Salem University (SU) is committed to making college education as affordable as possible by providing scholarships. Scholarship awards are granted based on a review of applications by the Scholarship Committee. Scholarships are awarded for one full-time semester at a time on a funds-available basis and may be renewed based on the student’s performance.
Award amounts may not exceed the cost of attendance adjusted for other financial aid, and may only be awarded to students in good financial standing and good academic standing.
Refer a Friend & Both Earn $1,000
$1,000 Scholarship for New Students
Students who enroll at Salem University for Summer or Fall term are eligible for an institutional scholarship of up to $1,000. The scholarship is applied as a $250 tuition credit per class or per month, up to a maximum of $1,000 per student. Share your Salem experience, and both you and your friend can each receive a $1,000 scholarship when you choose to attend together.
How It Works
The scholarship provides $250 in tuition credits applied per class or per month until the full $1,000 benefit is received.
Stackable with New Student Success Grant, Academic Scholarship, Alumni, Transfer Merit.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
Eligibility Requirements
For the Referrer
- Must be a currently enrolled student in good standing
- Must be enrolled in a degree program
- Must remain enrolled past the census date
For the Referred Friend
- Must be a first-time prospect who has never applied to Salem University, requested information, attended a university event, or appeared in our system
- Must successfully enroll and begin attendance in a qualifying degree program
- Must remain enrolled past the census date
Important Information
The scholarship is disbursed as a tuition credit after both students have been verified as attending. This is an institutional scholarship and cannot be combined with any other Salem University discounts, promotions, or incentive programs. The scholarship may be adjusted or canceled if the student’s financial aid package exceeds allowable limits or if enrollment or academic status changes.
Privacy Notice
By submitting referral information, you confirm that you are voluntarily providing accurate contact information and have obtained consent from the individual you are referring to share their information with Salem University.
New Student Success Grant
Salem University is pleased to announce our New Student Success Grant! New students enrolling in our 100% online or on campus associate and/or bachelor’s degree programs at Salem University who are residents of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia are now eligible for our New Student Success Grant. This opportunity will reduce your cost of attendance to just $475 per credit!
Stackable with Academic Scholarship, Alumni, Refer A Friend, Transfer Merit.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
Transfer Merit Scholarship
Students transferring to Salem from other accredited institutions may apply for a Transfer Merit Scholarship to support their continued studies at Salem.
Stackable with New Student Success Grant, Academic Scholarship, Alumni, Refer A Friend.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
Funding is available as a scholarship disbursed on a semester basis:
| GPA Range | Per Semester | Associate | Bachelor | Master’s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5-3.49 | $150 | up to $750 | up to $1,500 | up to $450 |
| 3.5+ | $250 | up to $1,250 | up to $2,500 | up to $750 |
Contact Admissions for scholarship applications.
Eligibility: Minimum 2.5 transfer GPA with at least 6 credits from a regionally accredited institution. Award tier is based on your transfer GPA and is automatically applied at acceptance.
Maintaining Your Scholarship: Continue your enrollment and maintain a Salem cumulative GPA at or above the minimum of your assigned bracket. If your Salem GPA falls below this threshold, the scholarship is forfeited. Your scholarship tier does not increase even if your Salem GPA exceeds your original tier threshold.
West Virginia Promise Scholarship
The West Virginia Promise Scholarship is a merit-based state award for recent WV high school graduates, offering up to $5,500 per year toward tuition and mandatory fees at eligible two- and four-year colleges in West Virginia. You can read more on our blog: https://www.salemu.edu/west-virginia-residents-are-you-eligible-for-the-wv-promise-scholarship/ or here: https://www.cfwv.com/financial-aid/promise-scholarship/
To qualify, students must:
- Have lived in West Virginia for at least one year.
- Graduate from a WV high school (or approved alternative) with a minimum 3.0 GPA (overall and in core subjects). Read FAQs.
- Meet standardized test thresholds (e.g., ACT ≥ 21 with section scores ≥ 19, or SAT ≥ 1080). View the Requirements
Awards can be renewed for up to 8 semesters, provided students maintain a college GPA of 2.75 or higher and remain enrolled full-time.
Stackable with All listed on this page.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
Eligibility: Minimum 2.5 transfer GPA with at least 6 credits from a regionally accredited institution. Award tier is based on your transfer GPA and is automatically applied at acceptance.
