Christian Brothers University Scholarships (2026–2027)
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Last Updated on August 6, 2026
What This Page Covers:- Tuition, housing, and average family net price
- Automatic merit ranges and qualifier benchmarks
- Flagship and hidden-gem awards
- Honors and stacking strategy
📊 Admissions Snapshot
- Acceptance Rate: ~87%
- Middle 50% ACT: 19-24
- Middle 50% SAT: 1020-1380
- Average GPA: 3.63
Here is the thing that makes Christian Brothers University worth a look even if you have never heard of it: you can figure out your scholarship offer at the kitchen table before your student ever applies. CBU publishes an actual grid. A 3.0 GPA or an 18 ACT puts you at $15,000 a year. A 30 ACT or a 1360 SAT puts you at $21,000. Every admitted full-time freshman lands somewhere on that ladder, and the floor is $14,000 with no GPA or test score required at all. There is no separate scholarship application, no essay, and no application fee to find out.
That kind of predictability is rare at a private college, and it is the main reason a Mid-South family should run the numbers here before ruling CBU out on sticker price. The honest caveat comes in the gotchas below.
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📌 Christian Brothers University at a Glance
🏆 Full tuition possible, but only 12 awards a year
Average Net Price
$17,068/year
Average paid.
Automatic Merit
$14,000–$21,000/yr (freshmen)
No separate application.
Scholarships Tracked
30 opportunities
14 automatic · 2 competitive · 14 hidden gem
Typical Qualifiers
No minimum: every admit gets $14,000+
Benchmarks for top-tier awards.
Testing Policy
Test-optional
No superscore.
Key Deadlines
Priority: Oct 30 • FAFSA: Apr 1
Full-Tuition / Full-Ride
Day Foundation (Memphis only) & Leadership (2 winners)
Honors College
Honors Program Available
Financial Aid Forms
FAFSA Only
🚨 Easy-to-Miss “Gotchas” at Christian Brothers University (Read This First)
- Merit money touches tuition only. The top $21,000 award covers roughly half of CBU’s $40,940 tuition and fees bill, and it does nothing for the $9,830 housing and meal plan. The grid narrows the gap. It does not close it.
- Visit before you commit, not after. The $1,000 Visit Grant renews for four years ($4,000 total) and a virtual visit counts. But you have to earn it before you deposit. Families who tour after committing lose it outright.
- You get one high school award, not three. CBU lists Catholic, Lasallian, and Christian Brothers High School scholarships separately. If your student qualifies for more than one, CBU pays exactly one of them.
- Test-optional for admission is not test-optional for the top tier. The $21,000 30+ Club is reachable by test score only. There is no GPA path to it.
- The “priority deadline” on this page is a scholarship deadline, not an admission deadline. CBU admits on a rolling basis with no cutoff. October 30 is the Day Foundation application deadline, and that award is limited to Memphis and Shelby County seniors.
- Full tuition exists, but barely. Twelve awards a year total: up to ten Day Foundation (Memphis and Shelby County only) and two Leadership Scholarships decided at one February competition. Do not build a budget around either one.
FAQ
Is this college test-optional? Yes — Christian Brothers University is test-optional.
What is the middle 50% ACT/SAT? ACT: 19-24; SAT: 1020-1380.
Average net price? About $17,068/year after aid.
Does this school use waivers/reciprocity?
No — private school; same rate for all.
💰 Cost of Attendance at Christian Brothers University 2026-2027
📅 2027–2028 Planning Note: The costs below reflect the most recently published figures (2026–2027). Universities typically finalize the next year’s rates in the spring, and we’ll update this page once official 2027–2028 numbers are released.
Planning tip: At large public universities, tuition, fees, and housing usually increase modestly each year (often in the 2–5% range). For early budgeting, families may want to plan for roughly $1,000–$1,500 more in-state or $2,000–$3,000 more out-of-state in total direct costs once new rates are published.
| Category (2026–2027) |
In-State |
Out-of-State |
| Tuition & Mandatory Fees (2 semesters) |
$40,940 |
$40,940 |
| Housing & Meals (typical) |
$9,830 |
$9,830 |
| Total (Direct Costs) |
$50,770 |
$50,770 |
Average Federal Net Price: $17,068 — this is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships (no loans), based on the most recent federal data. Your specific cost could be significantly lower or higher depending on your financial aid eligibility and merit scholarships. New to Net Price & SAI? Read our guide.
