StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarships
Loyola University Maryland is a Jesuit liberal-arts university in Baltimore. Its merit scholarships work differently from most of the awards on this site: instead of a scholarship form, an essay contest or a nomination, the university simply reads your admission application and attaches a merit award to your offer. The official financial-aid page is explicit that all students — first-year, transfer and international — are eligible for merit-based scholarships, and that every student who completes an application for admission is automatically considered.
The amounts are substantial by US standards — up to $45,000 a year at the Presidential tier — but they are tuition-only and partial. Treat them as a large discount on a private-university bill, not as a full scholarship, and plan the remaining cost (room, board, fees and later years) before you accept.
Eligibility
- Apply for undergraduate admission to Loyola University Maryland as a first-year or transfer student — international students are explicitly eligible.
- First-year awards are based on GPA, course selection and test scores if submitted. Loyola is test-optional: SAT/ACT scores are not required for merit consideration but are reviewed if you provide them.
- Transfer awards are made on a competitive basis to students with strong academic records.
- To keep an award you must stay enrolled full-time (12 credits) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
- No separate scholarship application, essay or interview is required for the three main first-year tiers or the transfer award.
Benefits
- Presidential Scholarship: $41,000–$45,000 per year (2027-28).
- Dean’s Scholarship: $39,000–$40,000 per year (2027-28).
- Loyola Scholarship: $37,000–$38,000 per year (2027-28).
- Loyola Transfer Scholarship: $35,000–$41,000 per year (2027-28).
- Renewable for up to four academic years (8 semesters) of full-time study, subject to the GPA and enrolment conditions.
- Awarded with your admission decision — no waiting for a separate scholarship round.
Documents to prepare
- Your application for admission to Loyola University Maryland (the only application that matters for these awards).
- Secondary-school transcripts and records showing GPA and course selection.
- SAT/ACT scores if you choose to submit them (optional; reviewed if provided).
- For international applicants: the usual admission documents, including English-language evidence and a valid passport for visa purposes.
- Transfer applicants: college transcripts showing a strong academic record.
How to apply
- Submit your application for admission to Loyola University Maryland by Early Action (15 November 2026) or Regular Decision (15 January 2027).
- Include your transcripts and, if you wish, test scores — these drive the merit decision.
- There is nothing else to file for the Presidential, Dean’s, Loyola or Transfer awards: consideration is automatic.
- Your merit award is notified with your admission decision.
- If you want the separate Knott full-tuition scholarships, note they need an admission application by 15 January plus a Knott application, a 3.0 semester GPA, an annual Scholar Profile and event participation.
FAQs
Yes. Loyola’s own financial-aid page states that all students — first-year, transfer and international — are eligible for merit-based scholarships, with automatic consideration on admission application.
No, not for the Presidential, Dean’s, Loyola or Transfer awards. The only separate routes are named awards such as the Knott Scholarships (full tuition, with its own application and 3.0 GPA condition).
No. Merit awards can only be applied toward tuition charges, split equally between fall and spring semesters. Room, board, fees and other costs remain yours.
Yes, if you drop below full-time enrolment (12 credits) or below a 2.0 cumulative GPA. The awards are renewable for up to four academic years while you meet those conditions.
Yes. SAT/ACT scores are not required for merit consideration, but if you submit them they are reviewed as part of the GPA, course-selection and test-score assessment.
Verified 24 Oct 2026: loyola.edu/department/financial-aid/undergraduate/programs/scholarships.html (official, read 24 Oct 2026) — "All students (first-year, transfer, and international) are eligible to receive merit-based scholarships, and every student who completes an application for admission is automatically considered", 2027-28 ranges Presidential $41,000–$45,000, Dean’s $39,000–$40,000, Loyola $37,000–$38,000, Transfer $35,000–$41,000, retention full-time 12 credits + CGPA 2.0, tuition-only split fall/spring, Knott full-tuition route with 15 January admission deadline and 3.0 GPA condition; catalogue.loyola.edu (official) — Early Action 15 November, Regular Decision 15 January for first-year international applicants; globalscholarships.com/scholarships/merit-based-scholarships-for-first-year-students/ — same three tiers (older ranges $38,000–$40,000 / $35,000–$36,000 / $30,000–$33,000), automatic consideration, November 15 admission deadline. Official 2027-28 figures used in the article.
