GCC Financial Aid

Grove City College offers a financial aid program that furthers the College’s goals while making it possible for responsible students to attend the College regardless of their financial means.

Admission to Grove City College is based on student qualification, not on financial circumstances.

The College does not accept any direct or indirect Federal financial aid.

Need-Based Financial Aid

How Need is Determined

A family's or student's financial need is based on a simple formula:

Financial Need = Cost of Attendance - Expected Family Contribution

The Cost of Attendance consists of tuition, fees, room, board, books, travel and other associated educational costs. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a calculated assessment of how much your family will be expected to contribute to your child's college costs. The EFC is subtracted from the Cost of Attendance at the college. The result is a calculation of the student's Financial Need or eligibility for financial aid. From this equation you can see that if the cost of one college is higher, the amount of Financial Need you have will be greater as well.

There are two main formulas used to determine the EFC. The Federal Methodology (FM) is used by the federal government to calculate eligibility for federal aid. The Institutional Methodology (IM) is used by many colleges to calculate eligibility for institutional aid programs. Grove City College uses IM.

IM is a need analysis formula developed and maintained by the College Board to assist colleges, universities, and private scholarship programs in determining eligibility for institutional and private financial aid funds. GCC relies on information collected on the GCC Financial Aid Application for its calculations. Use the College Board's online Student Tool, the EFC Calculator, to estimate your expected family contribution using the IM formula.

The EFC is calculated by considering the family's financial strength -- their income and assets. Other factors that are considered include the number of family members and the number of family members in college. Many variables are considered such as: family size, number of family members in college, age of older parent, savings, investments, income, and assets.

At Grove City College students must demonstrate both financial need and academic achievement to qualify for need-based financial aid.  Returning students ordinarily need to have earned a minimum cumulative QPA (CQPA) of at least 2.50.  Returning students who demonstrate high need, as defined by the Financial Aid Office, may be eligible for awards if they have a minimum CQPA of at least 2.0 or better.

How to Apply

All students who wish to be considered for need-based financial aid need to apply by completing the GCC Financial Aid Application. Students and families should start the process early, apply by the deadlines even if you have been wait-listed and keep copies of all documents and correspondence. Students who plan to study abroad should review the Aid for Study Abroad Policy.  Applications must be submitted each year. Please select the appropriate application from the following choices:

INCOMING FRESHMEN/RETURNING STUDENTS

TRANSFER STUDENTS

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Merit-Based Financial Aid

Grove City College has a number of merit-based scholarships that are awarded each year to outstanding, academically gifted students who are selected to meet the specific criteria of each program. 

Trustee Academic Scholarship

The Trustee Academic Scholarship is awarded based on a student’s potential to enhance the campus’ spiritual, social, and academic community. Each year up to 24 $5000 scholarships are awarded based on availability of funds. First-time freshmen applicants who are U.S. citizens and who have a minimum 3.75 unweighted GPA or a 3.80 weighted GPA and have a minimum combined math and verbal score of 1300 on the SAT or a 29 on the ACT will be considered. While home schooled students are not required to have a calculated GPA for admission to the College, they must have a calculated GPA and meet the GPA and SAT/ACT requirements to be considered. Because the scholarship committee announces this award in April, scholarship recipients must be enrolled through the Early Decision application process or be admitted to the College through the Regular Decision application process. To be considered, complete and submit the Application for Admission, including all necessary documents, by one of the two admission deadlines. No separate application is required.  In addition, eligible students must schedule an on-campus interview with the Admissions Office:

Admissions Office
(724) 458-2100

Please note:  Trustee Academic Scholars are permitted to receive their need-based financial aid in addition to the Trustee Academic Scholarship, not exceeding the cost of education.

The Application for Admission does not need to be submitted prior to interviewing. Interviews are conducted beginning April 1 of an applicant’s junior year of high school and must be completed by march 1 of the student’s senior year (December 1 for Early Decision Applicants). The interview, in addition to being considered for the scholarship, becomes a significant portion of the student’s Application for Admission.

Letters notifying recipients and alternates will be mailed on April 1. The scholarship is renewable for an additional three years by maintaining a CGPA of 3.60 or higher.

Presidential Scholarship

Incoming freshmen who are ranked first (minimum class of 30) or second (minimum class of 100) as determined by your final accredited high school transcript or students who are National Merit Scholarship finalists automatically qualify for this scholarship. All returning students with a minimum cumulative GPA (CGPA) of at least 3.60 also qualify. Award amounts vary based on class level, academic performance, and availability of funds.  No application is required.

Engineering Scholarship

Freshmen engineering applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are considered for up to four $2500 scholarships. Students must show academic promise and outstanding leadership qualities. Three of the four scholarships require the student to demonstrate financial need. Submit an Engineering Scholarship Reference Form to the Financial Aid Office by March 15th.  To be considered for the need based Engineering Scholarships, the Grove City College Financial Aid Application must also be submitted by March 15th, one month before the normal deadline. Notification of finalists and semi-finalists will be mailed on April 1.  The scholarship is renewable for an additional three years by maintaining a CGPA of 3.00 or higher. 

Achievement Awards

Superior upperclass students may be eligible for various departmental awards that have been established through the generosity of donors, according to criteria established by the donors. Please contact your academic department for information on the availability of any achievement awards.