📌 One Number Families Keep Getting Wrong
You will see CBU’s tuition listed on other sites as $39,750. That figure is real, but it leaves out the
$1,190 annual student service fee ($595 per semester), which is mandatory and billed to every student.
The number you should actually budget against is $40,940. Housing and meals are separate from that, and
the $9,830 shown above reflects the least expensive option (a double room in Maurelian or Rozier with the All Access meal plan).
A single room or a Capstone apartment runs closer to $13,270 to $15,610 a year.
FAQ — Cost of Attendance at Christian Brothers University
Why is there no in-state versus out-of-state price?
CBU is private, so everybody pays the same tuition regardless of where they live. That also means there is no Academic Common Market pathway, no regional reciprocity agreement, and no residency waiver to chase. What CBU offers instead is an automatic $3,500 Out-of-State Scholarship that stacks on top of your merit tier simply for having a home address outside Tennessee.
Does the merit scholarship reduce my housing bill?
No, and this catches people. CBU states plainly that its merit scholarships apply to tuition only. If your student earns the $21,000 top award, that money comes off the $40,940 tuition line and leaves the roughly $9,830 housing and meal charge untouched. The one exception is the $3,000 Housing Grant, which is restricted to on-campus housing and will not reduce tuition.
Why does US News show a much lower net price than the $17,068 here?
Because the two figures count different students. The commonly cited $12,948 reflects only families who took out federal loans. The $17,068 on this page is the broader federal IPEDS average across all aided students, which is the more useful planning number for most households. Neither one is your number. Run CBU’s net price calculator for that.
What costs are not in the table above?
Books, transportation, and personal expenses, because CBU does not bill those. A few charges that are billed and worth knowing about: a $300 enrollment fee, a $100 new student orientation fee, $75 lab fees per lab course, and for nursing students a $750 per semester program fee plus a one-time $185 nursing lab fee.
When is the FAFSA due, and does it affect my merit award?
Merit scholarships at CBU are not tied to the FAFSA at all, so a family expecting zero need-based aid still gets the grid award. But you want the FAFSA in by April 1 to stay inside Tennessee’s TSAA and HOPE priority window, and by mid-April to qualify for CBU’s $3,000 Housing Grant. CBU’s FAFSA school code is 003482, and there is no CSS Profile and no separate institutional aid form.
Will my scholarship keep pace if tuition goes up?
Typically no. CBU’s merit awards are fixed dollar amounts renewable for up to eight semesters, while tuition and housing tend to drift upward each year. Practically, that means your out-of-pocket cost grows a little each year even with the same scholarship. Budget a modest annual increase rather than assuming year one repeats four times.
Sources:
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/tuition-fees/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/net-price-calculator/
📅 CBU Scholarship Timeline (Simple Version)
- Any time senior year: Apply for admission. It is free, the Common App works, and there is no scholarship form. Your merit tier is set the moment you are accepted.
- October 30: Day Foundation La Salle Scholars application closes. Memphis and Shelby County seniors only.
- Before you deposit anywhere: Visit CBU, in person or virtually, to lock in the $1,000 Visit Grant.
- February: Leadership Scholarship competition day on campus. You must already be admitted to register.
- March 1: Ned McWherter Scholars deadline through the state portal, for Tennessee students with a 3.75 and a 32 ACT.
- April 1 / mid-April: FAFSA in for Tennessee TSAA and HOPE priority, then for CBU’s Housing Grant.
Parent rule of thumb: the admission application has no deadline, but four separate pots of money do. Work backward from October 30.
Automatic Merit Scholarships — Christian Brothers University
CBU publishes its merit awards as a plain grid, and every admitted full-time freshman lands on it. No separate application, no essay, no deadline.
You qualify on your GPA or your ACT or your SAT, whichever gets you highest. You only need to clear one of the three.
Awards apply to tuition only and renew for up to eight semesters.
Automatic
30+ Club
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
✎ ~30 ACT✎ ~1360 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
CBU stacks its scholarships and grants with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education. CBU scholarships and grants are not refundable in cash.
💡
Strategic Detail
This is the top of CBU's automatic merit ladder and the only tier you cannot reach on GPA alone. It is a test-score award, full stop. Hit a 30 ACT or a 1360 SAT and $21,000 a year is yours the moment you are admitted. The award applies to tuition only, so plan on covering housing and meals separately.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Strong testers. CBU is a test-optional school with a wide-open admit rate, so the pool of students who actually submit a 30+ score here is small. If your kid has that score, this is one of the easiest $21,000 a year in the region. If they are one or two points short, a retake is worth real money — the gap between this tier and Presidential is $1,000 a year, but the gap down to Deans' is $6,000.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Presidential Scholarship (Transfer)
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.6+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Transfer merit scholarships are renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Available to undergraduate day students only.
