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Institutional Scholarships

Dillard University offers a competitive Scholarship/Grant Package to eligible first-year students who demonstrated strong academic performance in high school. The primary criterion used to determine a student’s eligibility is based on the students’ ACT/SAT score and Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). However, in one or more of the scholarship and/or grant awards, there are other components that can factor into the student’s eligibility which includes: State of Residence, Housing (on-campus vs. off campus), and other Resources (Grant/Scholarships) the student may be receiving. All students who are regularly admitted to Dillard University have a strong chance of being awarded one of the following merit based awards! Please know that acceptance into Dillard University does not guarantee one of the below scholarships. Scholarship dollars are limited, thus Dillard University reserves the right, without notice, to limit (or not offer) any one of the scholarship discussed below. The University will, in writing, notify all student of their eligible scholarship.

In recent years, the University has attracted stronger students thus making our applicant pool more competitive. In an effort to better select the most qualified students, newly graduated High School Senior who submits their Admission's Application and are admitted by the December 1st deadline, will be reviewed in its entirety to determine eligibility for the University Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship. All other policies and procedures still apply.

The merit based scholarships are awarded to eligible new students who are recent high school graduates, i.e. graduating the December or May prior to the start of the academic year the student first enters college as a traditional freshman. Once awarded a merit based Institutional award, the maximum time frame students are able to receive the award is 8 consecutive semesters (4 years) as long as the renewal eligibility is met.

GAP Year:  Students who are called to Active Duty in the Military (Including combat training – documentation is required), and students who do not enter college up to one award year after the completion of high school (completion/graduation year will be confirmed from High School Transcript), may appeal to be reconsidered for the Institutional Scholarship that was previously awarded.  The student cannot have enrolled at any other institution in order to be considered.

The Eligibility Notice of Scholarship Letter will be sent to applicable students who meet the minimum GPA requirements and are admitted to Dillard University by December 1st: 

For additional information and to review the Dillard University Scholarship Policy, CLICK HERE. All students are expected to read and be familiar with the scholarship policy. Failure to read the policy does not exempt a student from the implementation of the policy itself. Eligible recipients will also receive an Award/Scholarship Agreement in the mail which will provide further instructions and information regarding the award.  Dillard University reserves the right to reduce or cancel any Institutional Scholarship or Grant within the same award year if the student is awarded another/other (i.e. private, state or federal) Scholarship or Grant funding which is applicable for Tuition and/or Room/Board. 

      DILLARD UNIVERSITY MERIT AWARDS      

Available to incoming freshman. No internal application needed. Eligibility for merit-based awards is determined based on student's; SAT/ACT score and GPA.

Every student who is admitted to Dillard University will be considered for one of the following awards based on their presented credentials. A general overview of each award criteria is listed below.

Fall 2022 profile:
Average high school GPA = 3.4
Average ACT = 22

All Scholarship award amounts are based on yearly disbursement for fall and spring and are based on full-time enrollment.  Students must complete 24 credit hours at the end of the Spring semester and retain the required GPA for the respective scholarship award to be considered for scholarship renewal.

University Scholarship – Full Tuition, Room and Board and mandatory fee*
 • Requirements: 3.8 GPA unweighted on a 4.0 scale with a 27 ACT composite or 1220 SAT combined score.
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.

*Mandatory Fee is covered by University Scholarships for new student awards effective Fall 2021.  Prior award recipients are not grandfathered in the award coverage.

Presidential Scholarship – Full Tuition
 • Requirements: 3.6 - 3.799 GPA unweighted on a 4.0 scale with a 25 ACT composite or a 1200 SAT combined score.
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 3.2 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.

Dean’s Scholarship - $10,000
 • Requirements: 3.0 -3.599 GPA with a 21 ACT composite score or a 1060 SAT combined score.
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.

Dean's TEST OPTIONAL (TO) - $10,000

 • Requirements: 3.6 GPA or higher

•  • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24
•    credit hours at the end of each academic year.

Merit Scholarship - $8,000
 • Requirements: 2.75 GPA with a 19 ACT composite score or a 990 SAT combined score.
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA and have earned a minimum of         24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.

Merit TEST OPTIONAL (TO) - $8,000

 • Requirements: 3.25 - 3.59 GPA 

 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA and have earned a minimum of         24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.

DU Grant I - $6,000
 • Requirements: 2.5 GPA with an 18 ACT composite score or a 960 SAT combined score.
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA and have earned a minimum of           24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.  

DU Grant TEST OPTIONAL (TO) - $6,000

 • Requirements: 3.00 - 3.249 GPA 

 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA and have earned a minimum of           24 credit hours at the end of each academic year.  

CLICK HERE to read the Scholarship Policy

     DILLARD UNIVERSITY TRANSFER MERIT AWARDS     

Dillard University offers Transfer Scholarship Awards (Merit Scholarship and Grant) to eligible students, who have earned a minimum of 12 transferrable hours, before attending Dillard University. Transfer Merit Awards cannot be combined with Merit Based Scholarship Awards.

Effective Fall 2022 New Awards are as follows:

Transfer Scholarship 1 - $10,000
 • Requirements: Transfer students with at least 12 completed credit hours with a cumulative GPA of         3.25 – 4.00 (on a 4.0 scale)
 • Renewal Criteria: Recipient must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24     credit hours at the end of each academic year.

