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Merit-Based & Need-Based Scholarships

Imagine an education where you’ll dive into every unconventional pursuit, translate abstract ideas into concrete results and never feel financially held back. The College makes this a reality: We consider all students who are admitted to the College for merit-based, need-based and talent-based scholarships.

Merit scholarships are awarded to new freshmen based on their weighted cumulative high school GPA as presented on their official high school transcript. New transfer student merit awards are determined by the cumulative GPA from all post-secondary institutions attended. Should a transfer student have 27 or fewer college credits, they will be considered a transfer freshman and their merit award will be determined by their weighted cumulative high school GPA.

First-Year Students

For first-year students who have never attended college, merit aid is awarded based on cumulative high school GPA. The award is guaranteed as long as the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress and is subject to change. As a residential liberal arts college, The College of Idaho maintains a three-year residency requirement for all incoming freshman students.  It is proven that living on-campus leads to enhanced academic success, ensures heightened access to a full range of co-curricular opportunities, and contributes to a student’s leadership development. In recognition of this requirement, freshman students receive a $3,000 “on-campus residency grant” as part of their financial aid package. Students must be living on-campus or in College-owned housing in order to access this grant.

The table below indicates the high school grade point average a freshman applicant must achieve and their corresponding merit award.

Scholarship Amount Per Year GPA
Presidential Scholar $19,000 3.80 and above
Trustee Scholar $17,000 3.40 – 3.79
Deans Scholar $15,000 3.20 – 3.39
Boone Scholar $14,000 3.00 – 3.19
Coyote Scholar $5,000 2.99 or below

Transfer StudentsThe College of Idaho offers academic scholarships to qualified transfer students. These scholarships are awarded based on atransfer student’s cumulative from all post-secondary institutions attended prior to enrolling at The College of Idaho. Transfer students with 27 or fewer transfer credits will be considered a transfer freshman and receive a first-year student merit award. Transfer student merit awards are determined as follows:

Scholarship Amount Per Year GPA
Presidential Scholar $22,000 3.80 and above
Trustee Scholar $20,000 3.60-3.79
Deans Scholar $18,000 3.20-3.59
Boone Scholar $17,000 3.00-3.19
Coyote Scholar $10,000 2.99 or below

Lienhart-Minnick Scholarship

A.K. Lienhart-Minnick and Walt Minnick established a scholarship awarded annually to academically gifted high school seniors from Idaho. Scholarship recipients must have a proven record of superior academic performance in high school, an outstanding record of school or other pre-college leadership, and clear potential for success in the rigorous intellectual campus environment of The College of Idaho. A combination of ACT, SAT or equivalent aptitude scores and high school grades must place the applicant in the top five percent of their graduating high school class.  Applications are due on or before March 1.

Whittenberger Fellows Scholarship

The Whittenberger Foundation gives a grant to The College of Idaho to fund the Whittenberger Fellows Scholarship. The Scholarship is a competitive scholarship for academically superior students with financial need. Applicants must possess a high school or college grade point average of at least 3.500. Applicants with pre-medical intentions or education majors receive priority consideration, but all majors are invited to apply. This scholarship may be renewed provided a recipient maintains a college cumulative grade point average of 3.000 or higher and continues to demonstrate financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filed for applicants and renewals to be considered.  Applications are due on or before March 1.

The George Wolfe Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding College of Idaho student. Applicants must currently attend the College; maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; be majoring in political economy, international political economy, history, or philosophy, or be a bona-fide pre-law student; and demonstrate financial need (FAFSA required). Applicant files will be examined by a selection committee consisting of faculty representatives from political economy, history, and philosophy, one additional at-large faculty member, and a graduate of the College currently practicing law in the Treasure Valley.

The Irma Frisch Farrington Fund-George Wolfe Pre-Law Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding C of I student based on coursework. It is designated to College of Idaho Students studying pre-law or demonstrating law school ambitions. The recipient must be a full-time student with sophomore standing or above with a minimum GPA of 3.00 and show need (FAFSA required).

A teaching legend at the College, Wolfe received his law degree from the University of Vienna. After fleeing his native Austria on the eve of World War II in 1939, he served as an in-residence scholar in the Department of Political Science at Yale University before coming to The College of Idaho. Over a 24-year period, many of Wolfe’s students attended outstanding law schools and graduate schools, a tradition that still holds today. Dr. Wolfe also founded Model UN at The College of Idaho. These scholarships are generously funded and sustained by alumni who honor Wolfe’s legacy through the financial support of current College students.

A need-based scholarship is one that is awarded to students based on their household income. The FAFSA is required to assist in determining student need eligibility. Students from low-income families are more likely to receive need-based scholarships to help pay for college tuition. Eligibility is based solely on the assets and income of the prospective student and his or her family. Factors such as test scores or athletic ability have no bearing on need-based aid.

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