💡
Strategic Detail
The transfer version of the Presidential, and it is a different award from the freshman one — $18,000 a year here versus $20,000 for freshmen, and it is judged on your college GPA rather than your high school record. Renewable for up to eight semesters.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfer students carrying an A-minus average from a community college or another four-year. This is the top of CBU's transfer ladder and the bar is genuinely lower than the freshman equivalent, since a 3.6 in college coursework is more attainable than a 3.75 in high school for most people who have found their footing. If you are transferring in with a strong record, this plus the Transfer Achievement Award is real money.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Lasallian Scholarship (Transfer)
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.4+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Undergraduate day students only.
💡
Strategic Detail
Sixteen thousand a year for transfer students with a 3.4 college GPA. Note this is $2,000 less than the freshman Lasallian award — CBU runs two separate scholarship tables and the transfer figures are lower across the board.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
The typical successful community college transfer. A 3.4 is a common outcome for someone who took two years seriously, and this is where a lot of Southwest Tennessee and Mid-South transfer students land. Stack the $1,500 Transfer Achievement Award on top if you are pursuing a first bachelor's degree.
Automatic
Presidential Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
🏫 3.8+ GPA✎ ~25 ACT✎ ~1200 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Combines with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education.
💡
Strategic Detail
Twenty thousand a year, and there are three separate ways to earn it — a 3.75 GPA, a 25 ACT, or a 1200 SAT. You only need one of the three. That matters, because a student with a strong transcript and mediocre test scores gets the same award as a strong tester with a middling transcript. Tuition only.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: This is the sweet spot tier for a solid A-minus student. A 25 ACT is right around the national average for college-bound testers, so this is genuinely reachable rather than aspirational. The GPA path is the quiet one — plenty of families assume they need a test score and never realize a 3.75 alone gets them here. If your kid is test-optional and has the grades, apply anyway and let the transcript do the work.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Maurelian Scholarship (Transfer)
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.2+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Undergraduate day students only.
💡
Strategic Detail
Fifteen thousand a year at a 3.2 college GPA. The transfer tiers are packed tightly together — only $1,000 separates this from the tier above and the tier below.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfer students with a respectable but not standout college record. Because the transfer tiers are only $1,000 apart, a single strong semester before you transfer can be worth $4,000 over the life of the degree. If you are sitting at a 3.1 or 3.15, finishing out at your current school before applying is worth doing the math on.
Automatic
Lasallian Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
🏫 3.5+ GPA✎ ~22 ACT✎ ~1100 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Combines with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education.
💡
Strategic Detail
Eighteen thousand a year for a 3.5 GPA, a 22 ACT, or an 1100 SAT — again, any one of the three qualifies. Named for the Lasallian tradition CBU was founded in. Do not confuse this with the separate Lasallian High School Scholarship, which is a different, smaller award tied to what high school you attended.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
A very large share of CBU's admitted class lands here or better. A 22 ACT is a modest bar and a 3.5 is a B-plus average, so this is the tier most solid, unremarkable-on-paper students hit. The honest read — if your student is anywhere near college-ready, assume $18,000 is the floor of the conversation and negotiate up from there rather than treating it as a win.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Deans' Scholarship (Transfer)
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.0+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Undergraduate day students only.
💡
Strategic Detail
Fourteen thousand a year at a 3.0 college GPA. A 3.0 is also the bar for the Transfer Achievement and Transfer Success awards, so clearing it unlocks more than one thing at once.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfer students holding a straight-B college average. This is the tier where it pays to check the other transfer awards, because 3.0 is the magic number at CBU — it qualifies you here and for the separate $1,500 or $3,000 transfer awards on top. A student at 2.9 leaves several thousand dollars a year on the table.
Automatic
Maurelian Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
🏫 3.3+ GPA✎ ~20 ACT✎ ~1030 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Combines with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education.
💡
Strategic Detail
Sixteen thousand a year at a 3.25 GPA, a 20 ACT, or a 1030 SAT. The name honors Brother Maurelian, an early leader in CBU's history.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Middle-of-the-pack students, and there is no shame in that — this is real money for a B average. The thing worth noticing is how small the steps are between tiers. Moving from a 20 to a 22 ACT is two points and worth $2,000 a year, which is $8,000 over four years for one retake and a few weeks of prep. That is one of the better returns on a Saturday morning your family will ever see.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
University Scholarship (Transfer)
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Renewable for a maximum of eight semesters. Undergraduate day students only.
