That works out to roughly a 74% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $72,441 (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
84%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
91%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$25,732 (~$273/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$68,964
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
18%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
45%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Comprehensive-fee cap: for a boarding student, gift aid (federal/state/institutional grants and scholarships) may not exceed the total comprehensive fee (tuition, fees, food and housing) plus a book allowance; for a day student, scholarships/grants may not exceed tuition + fees + a book allowance — unless the student uses student/parent loans. Outside scholarships must be reported and the package recalculated; when the cap would be exceeded, the Wofford scholarship/grant is reduced. Scholarships are available for a total of eight semesters.

Gift-aid ceiling = comprehensive fee + book allowance (boarders) or tuition+fees+books (day students), beatable only with loans. Outside awards trigger recalculation and can reduce the Wofford award.

Source

Other Wofford scholarships worth checking

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

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityFine arts merit (per the named scholarship page).

Listed under merit-based scholarships.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityTalent-based; by department.

Separate performance-based scholarship category.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityPer the Wofford Scholars program.

Distinct program with its own FAQs.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityService-based; separate application required.

Requires a separate application (not automatic).

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityPer the Launch program; separate application required.

Requires a separate application (not automatic).

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityROTC participants.

Special program.

Source

Wofford merit aid FAQ

  • Do I need a separate application for merit scholarships?

    No for most — 'We evaluate every applicant for merit-based scholarships upon receiving their Common Application.' Separate applications are required for the Launch Scholarship and the Bonner Scholar Program.

  • How much are the merit scholarships?

    Wofford Merit $15,000-$25,000/yr; Old Main $27,000-$30,000/yr; First Generation $25,000/yr (15 awards); Citizen Scholars $20,000-$25,000/yr; Palmetto Boys'/Girls' State $25,000/yr ($100,000 over four years); plus Tuition Exchange and 100% Tuition Remission for employee dependents.

  • How long do scholarships last?

    Up to eight semesters (renewable for three years after the first year), provided you meet the renewal criteria on your financial aid award letter.

  • Will an outside scholarship reduce my Wofford aid?

    It can. Gift aid can't exceed the comprehensive fee (tuition, fees, food, housing) plus a book allowance for boarders (tuition+fees+books for day students) unless you use loans; if the cap is exceeded, your Wofford scholarship/grant is reduced. The FAFSA priority deadline for prospective students is January 1.

See sources and other schools

How Wofford compares

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

    Wofford 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.

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

Compare with similar schools

  • Anderson merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • BJU merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Claflin merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Morris merit aid. South Carolina private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring Wofford merit aid

The next chapter

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