Transfer Scholarship 2 - $6,000
 • Requirements: Transfer students with at least 12 completed credit hours with a cumulative GPA of         2.70 – 3.249 (on a 4.0 scale)
 • Renewal:  Must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at the         end of each academic year.

Transfer DU Grant 1 - $4,000
 • Transfer students with at least 12 completed credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 – 2.69 (on a      4.0 scale)

 • Renewal:  Must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and have earned a minimum of 24 credit hours at the         end of each academic year.

CLICK HERE to read the Scholarship Policy

     DILLARD UNIVERSITY RE-ADMIT AWARD     

Re-Admit Grant - $4,000

Academic year award - $2000 per semester based on full-time enrollment

 • Requirements:  Must have been previously enrolled at Dillard University and returning to DU after         ceasing to enroll for a period of time.  Student must have been receiving a DU Institutional                     Scholarship while attending DU before stopping out. Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00       (on  a 4.0 scale). 

•  • Renewal:  Must maintain at least an overall cumulative 2.0 GPA 

     DU/LCTCS BLUE PRIDE AWARD     

DU/LCTCS Blue Pride Award - The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) and Dillard University (DU) jointly offers the LCTCS/DU Blue Pride Award Scholarship.  This maximum two (2) year transfer scholarship is worth up to $5,000/Year (up to $1,800/Year - Evening Program) for active Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society student members who wish to transfer to DU upon completion of an associate's degree at a LCTCS college.  The scholarship will be a last dollar scholarship to fill the gap between tuition, mandatory fees, and awarded financial aid.  Students who meet the LCTCS/DU Blue Pride Award Scholarship transfer guidelines will be guaranteed admission to DU after completing an application to the college.

• Requirements:

Student must have completed an Associate Degree no earlier than Spring 2017.

Student must be an active PTK member at time of graduation with a minimum Delgado Community College (DCC) GPA of a 3.25.

Student must have completed a FAFSA.

Student must have applied to DU.

Student must enroll full-time at DU the semester following their completion of an associate degree.

Student must maintain full-time enrollment and cumulative DU GPA of 3.25 to renew.

            Need-Based Awards            

Dillard University strives to help students meet their financial obligation through merit and need based awards. Merit awards are based on the student’s academic credentials submitted at the time of application. To further assist and to help decrease the loan indebtedness of students, the University awards a need-based grant called the Student Success Award. In considering the renewal of the award the following should be adhered to.
 
Student Success Award: This award is a limited gap filler award that helps to shrink the costs that federal and/or state aid does not cover. The amount of the award varies depending on the student’s credentials identified above at the time of awarding.  The award is awarded up to a maximum of $2,000 (depending on the availability of funding) and is limited to eight semesters or four years, whichever comes first. Due to the limited resources, students living on campus are considered for the award, but other factor can be factored in when determining eligibility, such as the students’ ACT/ SAT score, Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), Expected Family Contribution (EFC), State of Residence and other Resources (Grant/Scholarships) the student may be receiving. 

Please Note:  If the student receives additional funding (federal, state, institutional or outside scholarships, grants/resources) within the award year, Dillard University reserves the right to reduce this award dollar-for-dollar.

This award cannot be used for programs such as summer school, study abroad
programs and the evening program. Funding is not guaranteed and is based on the availability of funding and the students need as defined by the FAFSA. Institutional funds are limited; thus Dillard University reserves the right to limit (or not offer) this award at any time during the academic year.
 
Renewal: To be considered for this institutional award each subsequent year, students must have their FAFSA (the next year’s) and all associated required documents (verification worksheet, tax transcripts (returns), etc.) submitted on or before May 1st each academic year. The student’s housing status will be taken into consideration during the awarding and renewal process and based on limited funding the EFC can be taken into consideration. Students must also meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to be reconsidered and have earned a cumulative 2.0 grade point average. 

          Endowed / Non-Endowed Awards          

Dillard University also award students Endowed and Non-Endowed Grants/Scholarships awards. These awards are supported by our faithful donors (alumni and friends) of the University. Through the years donors have established awards based on certain criteria and a certain level of funding. These awards are not guaranteed and depend on the market value each year. The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships selects recipients based on the established criteria of the donor. Selection and awarding in any of the Endowed / Non-Endowed awards is not guaranteed for any year. For additional information, please visit the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

          IMPORTANT INFORMATION          

All recipients of the Institutional Scholarships and Grant Awards must meet initial and renewal requirements to receive the awards. University Scholarships (University, Presidential, Deans, Merit, DU Grant - including Test Optional) can be received up to 8 consecutive semesters - which equates to four (4) consecutive years unless the recipient completes the degree requirement prior to the maximum time allowed.  This includes the initial award year.  Renewal of the award is granted as long as the recipient meets the renewal eligibility requirements.  Transfer Scholarship Awards can be received for a maximum of three (3) consecutive years unless the recipient completes the degree requirement prior to the maximum time allowed.  Awards will be canceled if renewal requirements are not met. 

For additional detailed information please read the Dillard University Scholarship Policy, CLICK HERE. All students are expected to read and be familiar with the scholarship policy. Failure to read the policy does not exempt a student from the implementation of the policy itself.