Merit Scholarships

Benefits

• Guaranteed admission to the Honors College
• Access to the Honors College Early Assurance Programs for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine 
• Priority registration when choosing classes

Award for Early Fall/Fall 2027 students 

• Florida Resident-100% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend. 

Must complete the admissions application to FIU for early action admission by November 2 for consideration. Decisions are released in December.

• Non-Resident- Out-of-state, merit-based tuition reduction (estimated value for 30 credits= $12,000 annually). 

Must complete the admissions application to FIU by December 16 for consideration. Decisions are released in late January. 

Out-of-state reduction awards are disbursed as waivers or scholarships that decrease the total cost of attendance but only apply toward out-of-state tuition. If a student's residency is updated to in-state for tuition purposes after enrollment, the merit-based tuition waiver will no longer apply, the award will be canceled. 

Please note: Out-of-state, merit-based tuition reduction waivers cannot be combined with another tuition-wavier scholarship (Grandparent Waiver) since both scholarships waive the same portion of non-resident tuition.

Award

Gold and Blue Scholarships are awarded to entering Early Fall/Fall 2027 students to recognize outstanding academic performance. Awards are distributed over four years and range from:

• $1,000 to $12,000 for Florida residents - Must complete the admissions application to FIU for early action admission by November 2 for consideration. 
• $4,000 to $24,000 for non-Florida residents - Must complete the admissions application to FIU by December 16 for consideration. 

Gold and Blue scholarships cannot be stacked with other forms of FIU merit aid. Admission materials submitted after the deadline will delay the admission decision and result in the student being ineligible for the merit-based awards. Scholarship funding is limited and not guaranteed. 

Are you a National Merit® Finalist?

Award

Florida Residents: 

Florida Resident National Merit Finalists are funded by the State Benaquisto Award which covers:

Cost of Attendance - Bright Futures - any National Merit Scholarship. On average $9,000 a semester. Awards will vary.

Non-Florida Residents: 

Non-Florida Residents National Merit Finalists Students are funded by FIU.

• 100% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend
• 100% on campus housing with meal plan

Academic Benefits Include

• Guaranteed admission to the Honors College
• Access to the Honors College Early Assurance Programs for the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine 
• Priority registration when choosing classes
• Guaranteed research opportunities and mentorship

Requirements

• Apply to FIU and complete the admissions process by March 4, 2026.
• Select FIU as your #1 choice of university on the National Merit Scholarship Corporation no later than May 1, 2027.

If you are a National Merit Semi-Finalist and want to visit campus or ask for more information about FIU, please email admissions at nationalmerit@fiu.edu to learn more!

Raise.Me is a micro-scholarship program for high school students enterring FIU in Early Fall/Fall 2027. Sign up for Raise.Me and you could earn scholarships for achievements like participating in extracurricular activities and getting good grades. You could earn up to $2,500 per academic year. Raise.me represents the minimum scholarships offer you will receive from FIU.

Raise.me cannot be stacked with other FIU merit scholarships. Admission materials submitted after the deadline will delay the admission decision and result in the student being ineligible for the RaiseMe earnings. 

Requirements

• Must be a Florida or DC resident
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Must have at least a 3.2 as calculated when student enters grades in Raise.Me (GPA is verified by FIU)
• Completed and submitted FIU Admissions Application by November 2 for early action admission
• Completed RaiseMe profile by December 1 (Raise.Me may be awarded after admission to FIU).

Gold and Blue Scholarships are awarded to entering in Early Fall/Fall 2027 students, to recognize outstanding academic performance.  

• $1,000 to $2,000 for Florida residents. Must complete the admissions application to FIU for by April 26 for consideration. 
• $2,000 to $4,000 for non-Florida residents. Must complete the admissions application to FIU for by March 2 for consideration. 

Gold and Blue scholarships cannot be stacked with other forms of FIU merit aid. Admission materials submitted after the deadline will delay the admission decision and result in the student being ineligible for the merit-based awards. Scholarship funding is limited and not guaranteed. 

Transfer Requirements:

• Transfer student entering in Early Fall/Fall 2027
• Must complete AA or AS degree from a Florida Community College by the time of transfer to redeem scholarship earnings
• Minimum Credit-Hours required to earn on RaiseMe - 45
• Be a citizen of the United States, or a U.S. lawful permanent resident
• Florida resident
• 3.5 GPA
• Apply to FIU with a completed admissions application by April, 26 2027
• Completed RaiseMe profile by April, 26 2027
• Follow FIU on Raise.ME
• Visit Raise.Me to apply

• Completed high school RaiseMe earnings are not eligible for Transfer students