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 they often have strict guidelines and require 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 cover the cost of tuition only and usually do not include all the extra fees associated with college. In other words, the scholarship money pays for tuition only.
There are exceptions to this, however, as each award comes with its own criteria in regard 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 $55,000 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 Semifinalists and are sponsored by 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….
Colleges Offering National Merit Scholarships
| Faulkner University | AL | Private | Up to full ride for finalists; up to full tuition for semi-finalists |
| Oakwood University | AL | Private | Up to full tuition plus room for finalists; up to full tuition for semi-finalists |
| University of Alabama-Birmingham | AL | Public | Full tuition, room, $4,000 per year plus $2,000 for one time international travel for finalists; up to full tuition for semi-finalists |
| University of Alabama--Huntsville | AL | Public | Full tuition, room (for one year), $500 toward course fees per year, and $3,000 one-time summer study abroad for finalists |
| Harding University | AR | Private | Full tuition + $2,000 yearl stipened for finalists: full tuition for semi-finalists |
| University of Arkansas | AR | Public | $12,000 per year for finalists |
| Northern Arizona University | AZ | Public | Full tuition for finalists and semi-finalists |
| University of Arizona | AZ | Public | $18,000 per year for finalists; full tuition for semi-finalists |
| La Sierra University | CA | Private | Full tuition and fees for finalists; 50% tuition and fees for semi-finalists; 33% of tuition for commendations |
| Pacific Union College | CA | Private | Up to full tuition for finalists |
| Vanguard University of Southern California | CA | Private | Up to full tuition for finalists |
| University of Connecticut | CT | Public | Full tuition for finalists and semi-finalists |
| Florida A&M | FL | Public | Full cost of attendance for finalists |
| Florida Atlantic University | FL | Public | Full cost of attendance for finalists |
| Florida College | FL | Public | Full cost of attendance for finalists |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | FL | Public | Full cost of attendance |
| Florida International University | FL | Public | Full cost of attendance |
| Lynn University | FL | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Coe College | IA | Private | Full tuition for finalists; $18,000 per year for semi-finalists |
| University of Idaho | ID | Public | Full ride for finalists |
| Loyola University Chicago | IL | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| University of Evansville | IN | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Benedictine College | KS | Private | Full tuition for up to 10 finalists |
| Wichita State University | KS | Public | Full ride plus for finalists |
| Lindsey Wilson College | KY | Private | Up to full tuition for semi-finalists |
| Murray State University | KY | Public | Full ride for finalists |
| University of Kentucky | KY | Public | Full tuition plus for finalists |
| University of Louisville | KY | Public | Full tuition for finalists and semi-finalists |
| Louisiana Tech University | LA | Public | Full ride for finalists |
| Washington Adventist University | MD | Private | Full tuition for finalists; 75% tuition for semi-finalists |
| University of Maine | ME | Public | Full tuition and fees for finalists and semi-finalists |
| Andrews University | MI | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| University of Minnesota--Morris | MN | Public | Full tuition for finalists; $4,000 for semi-finalists and commended |
| Mississippi State University | MS | Public | Up to full ride for finalists |
| University of Mississippi | MS | Public | Full tuition and board for finalists & semi-finalists |
| University of Southern Mississippi | MS | Public | Full ride plus $500 per year for academic expenses & $4K for international study for finalists; full-tuition for semi-finalists |
| University of North Dakota | ND | Public | Full tuition and fees for finalists and semi-finalists |
| University of Nebraska--Lincoln | NE | Public | Full tuition for finalists |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJ | Public | Full tuition and fees for finalists |
| New Mexico State University | NM | Public | Full tuition and fees plus $5K per year for finalists; full tuition and fees plus $2,500 stipend per year for semi-finalists |
| University of New Mexico | NM | Public | Full ride for finalists |
| University of Nevada--Las Vegas | NV | Public | $10,000 for finalists |
| Fordham University | NY | Private | Full tuition for semi-finalists |
| Roberts Wesleyan College | NY | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Oklahoma Christian University | OK | Private | Full ride for finalists |
| Oklahoma City University | OK | Private | $1,000 per year for finalists |
| Oklahoma State University | OK | Public | Up to $72,100 |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan University | OK | Private | Up to full tuition for finalists |
| Southwestern Oklahoma State University | OK | Public | Full ride plus for semi-finalists and commended |
| University of Oklahoma | OK | Public | Up to $75,100 for finalists |
| University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | OK | Public | Full ride for finalists |
| University of Tulsa | OK | Private | Full ride for semi-finalists |
| Linfield College | OR | Private | Half to full tuition for finalists |
| University of Sioux Falls | SD | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Bryan College | TN | Private | Full tuition for finalists and semi-finalists |
| Southern Adventist University | TN | Private | $5,000 annually for finalists |
| University of Memphis | TN | Public | $15,000 annually |
| Abilene Christian University | TX | Private | Full tuition + $1,500 stipend for finalists and semi-finalists; $2,000 annually for commended |
| Dallas Baptist University | TX | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| East Texas Baptist University | TX | Private | Full tuition for semi-finalists |
| Hardin-Simmons University | TX | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Lubbock Christian University | TX | Private | Full tuition for finalists; $2,000/yr for semi-finalists, and $500/yr for commended |
| Southwestern Adventist University | TX | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| Texas A&M University--College Station | TX | Public | Up to Full Ride |
| Texas State University | TX | Public | Up to $7,000/yr for finalists; $3,000/yr for semi-finalists |
| Texas Tech University | TX | Public | Full cost of attendance for finalists |
| University of Dallas | TX | Private | $2,000/yr for finalists |
| University of Houston | TX | Public | Tuition and fees plus $1,000 research and $2,000 stipend for finalists |
| University of North Texas | TX | Public | Full cost of attendance for finalists |
| Brigham Young University--Provo | UT | Private | Full tuition for finalists |
| University of Utah | UT | Public | Full tuition for finalists |
| Liberty University | VA | Private | Full ride for finalists; full tuition for semi-finalists and commended |
| Regent University | VA | Private | Full tuition for finalists; $10,000/yr for semi-finalists |
| Walla Walla University | WA | Private | Full tuition for finalists; $1,500/yr for semi-finalists; $1,000/yr for commended |
| Washington State University | WA | Public | Full tuition for finalists |
| Lawrence University | WI | Private | $2,000/yr for finalists |
| University of Wisconsin--Oshkosh | WI | Public | Full in-state tuition for finalists |
| West Virginia University | WV | Public | Full tuition for finalists |
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 for as many for national, state, and local scholarships as possible.
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FAFSA Guide: How to Fill It Out and Maximize Financial Aid
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How My Average Student Got a Full-Ride to College
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