💡
Strategic Detail
CBU's floor award for transfer students, with no GPA requirement listed at all. Get admitted as a day transfer student and $12,000 a year is the starting point.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Any admitted transfer student. Like the freshman version, this is a guaranteed baseline rather than a distinction. If your student is transferring in below a 3.0, this is what the offer letter will show — and it is still $48,000 over four years, which is worth putting next to what a public university would actually cost after aid.
Automatic
Deans' Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
🏫 3.0+ GPA✎ ~18 ACT✎ ~960 SAT
✚
Stacking & Combining
Combines with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education.
💡
Strategic Detail
Fifteen thousand a year at a 3.0 GPA, an 18 ACT, or a 960 SAT. This is the lowest tier that still has a published academic bar attached to it.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students with a straight-B transcript or a below-average test score. Worth knowing — the difference between this and the no-criteria University Scholarship is only $1,000 a year, so if your student is close to a 3.0 it is worth making sure the final transcript gets there. Beyond that, the ladder above rewards effort steadily, and CBU counts your best single qualifier rather than averaging them.
Automatic
University Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Combines with federal and state aid up to the full direct cost of your education.
💡
Strategic Detail
This is CBU's floor award and it carries no GPA and no test-score requirement at all. CBU's published table lists it as N/A on every academic column. In plain terms, if you are admitted as a full-time traditional freshman, you get at least $14,000 a year toward tuition.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Everybody. CBU says outright that every student receives a scholarship, and this is the award that makes that literally true. Do not read a $14,000 offer letter as CBU being impressed with your student — it is the baseline. The useful question is not whether you got a scholarship but which rung you landed on, and whether one more test attempt moves you up.
Automatic
Housing Grant
📅 Deadline: FAFSA must be submitted by April 15 for the following academic year. The published date for the 2026-2027 cycle was April 15, 2026.
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Applies toward on-campus housing only, not tuition.
💡
Strategic Detail
Three thousand dollars a year toward on-campus housing, renewable for up to four years. Three things have to be true — you file the FAFSA by the April deadline, you choose to live on campus, and you are not on an athletic scholarship. This money is restricted to housing and will not reduce your tuition bill.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
On-campus students whose families file the FAFSA on time. That last part is where people lose it, because the April 15 date is earlier than a lot of families expect and there is no separate application to remind you. If your student is living in the dorms, this is $12,000 across four years riding entirely on a form deadline. Put it on the calendar in January.
Automatic
Out-of-State Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
May not be combined with athletic scholarships. Stacks on top of the CBU merit tier you qualify for.
💡
Strategic Detail
An automatic $3,500 a year on top of your merit award simply for living outside Tennessee, renewable each year. You must be a US citizen to receive it, and it cannot be combined with an athletic scholarship.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Every out-of-state freshman who is not on an athletic scholarship. It is not large, but it is free and requires nothing from you. The real point is what it does to the math — a Mississippi or Arkansas family within driving distance of Memphis can stack this with a $20,000 Presidential and land at a private-school price that competes with their in-state publics. Run that comparison before ruling CBU out on sticker price.
Automatic
CBU Visit Grant
📅 Deadline: Must be earned before you commit to CBU.
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Cannot be stacked beyond full tuition. Each freshman is eligible for one Visit Grant.
💡
Strategic Detail
One thousand dollars a year, renewable for four years, for a total of $4,000 — and all you have to do is visit campus or attend a qualifying event. A virtual visit counts. The one catch that trips families up is timing, because you have to earn it before you commit to CBU, not after.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Anyone who reads this in time. This is the single easiest money on CBU's entire list and it is routinely missed by families who commit first and tour later. If you are even mildly considering CBU, book a visit — even a virtual one — before you deposit anywhere. Four thousand dollars for an afternoon is not an offer most schools make.
* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
👀 Reading the Cards Above: Freshman vs. Transfer
CBU runs two separate merit tables, and both appear in the cards above. If your student is coming
straight from high school, the freshman table is the one that applies to you, and it runs
$14,000 to $21,000. If your student is transferring in from a community college or another four-year,
the transfer table runs $12,000 to $18,000 and is judged on college GPA rather than high school record.
The transfer figures are lower across the board, so do not read a $12,000 floor as your number if you have a
high school senior.
Transfer tiers sit only $1,000 apart, which means one strong semester before you transfer can be worth
$4,000 across the life of the degree. If your student is sitting at a 3.15, finishing out the term before applying is
worth doing the math on.
