Grants and Scholarships

Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's or a professional degree. The maximum award for the 2023-2024 award year is $7,395. The amount you are eligible to receive is based on your EFC (expected family contribution) located on your SAR (student aid report).

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is gift aid for undergraduates with exceptional financial need. The FSEOG does not have to be repaid. Pell grant recipients who filed their FAFSA form before the priority deadline date of April 1st will be the first to be awarded FSEOG. Funds are limited and awards are made on a funds-available basis.

Pennsylvania State Grant is made available to Pennsylvania residents who are enrolled full-time or part-time and demonstrate financial need. You must file your FAFSA form before May 1st to be eligible. Students must demonstrate academic progress to retain their eligibility. Contact the PA State Grant  Agency at www.pheaa.org for questions.

Other State Grants from the following state programs allow funds to be transferred to students enrolled in Pennsylvania state colleges: District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Ohio. District of Columbia may also award students at the graduate level.

Requirements for Scholarship, Grant or Prize and Award Recipients

(assistance cannot be used during the summer term)

For all full-time enrolled students who are recipients of Lincoln University scholarships or grants (e.g. private and endowed scholarships or prizes and awards), the following requirements must be met:

• Recipients must reside on campus in order to receive or maintain their scholarships. Students choosing to reside in the Apartment Style Living (ASL) residence hall will be responsible for the full cost of the room from personal resources.
• Recipients must earn at least 30 credit hours per year and maintain the required cumulative grade point average. (Please note, for scholarship renewal purposes, summer school work, transfer credits and, CLEP credits will not be computed in the cumulative grade point average and number of credit hours used to determine scholarship eligibility).

If these requirements have been met, the maximum number of years/semesters a student
can maintain these awards is four years or eight semesters. If a student should remain at the university beyond four years or eight semesters in order to complete the chosen degree requirements, s/he will be responsible for all charges. Students have the right to appeal the loss their merit scholarship, they must adhere to the scholarship appeal policy (list below) and submit the Merit Scholarship Appeal Form via the LU Self-Service Portal. Likewise, if a student fails to meet the required GPA or chooses to reside off-campus, then they will be responsible for all charges. In addition, within the four years or eight semesters maximum allowed, should a student take more than a full course load, 19 hours or more, s/he will be responsible for the additional per credit hour cost. Finally, the scholarship will not cover the graduation fee, health insurance, personal property, fines, and other miscellaneous fees.

Finally, students receiving endowed or private prizes and awards valued at over $100 will have the amount of the award credited to their student account. If the account is paid in full, then the prize or award will be used to lower a loan amount or if there is a balance and the scholarship is more then the balance, the scholarship will be reduced or removed to prevent a refund of university funds.  

The only exception to this policy is for those students whose parents permanent home address is within 30 miles of the Lincoln University campus, as verified by information provided on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Endowed Scholarships are awarded to eligible students by the Office of Financial Aid at the beginning of each academic year for returning students. You must earn at least 30 credit hours not including incompletes during the preceding fall and spring semester only.

Scholarship Appeal Policy

Lincoln University Scholarship Appeals can be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid for the following scholarships:

• President’s Scholarship
• Provost Scholarship
• Dean’s Award
• Lion Liberated Leadership Scholarship
• Achieve the Dream
• 5 Strong Legacy Scholarship
• Lion Transfer Scholarship
• International Students Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria

Admissions merit scholarships are renewable if students meet their completed credits and minimum GPA requirements.

For fall 2023 the Merit Aid Amount and Criteria are list below. If you were awarded a Merit scholarship prior to fall 2023, your award amounts and criteria will stay the same. Your award is based on the amount listed on your admissions offer letter upon acceptance into Lincoln University.

• You must remain enrolled at Lincoln University for up to 8 consecutive semesters (4 years total). For Lion Transfer Scholarship, this award is only for 6 consecutive semesters (3 years total). Gap semesters are not permitted.
• You must meet the following academic requirements:Earn 30 credits each year during the fall and spring semesters. Testing out of a class, transfer credits and summer school credits may not be counted towards the 30-credit requirement to maintain the scholarship.
• Earn a 3.30 cumulative grade point average or above.
• You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by Lincoln University’s priority filing deadline annually.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scholarship Appeal

How can I submit an appeal?
To submit an appeal you should complete the scholarship appeal form along with a detailed explanation of the extenuation circumstance and documentation of your extenuating circumstances. The written statement should include the scholarship you're appealing for, an explanation of why the minimum requirements were not met and what is your plan of action is to meet the minimum requirements.

What are the extenuating circumstances?
Extenuating circumstances may include serious illness of the student or immediate family member, death of an immediate family member. Supporting documentation must accompany your written appeal and may consist of a statement from a professional doctor, counselor or advisor who assisted you, physician’s statements with dates of treatment, court records, obituaries, academic assistance sought at the tutoring center, email correspondence with the course instructor, etc. Please note, a copy of your academic history is not considered third party documentation.

Can I appeal if this was my first year at LU and I had trouble adjusting or roommate issues?
Appeals of this nature are not usually approved. Scholarship losses due to personal issues without documentation of extenuating circumstances will not be considered.

What are the renewal criteria for my particular scholarship?
Renewal criteria for each scholarship can differ. Individual scholarship requirements can be found in the letter you received when accepting the scholarship. Merit scholarships (Presidents and Provost) require a 3.3 cumulative GPA and 30 NEW credit hours.

New freshmen offered a merit scholarship (Lion Transfer, and Achieve the Dream) require 30 new credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Liberated Lion Leadership require 30 new credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Dean’s Award require 30 new credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.3 at the end each academic year.

 The GPA Merit Scholarships are not renewable and cannot be appealed. 

 Is a financial aid appeal the same as an academic appeal? Can I appeal once for both issues?
No, the academic appeal process is different. If the university has notified you that you are on academic suspension because your GPA is too low, you will need to appeal through the Registrar’s Office to resolve the academic suspension. An academic appeal, if approved, will allow you to enroll in classes for the affected semester; a scholarship or SAP appeal, if approved, will allow you to receive your related aid for the affected semester.

 The financial aid appeals process deals specifically with whether or not you met all the terms and conditions required for the form of financial aid you received. Please note: if you are on both academic suspension and your scholarship has been suspended, you will need to submit both types of appeals if you wish to enroll and to receive your scholarship.

Will I be notified regarding my appeal status?
Appeals can take up to 10-15 business days to review. After all documentation is received concerning your appeal, you will be notified by email if your appeal has been approved or denied. Appeals that are approved are usually on a probationary status and the probationary requirements will be explained at the time of approval. You can only appeal once during your time at LU.