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

Florida Resident-100% Undergraduate tuition and fees, plus a book stipend. Must complete the admissions application to FIU by November 3 for consideration. 

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 17. 

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 students to recognize outstanding academic performance. Awards are distributed over four years and range from:

• $1,000 to $12,000 for Florida residents (deadline November 3)
• $4,000 to $24,000 for non-Florida residents (deadline December 17)

Gold and Blue scholarships cannot be stacked with other forms of FIU merit aid.

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, 2026

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. 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. 

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 3
• 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 2026 students, to recognize outstanding academic performance.  

• $1,000 to $2,000 for Florida residents . To be considered, students must apply to FIU with a completed admissions application by May 5, 2026
• $2,000 to $4,000 for non-Florida residents. To be considered, students must apply to FIU with a completed admissions application by February 10, 2026.

Gold and Blue scholarships cannot be stacked with other forms of FIU merit aid. 

Transfer Requirements:

• Transfer student entering in Early Fall/Fall 2026
• 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 May 5, 2026
• Completed RaiseMe profile by May 5, 2026
• Follow FIU on Raise.ME
• Visit Raise.Me to apply

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