4-Year Merit Scholarships

Starting in Fall 2024, BYU-Idaho will award automatic Merit Scholarships to incoming freshmen and transfer students. If you maintain at least a 3.75 BYU-Idaho Cumulative GPA this scholarship will renew for up to four years.

How Can I Be Considered?

Incoming Freshmen will automatically be considered based on their High School GPA, ACT/SAT scores, and transcripts on record with the university.

If your high school scores change you can be re-evaluated by updating your university record by the Tuesday before your first semester starts:

• See where you can send new information on the Mailing Transcript page
• If you are homeschool or private school student, visit the Homeschool and Private School Prospective Students page

Transfer Student GPAs will be calculated using the transcripts received in the Admissions Office prior to admission to BYU-Idaho.

Merit Scholarship for Transfer Students by GPA

How Much Money Would You Receive?

Award amounts depend on your enrolled credits for each semester and are based on Member tuition rates.

** 2025-2026 Scholarship Awards will be announced once 2025-2026 Tuition amounts have been decided. **

2024-2025 Merit Scholarship Award Amounts

• Your award amount depends on how many credits you’re taking on the Full Semester Financial Aid Determination Date (FADD)
  
  • Students who register after the Full Semester FADD for second block classes will not be awarded scholarships
  • If you change your credit load before the FADD, your award will change too.
• Credits do not need to be Program Applicable, (apply to your major).
• Only courses taken for credit are included in your credit count for this scholarship. 
  
  • Audited courses do not qualify.

Students can receive scholarship offers for all three semesters of an academic year: Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Renewing Your Merit Scholarship

Grades are checked only once a year, at the end of Winter semester and we automatically renew  scholarships to those that qualify for the coming Fall 2025, Winter 2026 and Spring 2026 semesters.

• Scholarship amounts are set for an entire academic year Fall -Spring semesters
  
• The award amount will not change from Fall to Winter or from Winter to Spring semesters

• If your BYU-Idaho cumulative GPA remains 3.75 or higher your Merit scholarship will never drop below your original award.
• Didn’t originally receive a Full tuition Merit Scholarship?
  
  • If you have over 12 BYU-Idaho credits at the end of Winter semester, you can increase your original Merit Scholarship for the upcoming academic year based on your BYU-Idaho cumulative GPA.

BYU-Idaho GPA Requirements

*You’re no longer eligible for the next year if you’ve earned 120 or more credits by the end of Winter semester.

Are You a Missionary or Planning To Serve? Here’s What You Need To Know!

Future Missionaries: If you qualify for an automatic Merit Scholarship before your mission, you have the option to defer the scholarship until you return. Contact the Admissions Office to let them know about your mission call and defer the scholarship.

Recently returned missionaries can get this award if test scores and transcripts are processed with the university by the Tuesday before their first semester starts, see Transcript Deadlines. Transcripts and test scores must be in the student record by this deadline.

Can I Get More Than One BYU-Idaho Scholarship?

Yes, but there is a limit. The total amount you receive from BYU-Idaho scholarships cannot exceed full LDS tuition.

Exception: the Returned Missionary Scholarship can exceed full tuition.

How Can I Check My Scholarship Status?

• Awards will show in your financial aid portal and award letters are sent to your BYU-Idaho email as awards are processed, usually in May.

If you have questions about whether you qualify, your award amounts, or any other concerns, please email scholarships@byui.edu.

When Will I Receive My Scholarship?

• The scholarship is disbursed to your student account the first week of the semester
• It's applied first to tuition charges
• Be sure to sign up for eRefund so any remaining financial aid funds can go directly to your bank account

What Do I Really Need To Know About the Merit Scholarship?

• Merit scholarships are awarded for the full academic year and do not increase or decrease from semester to semester.
• For 2025-2026 we will review all scholarship eligibility after Winter 2025 semester and scholarships are then awarded for the upcoming complete academic year – Fall, Winter and Spring semesters.
• You can only receive a BYU-Idaho scholarship if you are enrolled in at least 6 credits. If you are not enrolled you cannot move it to another semester.
• If you have a Merit Scholarship and keep your GPA at 3.75 or higher, you can keep it for all four years.
  
  • If after evaluating your BYU-Idaho grades you qualify for a higher award, your Merit Scholarship amount can increase. This increase is only for one year. You will be evaluated again after the next Winter semester.
  • If your eligibility drops your award will return to the original amount, but as long as you maintain a 3.75 it will never drop below your original award.
• If your GPA drops below 3.75, you’ll lose your Merit Scholarship.
  
  • If you lose your Merit scholarship and then correct your GPA you won’t get your Merit Scholarship back, but you could qualify for an Academic Scholarship during the next evaluation.