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Merit scholarships can help to close the gap between the cost of attendance and need-based financial aid your student is receiving. They are awarded based on academic, athletic, artistic or special-interest achievements.

Pacific offers merit scholarships for undergraduate students, whether they enter Pacific as a first-year or transfer student. Some of our highest awards range from $20,000 to $25,000 and they renew annually if students remain eligible.

The good news is that for many of our merit scholarships, there is no separate application required. Your student will apply for them at the same time they submit their admission application to Pacific.

After receiving the application, Pacific’s admission experts review your student’s file to determine the highest merit scholarship they may be eligible for when they are admitted. Some of the things we consider are your student’s academic records, rigor of curriculum as well as extracurricular and leadership activities.

Pacific’s most prestigious merit scholarship program is the Powell Scholarship (only first-year students). Students apply for it when they apply for admission to Pacific. It renews annually as long as the eligibility requirements are still met. This scholarship is valued at $44,000 for the 2022-23 academic year. To qualify, candidates should demonstrate:

• A cumulative high school GPA of 3.7 or higher
• A rigorous academic curriculum (they were in honors, AP and/or IB courses)
• Leadership skills or leadership potential in two or more areas, including but not restricted to student government, community service, cultural groups, sports, or research or creative activities

Talk to your student about applying for Pacific’s merit scholarships. If they meet even the minimum criteria, encourage them to select the Powell Scholarship and/or other available merit aid on the admission application. To apply, they can access the Common App or the Pacific App on Pacific’s web page for undergraduate student admission.

Visit our scholarship web page to learn more about Pacific’s merit scholarships as well as other scholarship opportunities available to new Pacific Tigers for fall of 2023.