A full-ride or full-tuition college scholarship is every parent’s dream and something that many students wonder if they are eligible to apply for and win, but these types of awards don’t just magically appear and are often misunderstood.

It is important to know the difference between full-ride and full-tuition scholarships when searching for schools and making college decisions.

What’s a Full-Ride Scholarship?

Full-ride scholarships usually cover all college costs including; tuition, housing, meals, textbooks, fees and possibly even a stipend to pay for any extra personal expenses.

Full-ride scholarships are the cream of the scholarship crop, but often have strict guidelines and requirements for students to keep the award for their entire college career.

These generous scholarship awards are not easy to come by, but they are worth researching and becoming familiar with when trying to obtain funds for college.

What’s a Full-Tuition Scholarship?

Full-tuition scholarships are those that cover the cost of tuition only and usually do not include all the extra fees of going to college. In a nutshell, the scholarship money pays for tuition and nothing else.

There are exceptions to this however, as each award comes with its own criteria in regards to what the scholarship money may be used to pay for.

Many parents and their students may be surprised to find out that even with a full-tuition scholarship, only half (or less) of the total cost of attendance may be covered, as room and board and other expenses are a huge part of paying for college.

Like full-ride scholarships, full-tuition awards are not easy to win, but are scholarship gold if awarded.

Which Colleges and Organizations Offer Full-Ride or Full-Tuition Scholarships?

Full-ride and full-tuition scholarships are mainly offered by universities and colleges and are commonly referred to as “institutional awards”, but there are also private organizations or businesses that offer such large awards to select students.

One example is the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship. This award is a $40,000 per year scholarship that pays for tuition, room and board, books and any other college fees.

National Merit Scholarship and Full-Ride and Full-Tuition Scholarships

Many full-ride and full-tuition scholarships are offered to National Merit Scholars or National Merit Semifinalist and are sponsored by the individual colleges.

A few universities offer substantial scholarships to Semifinalists, but most schools require that students obtain Finalist status in order to be eligible for full-tuition scholarships. Some of them also have GPA requirements.

Below is a sample of schools that offer full tuition or full ride scholarships to National Merit Scholars and Semifinalists….

