4-Year Merit Scholarships

Starting Fall 2024, The BYU-Idaho Merit Scholarship will be a four-year award designed to recognize and reward exceptional high school academic achievement of incoming freshmen attending as campus students. To remain eligible, students must have a minimum cumulative BYU-Idaho GPA of 3.75 at the end of the Winter semester each year.

Evaluation

The following matrix shows eligibility levels for 2024-2025, starting at a 3.5 GPA and 1200 SAT / 25 ACT score:

To be considered for this award, test scores and transcripts must be processed with the university no later than the Tuesday before the first day of the first semester a student will be enrolled. No exceptions to this deadline.

Be sure to update the admissions office with your latest information. Any ACT/SAT test scores as well as updated high school transcripts, should be sent to transcriptsubmit@byui.edu. Test scores sent from the ACT or SAT, from the high school transcript, or screenshots with the student's name, birthday, and all sub scores as well as composite scores, will be accepted.

Application

There is no application necessary for the BYU-Idaho Merit Scholarship. Students will be automatically considered based on transcripts and test scores.

Eligibility

• Students must be a BYU-Idaho Campus student without an earned bachelor’s degree.
• Students must meet the definition of a freshman student, which is they have earned less than 12 resident (BYU-Idaho) credits and less than 24 college credits post high school at the time of evaluation.
• Students will be automatically evaluated based on transcripts and ACT or SAT scores.
• To remain eligible, students must have a minimum cumulative BYU-Idaho GPA of 3.75 at the end of Winter semester each year. If their cumulative GPA drops below 3.75, students will automatically lose their scholarships for future award years.
• Renewing students must have less than 140 cumulative credits earned at the time of evaluation after Winter semester. All credits appearing on the student’s official transcript are counted, including Advanced Placement, language exam credits, transfer credits, etc.

Missionaries

Future Missionaries

Those who qualify for the BYU-Idaho Merit Scholarship before their mission have the option to defer the scholarship if they choose to serve a mission. Defer your scholarship by ensuring the Admissions office has the correct missionary deferment details. 

Recently Returned Missionaries

Recently returned missionaries may be considered for this award if test scores and transcripts are processed with the university no later than the Tuesday before the first day of the first semester a student will be enrolled. If you have questions, please email scholarships@byui.edu.

Be sure to update the admissions office with your latest information. Any ACT/SAT scores as well as updated high school transcripts, should be sent to transcriptsubmit@byui.edu. Test scores sent from ACT or SAT, from the high school transcript, or screenshots with the student's name, birthday, and all sub scores as well as composite scores, will be accepted.

Recently Enrolled Students

To be considered for this award, test scores and transcripts must be processed with the university no later than the Tuesday before the first day of the first semester a student will be enrolled. No exceptions to this deadline.

Be sure to update the admissions office with your latest information. ACT/SAT scores as well as updated high school transcripts, should be sent to transcriptsubmit@byui.edu. Test scores sent from ACT or SAT, from the high school transcript, or screenshots with the student's name, birthday, and all sub scores as well as composite scores, will be accepted.

Awarding

The BYU-Idaho Merit Scholarships are awarded for Fall, Winter, and Spring semesters for four years. However, recipients have the flexibility to defer the scholarship if they choose to serve a mission during this time.

• To remain eligible, students must have a minimum cumulative BYU-Idaho GPA of 3.75 at the end of Winter semester each year. If their cumulative GPA drops below 3.75, students will automatically lose their scholarships for future award years.
• Students who have earned 140 or more cumulative credits at the end of Winter Semester will no longer be eligible to receive their scholarship for future award years.
• Award amounts are based on tuition costs for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Credits do NOT need to be program applicable. However, audited courses do not count.
• Individual semester awards will be canceled for students enrolled in less than 6 credits on Full Semester FADD.
• Awards will be prorated based on the number of credits a student enrolls in each semester. This award is subject to the Financial Aid Determination Date (FADD). If you add or drop classes before FADD the award will adjust to your new credit level.

2024-2025 Award Amounts

Be sure to update the admissions office with your latest information. ACT/SAT scores as well as updated high school transcripts, should be sent to transcriptsubmit@byui.edu. Test scores sent from ACT or SAT, from the high school transcript, or screenshots with the student's name, birthday, and all sub scores as well as composite scores, will be accepted.

Stackable

To allow recipients the opportunity to benefit from additional financial support, these Full, Half, and Quarter tuition Scholarships will be stackable with the following scholarships available from BYU-Idaho:

• Academic Scholarship: If you do not receive a Full Merit Scholarship, you can earn more scholarship money in future years by meeting the GPA requirements for the Academic scholarship. Apply between October 1 and March 1.
• The BYU-Idaho Scholarship: This need-based scholarship requires an application in addition to the coming year’s FAFSA to be completed by March 1.
• Talent Scholarships: Available directly from the Art, Dance, Journalism, Theater, and Music departments on campus.

The following scholarship can be stacked and awarded over full LDS tuition amounts.

• Returned Missionary Scholarship: A one-time $500 scholarship for students who have returned from full-time missionary service since Jan. 1, 2023, and are enrolling in their first college experience since their mission. Awards will be automatically added. No application is necessary.