Merit Scholarships

Incoming freshman and transfer students can apply for several FIU and national merit scholarships. These scholarships are awarded for outstanding academic ability, demonstrated by your GPA*, an essay or other achievements. Read below to learn more about the different types of merit scholarships, what they offer, and their requirements. Students should review the Renewal and Appeal policies for future reference.

*FIU recalculates GPA based on your courses taken. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment, AICE and Honors courses are all taken into consideration in your FIU weighted GPA. FIU weighted GPA is used for Scholarships as well.

Renewal & Appeal

Students should review the renewal and appeal to maintain their merit scholarship aid.

  • Presidential Merit Scholarship

    Reward

    100% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend

    Requirements

    • Graduating high school senior entering FIU in Early Fall/ Fall 2024
    • 4.0 GPA | 1370 SAT or 30 ACT or Top 5% of a Florida Highschool Graduating Class or 98 CLT
    • Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student with intention of receiving the F-1 visa to study in the United States
    • Admitted to FIU by November 15, 2023
    • Scholarship application closes December 4, 2023
    • View FIU Scholarship Search to apply

     

    Applicants must have the scores sent directly to FIU when they register for the SAT or ACT so the scores can be received by the university in time for scholarship consideration. October 7, 2023 SAT/September 10, 2023 ACT/October 18, 2023 CLT- are the last test dates that will be considered for the scholarship eligibility; all other supporting credentials and a completed application should already be received by the scholarship application deadline. 

  • Ambassador Merit Scholarship

    Reward

    75% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend

    Requirements

    • Graduating high school senior entering FIU in Early Fall/ Fall 2024
    • 4.0 GPA | 1280 SAT or 27 ACT or Top 10% of Florida Highschool Graduating Class or 91 CLT
    • Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student with intention of receiving the F-1 visa to study in the United States
    • Admitted to FIU by November 15, 2023
    • Scholarship application closes December 4, 2023
    • View FIU Scholarship Search to apply

     

    Applicants must have the scores sent directly to FIU when they register for the SAT or ACT so the scores can be received by the university in time for scholarship consideration. October 7, 2023 SAT/September 10, 2023 ACT/October 18, 2023 CLT- are the last test dates that will be considered for the scholarship eligibility; all other supporting credentials and a completed application should already be received by the scholarship application deadline. 

  • Gold and Blue Scholarship

    Reward

    Gold and Blue Scholarships are awarded to entering students by Undergraduate Admissions to recognize outstanding academic performance. Awards are distributed over four years and range from:

    • $1,000 to $12,000 for Florida residents
    • $4,000 to $24,000 for non-Florida residents

     

    Requirements

    There is no separate application for this scholarship program. Students who apply for admission to FIU for summer or fall terms are automatically considered based on their admission application. Incoming First time in college students are encouraged to apply for admission to FIU by November 1 of their senior year for priority scholarship consideration. Scholarship funding is limited. The Scholarship Committee reviews admitted students until all scholarship funding has been allocated. Scholarship funding for FTICs is usually exhausted by mid-January for the incoming summer and fall classes. The selection process is competitive, as fewer than 30 percent of our freshman students receive an offer.

    If we offer you a Gold and Blue scholarship, we will contact you by e-mail and through your application portal. Please note that our merit scholarship review process is not concurrent with offers of admission. Gold and Blue scholarships cannot be stacked with other forms of FIU merit aid. If you apply and are selected for a scholarship of higher value (National Merit, Presidential, Ambassador), you forfeit your Gold and Blue award and can only receive the highest offer.

  • Transfer Merit Scholarship

    Reward

    50% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus books

    Requirements

    • Transfer student entering FIU in Early Fall/Fall 2024
    • Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student with intention of receiving the F-1 visa to study in the United States
    • 60 transferable credit hours or an AA degree
    • 3.8 GPA
    • Admitted to FIU by April 1, 2024
    • Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024
    • Visit FIU Scholarship Search to apply
  • Raise.Me Micro-Scholarships

    Reward

    Varies per student earnings. Freshman RaiseMe Scholarship max earnings is $10,000 for 4 years ($2,500 per year). Transfer RaiseMe Scholarship max earnings is $2,000 for 2 years ($1,000 per year).

     Freshman Requirements

    • Graduating high school senior entering FIU in Early Fall/Fall 2024
    • Be a citizen of the United States, or a U.S. lawful permanent resident 
    • Florida or DC resident
    • 3.2 GPA
    • Admitted to FIU by November 15, 2023
    • Completed RaiseMe profile by December 1, 2023
    • Follow FIU on Raise.ME
    • Visit Raise.Me to apply

    Transfer Requirements

    • Transfer student enterring in Early Fall/Fall 2024
    • 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
    • Admitted to FIU by April 1, 2024
    • Completed RaiseMe profile by April 1, 2024
    • Follow FIU on Raise.ME
    • Visit Raise.Me to apply 
    • Completed high school RaiseMe earnings are not eligible for Transfer students

     

  • FIU National Merit Finalist

    Are you a National Merit® Finalist?

    Reward

    In State

    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.

    Out of State

    Out of State 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 and FIU College of Law
    • Priority registration when choosing classes
    • Guaranteed research opportunities and mentorship

    Requirements

    • Graduating high school senior entering FIU in Early Fall/ Fall 2024
    • Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student with intention of receiving the F-1 visa to study in the United States
    • Selected by the National Merit® Corporation as a National Merit Finalist
    • Selecting FIU as your #1 choice university on the National Merit Scholarship corporation website prior to May 1, 2024
    • Admitted to FIU prior to November 15, 2023
    • Complete an Ambassador Merit or Presidential Merit Scholarship Application
    • Scholarship application closes December 4, 2023
    • View FIU Scholarship Search to apply

     

    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!

    For more information about the award, visit FIU National Merit® Scholarship | Admissions | Florida International University.

  • FIU College Board Recognition Program Scholarship

    FIU College Board Recognition Program Scholarships

    Reward

    • 100% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend
    • $1,000 meal plan stipend per semester

    Academic Benefits Include

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

    Requirements

    • Graduating high school senior entering FIU in Early Fall/ Fall 2024
    • Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student with intention of receiving the F-1 visa to study in the United States
    • 4.0 weighted HS GPA as re-calculated by FIU
    • Students who qualify for Presidential/Ambassador scholarships
    • 1370 SAT Score or 30 ACT or Top 5% of a Florida Highschool Graduating Class
    • Awarded one of the recognition awards below from the College Board
      1. African American Recognition
      2. Hispanic Recognition
      3. Indigenous Recognition
      4. Rural and Small Town Recognition
    • Admitted to FIU prior to November 15, 2023
    • Commit to FIU by May 1, 2024 if admitted for Early Fall and May 15, 2024 if admitted for Fall 2024 
    • Complete an Ambassador Merit or Presidential Merit Scholarship Application to compete for the award
    • Upload your Recognition Certificate from College Board
    • Scholarship application closes December 4, 2023
    • View FIU Scholarship Search to apply

     

Need Help?

We're happy to guide students on the right path to finding the scholarship that is right for them.