Maintaining Your Scholarship: Continue your enrollment and maintain a Salem cumulative GPA at or above the minimum of your assigned bracket. If your Salem GPA falls below this threshold, the scholarship is forfeited. Your scholarship tier does not increase even if your Salem GPA exceeds your original tier threshold.
Undergraduate Scholarships
President’s Honor Scholarship
Requirements:
- The Salem Presidential Scholarships must be applied for each year if you wish to have your merits considered for selection of this scholarship.
- Students may apply after completing their second semester in which they have earned a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
- The application, essay, letter of recommendation from a faculty member, and a Salem transcript must be submitted to scholarships@salemu.edu no later than the due date.
- The Scholarship Committee may ask for a face-to-face or virtual meeting.
- Good financial standings with the university.
- Awards cannot exceed 10 total semesters.
- Not all eligible students will be awarded, as Salem has a yearly award amount.
- Must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester.
- For a complete list of terms and conditions, review the application terms and conditions section.
Due Date
All required documents must be submitted to scholarships@salemu.edu no later than 12:00 am (Midnight) EST on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
Estimated Scholarship Amount
Up to $2000 per academic semester may be awarded.
Next Steps
Scholarships will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee and awarded no later than June 18th. Please note that the Salem University Scholarship Committee must remain within its budget and may run out of funding. You should ensure your application showcases your academic drive and excellence.
Stackable with All listed on this page.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
International Scholarships
We are proud of our diverse student group and would like to help encourage international students to come study in the United States.
- 15% of the student’s tuition
- Adjusted per credit hour (just like Pell)
- Only stackable with academic scholarships for incoming students. Current students enrolled prior to the 23-24 school year are grandfathered in and can stack with other Salem scholarships.
- Student must be an international student attending on an F-1 Visa, not DACA or work Visa.
Stackable with Academic Scholarship, Alumni, Refer A Friend, Transfer Merit
Graduate Scholarships
Alumni Scholarship
Students who complete degrees at Salem may apply for an Alumni Scholarship to pursue further studies at Salem.
- Funding is available as a one-time scholarship of $2,000.00
- Scholarships are available to:
- all Associate degree completers who enter their Bachelor degree within the first month of associate degree completion
- all Bachelor degree completers who enter a Master’s degree program within the first month of bachelor degree completion
- Contact Admissions for scholarship applications.
Stackable with All listed on this page.
Not available for our Indiana campus.
Athletic Scholarships
- Scholarships are assigned by coaches; approved by Athletic Department Leadership; reviewed by VP of Financial Aid; awarded by FAA.
- Stackable with New Student Success Grant, Academic Scholarship, Alumni, Refer A Friend, Transfer Merit
- Not available for our Indiana campus.
- The Jack Deloplaine Memorial Academic-Athletic Scholarship serves to perpetuate Jack’s legacy for his contributions to SalemU and society; to recognize student-athletes who excel in both classroom and athletic endeavors; celebrate contributions to their communities; and, help defray academic costs for deserving recipients.
External Scholarships
Scholarships are an important resource for funding your education. Every student has a different story and financial situation; scholarships help recipients reduce their loan debt, out-of-pocket cost or allow them to obtain their degree when otherwise they may be unable to do so. Your funding sources are limited only by the number of scholarships you apply for. Be sure to apply for as many scholarships, including external / private scholarships, as you can – it is recommended that each college student apply for 10–12 scholarships yearly.
Be careful of scamming – never pay for scholarship applications, never provide your social security number. If you win a scholarship and the foundation needs your information, they will send documentation directly to the university.
How to prepare for a scholarship search:
- It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to search for a scholarship, complete and edit the application, essay, and ask for letters of recommendation. It’s recommended to create a second, more professional email address just for scholarships.
- Write a generic essay as your base, then customize it for each scholarship.
- Generally, essays should have an introduction, one to three paragraphs regarding the topic and a conclusion.
- Find someone to proofread your application and essays before submitting.
- Stay organized, track which scholarships you are working on, the deadlines, when you submitted your application, and if the application website has a password.
Top national scholarships websites:
Scholarships by Sallie℠
https://www.fastweb.com/
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
https://www.scholarships.com/
http://www.nursingscholarship.us/
https://www.petersons.com/
https://www.unigo.com/
If you have questions about scholarships, please contact the Salem University Financial Aid office.
financialaid@salemu.edu | 844.462.9128