🧮 The Two-Point Question Worth Real Money
Because CBU’s tiers are published and evenly spaced, you can price a retake before you pay for one. Moving from a
20 to a 22 ACT is two points and worth $2,000 a year, or $8,000 across four years.
Moving from a 28 to a 30 is worth $1,000 a year but also clears the top rung. That is one Saturday
morning and a few weeks of prep against four figures of tuition, and it is one of the better returns your family will
find in this whole process.
Heads up: CBU has not yet published its Fall 2027 merit grid. The tiers shown here are the most recent
published figures. Cutoffs at CBU have been stable, but confirm your tier with an admissions counselor before you treat it as final.
Automatic Merit — FAQs (Christian Brothers University)
Is there a deadline to qualify for automatic merit?
No. CBU admits on a rolling basis and awards your merit tier at the moment of acceptance. Apply whenever your transcript and any test scores are ready. The deadlines at CBU belong to the other awards, not this one.
Do I need to submit a test score?
Only if it helps you. CBU is test-optional, and four of the six freshman tiers can be reached on GPA alone. The exception is the $21,000 30+ Club, which has no GPA path. It is a 30 ACT or a 1360 SAT or nothing. A few engineering and science majors do require a 22 math subscore for admission regardless.
What if my student has neither a strong GPA nor a test score?
They still get money. The University Scholarship at $14,000 a year carries no GPA and no test requirement at all. CBU’s published table lists it as N/A across every academic column. Being admitted is the only condition.
Does CBU superscore the ACT or SAT?
CBU does not publish a superscore policy for these awards, so plan on your best single sitting counting. Separately, the state’s Ned McWherter Scholars Program explicitly refuses superscores.
Can these stack with the smaller CBU awards?
Yes, and this is where CBU gets interesting. Your grid award stacks with the $3,500 out-of-state award, the $1,000 Visit Grant, the $3,000 Housing Grant, the $1,000 legacy referral, and one high school affiliation award. Total aid is packaged up to the full direct cost of your education, and the Visit Grant specifically cannot push you past full tuition.
Are they renewable, and what does it take to keep them?
Yes, for up to eight semesters with full-time enrollment. Confirm the exact renewal GPA with financial aid, because CBU does not publish a single figure across all tiers.
So what does a typical family actually pay?
Work it from the top. Tuition and fees of $40,940, minus a mid-grid award of $18,000, leaves about $22,940 in tuition. Add roughly $9,830 for a double room and meals. Then subtract anything you stack: out-of-state, visit, housing, legacy, high school affiliation, plus federal and state aid. The federal average net price at CBU lands at $17,068.
Sources:
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/transfer-scholarships/
https://www.cbu.edu/apply/
🏆 Flagship Scholarships (Competitive Scholarships)
CBU has exactly two full-tuition awards, and together they go to no more than twelve students a year.
Both are worth applying for and neither should anchor your budget. If you are comparing CBU to a school with a large
competitive scholarship program, the honest read is that CBU puts its money into the guaranteed grid instead, and the
grid is where almost everyone’s actual offer comes from.
✅ Can You Stack Scholarships at CBU?
| Aid Type |
Stacks with Merit? |
CBU Parent Translation |
| Automatic Grid Award |
This is your base |
One award, $14,000 to $21,000. Everything else layers on top of it. |
| Day Foundation La Salle Scholars |
No, it replaces |
CBU states it supersedes the merit scholarship and the Visit Grant. It is full tuition, so replacing is fine, but do not add it to your grid award on paper. |
| Leadership Scholarship |
Effectively replaces |
Also full tuition, so it functions the same way. Winners must live on campus and keep living on campus to keep it. |
| Out-of-State, Visit, Housing, Legacy |
Yes |
These are the real stacking layers at CBU. Together they can add $8,500 a year for a family that qualifies for all four. |
| High School Affiliation Awards |
Yes, but only one |
Catholic, Lasallian, or Christian Brothers HS. You receive whichever single one applies, never two. |
| Athletic Scholarships |
Restricted |
Athletes are excluded from the out-of-state award, the housing grant, the transfer add-ons, and the international package. Ask early if your student is being recruited. |
| State & Federal Aid (HOPE, Pell, TSAA) |
Yes |
CBU combines its own money with state and federal aid up to the full direct cost of your education. Nothing is refunded in cash. |
Full TuitionApp Required
Leadership Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Held annually in February. The competition for Fall 2026 entry was held February 7, 2026. Watch the scholarship page for the next competition date.