School Name	State	Type	Scholarship Amount
Faulkner University	AL	Private	Up to Full Ride
Faulkner University	AL	Private	Up to Full Tuition
Oakwood University	AL	Private	Full Tuition to Full Tuition Plus
University of Alabama	AL	Public	Full Ride Plus
University of Alabama	AL	Public	Full tuition
University of Alabama--Birmingham	AL	Public	Full Tuition Plus
University of Alabama--Huntsville	AL	Public	Full Tuition Plus
University of Alabama--Huntsville	AL	Public	Up to Full Ride
Harding University	AR	Private	Full Ride
Harding University	AR	Private	Full Tuition
University of Arkansas	AR	Public	Up to Full Tuition
Northern Arizona University	AZ	Public	Full Tuition
University of Arizona	AZ	Public	Full Tuition Plus
University of Arizona	AZ	Public	Full Tuition Plus
La Sierra University	CA	Private	Full tuition
Pacific Union College	CA	Private	Full Tuition
Vanguard University of Southern California	CA	Private	Up to Full Tuition
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	Full tuition
Howard University	DC	Private	Full Ride Plus
Florida A&M	FL	Public	Full ride plus
Florida A&M	FL	Public	Up to Full Tuition Plus
Florida Atlantic University	FL	Public	Full in-state tuition plus
Florida College	FL	Public	Full Tuition
Florida Gulf Coast University	FL	Public	Full Ride
Florida International University	FL	Public	Full Ride
Lynn University	FL	Private	Full Tuition
Coe College	IA	Private	$18,000 to full tuition
University of Idaho	ID	Public	Full Ride
Loyola University Chicago	IL	Private	Full Tuition
Grace College and Seminary	IN	Private	Full tuition
University of Evansville	IN	Private	Full tuition
Benedictine College	KS	Private	Full tuition
Central Christian College	KS	Private	Full tuition
Wichita State University	KS	Public	Full Ride Plus
Lindsey Wilson College	KY	Private	Up to Full Tuition
Murray State University	KY	Public	Full Ride
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	Full Ride
University of Louisville	KY	Public	Full Tuition
University of Louisville	KY	Public	Full Tuition Plus
Louisiana Tech University	LA	Public	Full Ride
Washington Adventist University	MD	Private	Full Tuition
University of Maine	ME	Public	Full Tuition
Alma College	MI	Private	Up to full tuition
Andrews University	MI	Private	Full Tuition
Rochester College	MI	Private	Full Tuition
University of Minnesota--Morris	MN	Public	Full Tuition
Mississippi State University	MS	Public	Up to full ride
Mississippi State University	MS	Public	Up to full tuition
University of Mississippi	MS	Public	Full Tuition Plus
University of Southern Mississippi	MS	Public	Up to full ride plus
University of North Dakota	ND	Public	Full tuition and fees
University of Nebraska--Lincoln	NE	Public	Full Tuition Plus
New Jersey Institute of Technology	NJ	Public	Full Tuition
New Mexico State University	NM	Public	Full Tuition Plus
New Mexico State University	NM	Public	Full Tuition Plus
University of New Mexico	NM	Public	Full Ride Plus
Western New Mexico University	NM	Public	Full ride
Western New Mexico University	NM	Public	Full ride
University of Nevada--Las Vegas	NV	Public	Full Ride Plus
Fordham University	NY	Private	Full tuition
Nyack College	NY	Private	Full tuition
Roberts Wesleyan College	NY	Private	Full tuition
Wright State University	OH	Public	Full Ride Plus
Wright State University	OH	Public	Full Ride Plus
Oklahoma Christian University	OK	Private	Full Ride
Oklahoma City University	OK	Private	Full Tuition
Oklahoma City University	OK	Private	Full Tuition
Oklahoma State University	OK	Public	Up to $35,525
Oklahoma State University	OK	Public	Up to $16,750
Oklahoma Wesleyan University	OK	Private	Up to Full Tuition
Southwestern Christian University	OK	Private	Full Tuition
Southwestern Oklahoma State University	OK	Public	Full ride
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	Up to Full Tuition Plus
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	Up to Full Tuition Plus
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma	OK	Public	Full Ride
University of Tulsa	OK	Private	Full Ride
Linfield College	OR	Private	Half to Full Tuition
Winthrop University	SC	Public	$38,166
University of Sioux Falls	SD	Private	Full Tuition Plus
Bryan College	TN	Private	Full Tuition
Southern Adventist University	TN	Private	Full Tuition
Southern Adventist University	TN	Private	Full Tuition
Southern Adventist University	TN	Private	Full Tuition
University of Memphis	TN	Public	Full tuition plus
Abilene Christian University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Abilene Christian University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Baylor University	TX	Private	$41,610 to $43,610
Dallas Baptist University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
East Texas Baptist University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Hardin-Simmons University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Lubbock Christian University	TX	Private	$500 to Full Tuition
Southwestern Adventist University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Southwestern Adventist University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Southwestern Adventist University	TX	Private	Full Tuition
Texas A&M University--College Station	TX	Public	Up to Full Ride
Texas State University	TX	Public	Full In-State Tuition Plus
Texas Tech University	TX	Public	Full Ride
University of Dallas	TX	Private	Full Tuition
University of Houston	TX	Public	Full Tuition
University of North Texas	TX	Public	Full Ride plus
Brigham Young University--Provo	UT	Private	Full Tuition
University of Utah	UT	Public	Full Tuition Plus
Liberty University	VA	Private	Full Tuition to Full Ride
Regent University	VA	Private	Full Tuition
Evergreen State College	WA	Public	Up to Full In-State Tuition
Walla Walla University	WA	Private	Full Tuition
Washington State University	WA	Public	Full Tuition
Lawrence University	WI	Private	Up to Full Tuition
University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh	WI	Public	Full In-State Tuition
University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh	WI	Public	Up to Full Ride plus
West Virginia University	WV	Public	Full Tuition Plus

Guidelines to Keep Your Full-Ride or Full-Tuition Scholarship

Full-ride and full-tuition scholarships, whether institutional or private, all have very specific guidelines regarding the students who are eligible to apply.

Many have a financial need requirement and mandate the submission of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year.

In order to keep receiving the scholarship money, students may also need to have a minimum G.P.A. and it is often up to the student to submit grade reports each semester.

Other stipulations may also include what the student has to do after college graduation, as some full-ride and full-tuition scholarships come with a job commitment for a specific number of years.

State Schools Offering Full-Ride or Full-Tuition Scholarships

Many states, or specific cities or counties within a certain state, offer “promise” full-ride or full-tuition scholarships to those students who meet certain criteria. The Florida Bright Futures program is one such scholarship that helps public school graduates pay for higher education. Find a list of state and county promise scholarships here.

Always Search for College Generous With Merit-Based Scholarships

Doing a little research into what institutions offer full-ride or full-tuition scholarships is a smart way to strategize in the effort to find money for college, but families should never count on students winning these elite awards.

Early college planning should also include narrowing down schools that offer the most merit money to students who meet certain baselines; such as G.P.A., SAT/ACT scores, valedictorian/salutatorian status, etc.

Filing the FAFSA should always be on the college planning “must do” list, as well as having students apply as many for national, state, and local scholarships as possible.

Using our R2C Insights tool can make finding schools that will be generous with their merit scholarship money a breeze. Click here for details.

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