In-State Scholarships
Whether you attend Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, or Mansfield, Commonwealth University offers a variety of in-state scholarships that make a quality education more affordable than ever.
Did you know? Attending Commonwealth University can cost significantly less than many other state and private colleges — sometimes even two to three times less? That makes CU an exceptional value for earning your degree. See how our total costs compare to other institutions.
Merit Based Scholarships for First-Year Students
✱ 2025 - 2026 Academic Year. 2026 award values will be released in early Fall 2025.
Please note: Merit based scholarships cannot be stacked. Students can only receive an in-state scholarship or a local student in-state scholarship — not both.
Commonwealth University is committed to supporting Pennsylvania students statewide with scholarships based on your high school GPA — making a world-class education more accessible, no matter where you call home in the Keystone State.
- To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Apply for admission to the Commonwealth University campus of your choice, complete your application, including all supporting documents, and pay your deposit by May 1st.
- In-state students are those that live at a permanent home address located within the State of Pennsylvania.
- To receive the scholarship amount listed below, you must live on campus. Students who choose to commute will receive a reduced scholarship award.
Merit Scholarship Awards
| Tier | 4-Point GPA✱ | Per Year | 4-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 3.80 - 4.00 | $4,000 | $16,000 |
| Tier 2 | 3.50 - 3.79 | $3,000 | $12,000 |
| Tier 3 | 3.00 - 3.49 | $2,000 | $8,000 |
| Tier 4✦ | 2.50 - 2.99 | $1,500 | $6,000 |
| Tier 5✦ | 2.01 - 2.49 | $1,000 | $4,000 |
Estimated Costs
The estimated cost per year for in-state, first-year students before financial aid and any merit award is $24,128. This amount is based on 2024-25 charges and subject to change. Scholarships amounts are for the 2025-26 academic year and budget will be assessed yearly for continuation.
Commonwealth University is dedicated to rewarding the hard work of local students from participating schools and districts with special scholarships based on your high school GPA — helping you achieve a world-class education close to home.
- To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Graduate from a participating school or district
- Apply for admission to the Commonwealth University campus of your choice, complete your application, including all supporting documents, and pay your deposit by May 1st.
- Students must be admissible to Commonwealth University. Certain majors, including many in the health sciences, have additional admission requirements that must be met as part of the admission review.
- To receive the scholarship amount listed below, you must live on campus. Students who choose to commute will receive a reduced scholarship award.
- Qualified students are eligible for four tiers of academic merit scholarships according to the table below. Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis until available scholarship funding is exhausted.
- Local students are those that live within 30 miles of a Commonwealth University campus. Students who are local and choose to commute will have their scholarship reduced.
Merit Scholarship Awards
| Tier | 4-Point GPA✱ | Per Year | 4-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 3.80 - 4.00 | $4,500 | $18,000 |
| Tier 2 | 3.50 - 3.79 | $3,500 | $14,000 |
| Tier 3 | 3.00 - 3.49 | $2,500 | $10,000 |
| Tier 4 | 2.50 - 2.99 | $1,500 | $6,000 |
Estimated Costs
The estimated cost per year for in-state, first-year students before financial aid and any merit award is $24,128. This amount is based on 2024-25 charges and subject to change. Scholarships amounts are for the 2025-26 academic year and budget will be assessed yearly for continuation.
Commonwealth University is proud to support local students from participating schools and districts with scholarships based on your high school GPA — helping you earn a world-class education while continuing to live at home.
- To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Apply for admission to the Commonwealth University campus of your choice, complete your application, including all supporting documents, and pay your deposit by May 1st.
- Students must be admissible to Commonwealth University. Certain majors, including many in the health sciences, have additional admission requirements that must be met as part of the admission review.
- To receive the scholarship amount listed below, you must be commute to campus from your permanent home address. Students who choose to live on campus will receive an increased scholarship award.
- Qualified students are eligible for four tiers of academic merit scholarships according to the table below. Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis until available scholarship funding is exhausted.
- Commuting students are those that live at a permanent home address within 30 miles of a Commonwealth University campus. If a commuter student chooses to live on campus, their scholarship is subject to change to the corresponding amount based on their academic achievement.
Merit Scholarship Awards
| Tier | 4-Point GPA✱ | Per Year | 4-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 3.80 - 4.00 | $2,000 | $8,000 |
| Tier 2 | 3.50 - 3.79 | $1,750 | $7,000 |
| Tier 3 | 3.00 - 3.49 | $1,500 | $6,000 |
| Tier 4 | 2.50 - 2.99 | $1,000 | $4,000 |
Estimated Costs
The estimated cost per year for in-state, first-year students, who commute to a Commonwealth University campus, before financial aid and any merit award is $11,541. This amount is based on 2024-25 charges and is subject to change. Scholarship amounts are for the 2025-26 academic year and the budget will be assessed yearly for continuation.
Additional Scholarship Information
Visit our main Scholarships page to learn more about available scholarships.
- Commonwealth University institutional aid, such as merit or need-based scholarships, is tied to full-time enrollment and maintaining good academic standing.
- Students must complete at least 24 credits per academic year and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- Renewable awards are limited to eight semesters.
- Awards are available for qualified first-year full-time students and will be disbursed equally between the fall and spring semesters.
- For certain need-based scholarships, students may also be required to complete the FAFSA each year.
- Changes to financial aid eligibility, including FAFSA updates, may result in adjustments to award amounts.
Notices
- Scholarship values are reviewed annually and subject to change.
- Scholarship funding is limited and awarded on a first come, first served basis until available funding is exhausted.
- Scholarship awards are based on information you provide in your application — including whether you’re commuting or living on campus, your state of residency, your chosen campus, and your program of study. If any of these variables change, your scholarship may be impacted.
- Merit based scholarships cannot be stacked.
- Military-affiliated students whose affiliation qualifies them for in-state tuition, any merit scholarship will also change to the in-state award amount.
Program Selectivity
- Nursing, physician assistant, and other health professions programs remain selective and have additional requirements or capacities. For these programs, it is vital that students apply as early as possible to these majors to receive early consideration for admission.
Employee Tuition Waiver
- Full tuition waiver employment benefits and other institutional tuition-specific waivers or awards may not be stacked with institutional scholarship awards and may not be used to cover fees or other costs for Commonwealth University. Partial tuition waiver employment benefits and other institutional tuition-specific scholarship awards made through Commonwealth University may be combined, with tuition waiver employment benefits applied first, to cover up to 100% of tuition.
External Scholarships
Looking for more ways to fund your education? Commonwealth University encourages students to explore a wide range of non-institutional scholarships offered by outside organizations to help reduce the cost of earning a degree.
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