Scholarship FAQs

Scholarship applications must be submitted by the posted deadlines. Late applications cannot be considered. However, once you have attended BYU, you can apply again the next year. You may also explore off-campus and departmental scholarships.

NOTE: Continuing students are not eligible to apply for the winter 2027 scholarship application.

One-year scholarship recipients, Cougar Pell Promise, and Cougar Pell Elevated: Must re-apply each year.

Multi-year scholarship recipients (including Presidential and Heritage): Do not need to re-apply for major semesters (fall and winter) but must continue to meet program eligibility criteria to continue to receive subsequent awards. To be considered for spring/summer opportunities, you must submit a scholarship application for those terms.

You can check to see which scholarship you were awarded and the terms of the award in your notification letter.

Once you submit your scholarship application, you will receive a confirmation email sent to your BYU email. Check your inbox to make sure it goes through.

The FAFSA is only required to be considered for need-based scholarships, Cougar Pell Promise and Cougar Pell Elevated. It may also be required for some private scholarships. It is not required for merit scholarships such as the Presidential and Heritage scholarships.

No, the scholarship application and admissions application are separate. To be considered for scholarships as a freshman, you must fill out the scholarship application. You will also need to apply for scholarships each year as a continuing student to be considered in the future.

Yes! Even if you have submitted your application, it will stay open, and you can continue to make edits up until the scholarship deadline. We will only review the version of your application that is submitted at that time.

Essays are not required to receive a scholarship - but they can really help. Your responses give us a better understanding of your experiences, which may open up more opportunities, especially for private or need-based awards.

Don't worry - we're not grading your grammar. We're simply looking for meaningful content that helps us get to know you better.

GPA cutoffs change from year to year. We allocate funds for one-year continuing student merit scholarships based on enrollment in each college. Then, your GPA is compared to other students in your college. Cutoffs vary based on the applicant pool and available funds.

• It is only used for freshmen students.
• Although BYU is test optional, a score is required for Presidential and Heritage scholarships.
• We use your ACT/SAT test score only if you opt-in to allow BYU to use a score on your admissions application. Simply providing a score to BYU does not mean we will automatically consider it in your scholarship application.
• We will use the highest score provided to BYU by the scholarship application deadline. This differs from admissions policy.
• If you opt in, your test score will be combined with your application info and ranked with other students to help decide your scholarship eligibility.

There are several types of scholarships you can be considered for, depending on your background and academic performance. We encourage everyone to apply:

• Presidential: Eight semester scholarship awarded to 50 freshmen students each year. Awarded based on a holistic review.
  
  • Not available for the winter only awarding cycle.
• Heritage: Eight semester scholarship awarded to 200 freshmen students each year. Awarded based on a holistic review.
• Cougar Pell Promise: Eight semester tuition guarantee awarded to freshmen students who applied to the university immediately out of high school. Awarded based on information provided on the FAFSA.
• Cougar Pell Elevated: Eight semester tuition guarantee awarded to freshmen students who applied to the university immediately out of high school. Awarded to students with high financial need based on information provided on the FAFSA.
• One Year Merit: One year award based on the following academic criteria:
  
  • Freshmen: holistic review
  • Current: BYU cumulative GPA by college after a student has completed at least 12 BYU credit hours.
• Private Donor Scholarships: One year award based on specific donor criteria and essays.

Freshmen: New students just admitted to BYU.

• Eligible for: Presidential, Heritage, Cougar Pell Promise, Cougar Pell Elevated, one year merit, private donor scholarships

Current: Students previously admitted and re-admitted students.

• Eligible for: One year merit, one year need, private donor scholarships, need-based scholarships

Transfer: New transfer students just admitted.

• Eligible for: Private donor scholarships, merit scholarships after earning 12 BYU credit hours.

International: Students who are not residents of the United States.

• Eligible for: Private donor scholarships, merit scholarships after earning 12 BYU credit hours.

Graduate: Students admitted into a graduate program and charged graduate tuition.

• Eligible for: Private donor scholarships

Before your mission: Apply for scholarships before you leave on your mission as a freshman, even if you plan to defer for your mission before attending BYU.

Returning from your mission: If you have completed at least 12 BYU credits, you will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships when returning from your mission - no application needed. This only applies to the scholarship award period right after your mission. For future years, you will need to apply again.

Examples of scholarship consideration:

• You return fall 2026
  
  • Your automatic scholarship consideration applies for fall 2026 and winter 2027.
  • You will need to apply for scholarships again for spring 2027, summer 2027, fall 2027, and winter 2028 by the February 1, 2027 deadline.
• You return winter 2027
  
  • Automatic consideration applies to winter 2027.
  • You will need to apply for scholarships again for spring 2027, summer 2027, fall 2027, and winter 2028 by the February 1, 2027 deadline.

  NOTE: If you have not completed 12 BYU credit hours, you will not be eligible for a new merit-based award when you return. However, if you were awarded a scholarship before your mission, it should have been deferred, and you can use it when you return to BYU.

To be considered for private donor or need-based scholarships: We encourage you to complete the scholarship application and FAFSA to expand your opportunities. In this case, the regular scholarship deadline will apply.

NOTE: If you apply for a semester/term you will not attend (per your mission deferment), you will not be considered for that scholarship cycle.

No, you can only be considered for Cougar Pell Promise/Cougar Pell Elevated when applying during your senior year of high school. Even if you plan to serve a mission before attending BYU, you should apply by the February 1 scholarship deadline during your senior year of high school.