Scholarships and Grants

Grants and Scholarships

www.plu.edu/student-financial-services/types-aid/scholarships-and-grants

List of Active Restricted awards

Scholarships and grants are “gift assistance,” funds that do not have to be repaid. Gift assistance is included in a student’s award when eligibility criteria have been met and awarding guidelines and funding levels allow. Gift assistance programs are funded by the federal and state governments as well as PLU. When a student’s gift assistance funding is from PLU only, the combination of Tuition Remission/Exchange and/or PLU funded scholarships, grants, or awards cannot be in excess of the PLU annual tuition cost.

PLU grants and scholarships are awarded for Fall and Spring Semesters only. To receive this assistance, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:

    • Be admitted to PLU as a matriculating student.
    • Enrolled in a minimum of twelve credit hours each term. Financial aid is available for a repeated class only once.
    • Have financial need, unless otherwise noted.
    • Be an undergraduate student, pursuing your first undergraduate bachelor’s degree, unless otherwise noted.
    • Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined in the catalog.
    • Cannot have 100% of tuition charges already covered by an outside scholarship agency, except under the ROTC program and some VA programs.
    • Have qualified financial need for scholarships and grants designated as need-based programs on our website.

Pacific Lutheran University provides a wide variety of assistance to finance higher-education expenses through its scholarship and financial aid programs. Grants, scholarships, work programs, and student loans are available to help students meet their costs while attending PLU. Contributions from PLU donors (alumni, parents, employees, and friends of the University) are largely responsible for the generous level of academic, talent, or need-based scholarships that benefit students. Throughout the academic year, students who fit specific, donor-designated criteria, may be selected for Designated (named) scholarships. If you are selected, you will receive a revised aid offer which renames your scholarship/grant award with this funding source. In some cases, a named scholarship will replace a student’s existing PLU gift award. All named-scholarship recipients are expected to share how the scholarship(s) impacted their PLU experience with the generous donor(s) who provided the funding. For a complete listing of institutionally controlled scholarships, please visit the PLU Office of  Student Financial Services website at www.plu.edu/student-financial-services.

PLU Academic, Artistic, Entitlement and Donor-Funded Scholarships and Grants

The maximum PLU gift award based on merit is established for each student at the time of admission and may be met by one or more PLU awards. Artistic Achievement Scholarships for music, theatre, dance, art, or forensics are the first dollars counted toward meeting the maximum merit award. The gift amount (not awarded on the basis of financial need) is guaranteed for up to eight semesters of undergraduate enrollment if entering as a first year student, provided the student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students entering PLU with accepted credit hours earned at another school will have the number of semesters of PLU gift assistance prorated according to the following:

Entering PLU with: Will be eligible for up to:
   0-29 cumulative credits    8 semesters of PLU gift assistance
  30+ cumulative credits    6 semesters of PLU gift assistance

Students admitted as first year students with advanced standing because of running start, IB or AP credits are eligible for eight semesters of assistance.

Note: For specific examples of a typical financial aid gift package, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services.