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Understanding the Difference Between Full-Ride and Full-Tuition Scholarships

Full Ride Scholarships

Understanding the Difference Between Full-Ride and Full-Tuition Scholarships

Published September 7, 2018 | Last Updated January 19th, 2025 at 04:16 pm

Full Ride Scholarships

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

School Name
State
Type
Scholarship Amount
Faulkner UniversityALPrivateUp to full ride for finalists; up to full tuition for semi-finalists
Oakwood UniversityALPrivateUp to full tuition plus room for finalists; up to full tuition for semi-finalists
University of Alabama-BirminghamALPublicFull 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--HuntsvilleALPublicFull tuition, room (for one year), $500 toward course fees per year, and $3,000 one-time summer study abroad for finalists
Harding UniversityARPrivateFull tuition + $2,000 yearl stipened for finalists: full tuition for semi-finalists
University of ArkansasARPublic$12,000 per year for finalists
Northern Arizona UniversityAZPublicFull tuition for finalists and semi-finalists
University of ArizonaAZPublic$18,000 per year for finalists; full tuition for semi-finalists
La Sierra UniversityCAPrivateFull tuition and fees for finalists; 50% tuition and fees for semi-finalists; 33% of tuition for commendations
Pacific Union CollegeCAPrivateUp to full tuition for finalists
Vanguard University of Southern CaliforniaCAPrivateUp to full tuition for finalists
University of ConnecticutCTPublicFull tuition for finalists and semi-finalists
Florida A&MFLPublicFull cost of attendance for finalists
Florida Atlantic UniversityFLPublicFull cost of attendance for finalists
Florida CollegeFLPublicFull cost of attendance for finalists
Florida Gulf Coast UniversityFLPublicFull cost of attendance
Florida International UniversityFLPublicFull cost of attendance
Lynn UniversityFLPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Coe CollegeIAPrivateFull tuition for finalists; $18,000 per year for semi-finalists
University of IdahoIDPublicFull ride for finalists
Loyola University ChicagoILPrivateFull tuition for finalists
University of EvansvilleINPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Benedictine CollegeKSPrivateFull tuition for up to 10 finalists
Wichita State UniversityKSPublicFull ride plus for finalists
Lindsey Wilson CollegeKYPrivateUp to full tuition for semi-finalists
Murray State UniversityKYPublicFull ride for finalists
University of KentuckyKYPublicFull tuition plus for finalists
University of LouisvilleKYPublicFull tuition for finalists and semi-finalists
Louisiana Tech UniversityLAPublicFull ride for finalists
Washington Adventist UniversityMDPrivateFull tuition for finalists; 75% tuition for semi-finalists
University of MaineMEPublicFull tuition and fees for finalists and semi-finalists
Andrews UniversityMIPrivateFull tuition for finalists
University of Minnesota--MorrisMNPublicFull tuition for finalists; $4,000 for semi-finalists and commended
Mississippi State UniversityMSPublicUp to full ride for finalists
University of MississippiMSPublicFull tuition and board for finalists & semi-finalists
University of Southern MississippiMSPublicFull ride plus $500 per year for academic expenses & $4K for international study for finalists; full-tuition for semi-finalists
University of North DakotaNDPublicFull tuition and fees for finalists and semi-finalists
University of Nebraska--LincolnNEPublicFull tuition for finalists
New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNJPublicFull tuition and fees for finalists
New Mexico State UniversityNMPublicFull 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 MexicoNMPublicFull ride for finalists
University of Nevada--Las VegasNVPublic$10,000 for finalists
Fordham UniversityNYPrivateFull tuition for semi-finalists
Roberts Wesleyan CollegeNYPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Oklahoma Christian UniversityOKPrivateFull ride for finalists
Oklahoma City UniversityOKPrivate$1,000 per year for finalists
Oklahoma State UniversityOKPublicUp to $72,100
Oklahoma Wesleyan UniversityOKPrivateUp to full tuition for finalists
Southwestern Oklahoma State UniversityOKPublicFull ride plus for semi-finalists and commended
University of OklahomaOKPublicUp to $75,100 for finalists
University of Science and Arts of OklahomaOKPublicFull ride for finalists
University of TulsaOKPrivateFull ride for semi-finalists
Linfield CollegeORPrivateHalf to full tuition for finalists
University of Sioux FallsSDPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Bryan CollegeTNPrivateFull tuition for finalists and semi-finalists
Southern Adventist UniversityTNPrivate$5,000 annually for finalists
University of MemphisTNPublic$15,000 annually
Abilene Christian UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition + $1,500 stipend for finalists and semi-finalists; $2,000 annually for commended
Dallas Baptist UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition for finalists
East Texas Baptist UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition for semi-finalists
Hardin-Simmons UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Lubbock Christian UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition for finalists; $2,000/yr for semi-finalists, and $500/yr for commended
Southwestern Adventist UniversityTXPrivateFull tuition for finalists
Texas A&M University--College StationTXPublicUp to Full Ride
Texas State UniversityTXPublicUp to $7,000/yr for finalists; $3,000/yr for semi-finalists
Texas Tech UniversityTXPublicFull cost of attendance for finalists
University of DallasTXPrivate$2,000/yr for finalists
University of HoustonTXPublicTuition and fees plus $1,000 research and $2,000 stipend for finalists
University of North TexasTXPublicFull cost of attendance for finalists
Brigham Young University--ProvoUTPrivateFull tuition for finalists
University of UtahUTPublicFull tuition for finalists
Liberty UniversityVAPrivateFull ride for finalists; full tuition for semi-finalists and commended
Regent UniversityVAPrivateFull tuition for finalists; $10,000/yr for semi-finalists
Walla Walla UniversityWAPrivateFull tuition for finalists; $1,500/yr for semi-finalists; $1,000/yr for commended
Washington State UniversityWAPublicFull tuition for finalists
Lawrence UniversityWIPrivate$2,000/yr for finalists
University of Wisconsin--OshkoshWIPublicFull in-state tuition for finalists
West Virginia UniversityWVPublicFull 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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Other Articles You Might Like:

FAFSA Guide: How to Fill It Out and Maximize Financial Aid

What Is a Good PSAT Score? Guide to Scoring, Scholarships, and Prep

How My Average Student Got a Full-Ride to College

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