Scholarships and Grants for Undergraduates

All Arcadia merit scholarships are automatically renewable from year to year provided the student remains full-time and in good academic standing according to University guidelines.

Merit scholarships apply toward tuition costs only. If another scholarship, award, or funding from any outside entity/organization will cover all or part of a student's tuition costs, the merit scholarship will be replaced or reduced. For more information, email the Financial Aid Office at finaid@arcadia.edu.

These scholarships and grants are made possible through the generous gifts of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of Arcadia University. 

The Arcadia University Distinguished Scholarship

A merit-based scholarship that recognizes academic excellence, outstanding leadership, and community service of both first-year and transfer applicants. First-year students are evaluated on the basis of their grades, SAT/ACT scores, types of coursework taken, high school rank and involvement, award amounts go up to $25,000 annually for first-year students entering in the 2020-2021 academic year.  Transfer students are evaluated on the basis of their cumulative GPA and coursework and award amounts go up to $18,000 per year for full-time transfer students entering in either the 2020-21 academic year.   There is no special application required, all students who apply for full-time undergraduate admission will be automatically reviewed. 

Notes for Transfer Students:

• Members of Phi Theta Kappa entering the University are guaranteed a minimum Distinguished Scholarship of $16,000 per year for full-time undergraduate study. 
  • Student’s cumulative transfer GPA (from all institutions combined) must be a 3.5 and he/she needs to have completed at least 30 credits.
  • Completed coursework must be from at least two general academic disciplines, and, the student must have completed full-time course loads at his/her prior institution.
• Members of Alpha Beta Gamma are guaranteed a minimum of $10,500 per year for full-time undergraduate study provided their cumulative transfer GPA (from all institutions combined) is 3.0 or better and they have earned a minimum of 30 credits.
• Students that are members of both Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Beta Gamma will receive one Distinguished Scholarship, which will be the higher of either the PTK or ABG amounts they qualify for (for a potential annual maximum Distinguished Scholarship of up to $18,000).

The Arcadia University Achievement Award

A merit-based scholarship that recognizes exceptional achievements. Awards range from $1,000 to $4,000 for the 2020-21 academic year.  Students are evaluated on the basis of their involvement in school activities, community service, and volunteer work, or other notable achievements as recognized by the scholarship committee. No special application required, all first-year and transfer students who apply for full-time admission will be considered.

Portfolio Review Award & Acting Audition Award

• Prospective Fine Arts majors may receive a Portfolio Review Award based on the quality of their portfolio review and prospective B.F.A. in Acting majors may receive an Acting Audition Award based on the qualify of the audition.  These awards can range anywhere from $1,000-$4,000 annually.

Arcadia University Campus Achievement Award for Returning Students

A scholarship for full-time undergraduate students who have completed at least one semester of study at Arcadia.  To qualify, students must:

• Have financial need
• Show involvement and leadership on campus
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0. 
• Additionally, the review committee looks for a demonstrated willingness to take student loans.  

Applications are available twice a year- for spring consideration the application goes live October 1 and is due November 1 for fall consideration, the application goes live May 1 and is due June 1. Applications are available for current Arcadia students and can be found on our Financial Aid Forms page.

Alumni Legacy Grant

This is an annual $2,000 grant, awarded to the dependent children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of Arcadia University (formerly Beaver College) alumni who enroll as full-time undergraduate students at Arcadia University.  Students must be "dependent" according to federal guidelines.  To be considered, students must indicate their relationship to alumni on both the Application for Admission and the Undergraduate Financial Aid Application.

Arcadia University Sister Cities Scholarship Program

An annual academic, merit scholarship offered to new, full-time undergraduate students, first-year or transfer, who are residents of one of Philadelphia’s Sister Cities.  Students must be pursuing a first bachelor’s degree full-time and must meet Arcadia’s Undergraduate Admissions Requirements.  No special application required, all first-year and transfer students who apply for full-time admission will be considered if they are residents of one of the Sister Cities.

Special Notes

• The Sister Cities Program, which, through Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) (formerly known as the International Visitors Counsel) links Philadelphia to the world. CDI developed special relationships with 11 Sister cities.
• The Arcadia University Sister City Scholarship Program provides a $15,000 annual award.
• More information on Philadelphia’s Sister Cities can be found online at their website.

The Philadelphia Scholar Award 

This award is made to five students each year from among the City of Philadelphia's 21 comprehensive public high schools. Nominations for this award are made by high school officials on the basis of academic success and promise. This $2,000 annual award is renewable.

Transfer Partner Scholarship

The Arcadia University Partner Scholarship is awarded to full-time transfer students that have successfully completed an approved Associate's degree through one of our Community College Dual Admission/Core-to-core agreements with a 3.5 cumulative GPA from all institutions attended.  Arcadia University has agreements with Bucks County Community College, Burlington County College, Cecil College, Community College of Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Montgomery County Community College, and Northampton County College.  The Arcadia University Partner Scholarship is an annual scholarship of $5,000 that a new incoming full-time transfer student can receive in addition to his/her Distinguished Scholarship.

Outside Scholarships

In addition to the scholarships listed above, additional scholarship aid can sometimes be found through various community organizations, religious groups, foundations, and companies.  Information on these additional sources of financial aid can often be found in your local library, your high school guidance office, and on the web.  Check out some of the web sites below and do your own free scholarship search. 

• Absolutely Scholarships
• Arcadia University Outside Scholarship Listing
• CollegeBoard
• CollegeNET
• FastAID Scholarship Search
• FastWeb
• Scholarship Experts
• Scholarship Page
• Scholarships LLC

In the event that you are awarded an outside scholarship, you are required to send a copy of your award notification to the Arcadia University Financial Aid Office.  Whenever possible, we make an effort to add it to your existing aid package.  If doing so creates an over-award situation we will reduce loans and work-study before any institutional aid will be reduced.  Keep in mind that Arcadia merit scholarships can only be used toward tuition costs (excluding fees, room, and board, etc.) so external scholarships that are only applicable toward tuition can impact institutional merit scholarships if the two awards combined exceed the cost of tuition.

Arcadia University Grant

A need-based grant awarded to qualified full-time undergraduate students.  Domestic students are evaluated based on the information provided on the FAFSA form and the student's housing status. FAFSA is required for consideration and renewal of this award.