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
Full Tuition
merit
✘ Not stackable
👥 ~Two awards per competition. winners/yr
📄
How to Apply
Get admitted to CBU as a first-year student, then register for the Leadership Scholarship Competition through the CBU admissions portal. Attend the competition day, which includes team-building activities, a campus tour, conversations with current students, and a reflection period. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
🌟 Finalist Event
💡
Strategic Detail
Two full-tuition scholarships, good for four years, awarded through a single February competition day on campus. Winners also get support to start a new student organization and a job in the Admissions Office as President's Ambassadors. The one condition that catches people — you must be a residential student and keep living on campus to keep the scholarship. If your plan was to commute from somewhere in Memphis, this award is not compatible with that.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students who show up. Only two awards are given, so the odds are genuinely long, but the pool is limited to admitted students who bothered to register for a Saturday event — and that is a much smaller group than the applicant pool. There is no essay and no recommendation letter gate published, which means the barrier to entry is a morning of your time. For a shot at four years of free tuition, that is the best expected value on this entire list. Register even if you think you are a long shot.
Full TuitionApp Required
Day Foundation La Salle Scholars Program
📅 Deadline: October 30, 2026 · 📢 Results: Recipients are notified once all scholarship decisions have been made.
✓ Renews (2.5 GPA, 4 yrs)
Full Tuition
merit
✘ Not stackable
🏫 2.5+ GPA✎ ~25 ACT✎ ~1200 SAT👥 ~Up to 10 full-tuition scholarships awarded annually. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
The Day Foundation Scholarship supersedes CBU awards such as the Merit Scholarship and the Visit Grant. It replaces them rather than stacking on top.
📄
How to Apply
Submit two letters of recommendation, an essay showing your commitment to fairness, compassion, and leadership, and the online application form linked from the CBU Day Foundation page. Top applicants are invited to campus for interviews and special events. A committee of CBU faculty, staff, and alumni selects the recipients.
✎ Essays🎤 Interview💌 Letters of Rec🌟 Finalist Event
💡
Strategic Detail
Up to ten full-tuition scholarships a year for Memphis and Shelby County high school seniors, renewable for four years. The academic bar is strikingly low for a full-tuition award — a 2.5 unweighted GPA, though you do need a 25 ACT or 1200 SAT alongside it. You must major in the School of Sciences, Business, Engineering, or Education, and stay in one of those to keep the award. One important catch: this scholarship replaces your other CBU awards rather than adding to them. CBU currently publishes this for the 2027-2028 academic year with an October 30, 2026 deadline.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Memphis-area students with strong test scores and an ordinary transcript. That combination is the whole story here — the 2.5 GPA floor paired with a 25 ACT is an unusual pairing that deliberately opens the door to bright kids whose grades were dragged down by circumstance rather than ability. Ten awards is a real number, not a token one. If your student is from Shelby County, tests well, and is headed into STEM, business, or education, this is the single highest-value application they can file, and the essay about fairness and compassion is where it gets decided.
* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
🎯 The Leadership Scholarship Is the Best Odds on This Page
Only two awards are given, which sounds hopeless. Look closer at the pool. Eligibility is limited to admitted students
who bothered to register for a Saturday morning event. There is no published essay requirement, no
recommendation letters, and no nomination. The barrier to entry is showing up in comfortable shoes. Against four years
of free tuition, that is the best expected value CBU offers, and plenty of qualified students never register.
One real condition: winners must be residential students and must keep living on campus. If your plan was to commute
from somewhere in Memphis, this award is not compatible with that plan.
❓ Flagship / Competitive Scholarship FAQs
When are the deadlines?
The Day Foundation application closes October 30, 2026 for students entering in fall 2027, and that date is firm. The Leadership Scholarship competition is held on campus each February, and CBU had not yet posted the next date as of this writing. Watch the Leadership Scholarship page starting in the fall and register the moment it opens.
Who can apply for the Day Foundation Scholarship?
High school seniors from Memphis and Shelby County only. This is a geographic scholarship first and an academic one second. If your student is outside Shelby County, this award is not available to you at any GPA.
The Day Foundation GPA minimum is only 2.5. Is that right?
It is, and the pairing is deliberate. A 2.5 unweighted GPA alongside a required 25 ACT or 1200 SAT is an unusual combination that opens the door to bright students whose grades were dragged down by circumstance rather than ability. If your student tests well but has an uneven transcript, this is the single highest-value application they can file.
Are there major restrictions on the Day Foundation award?
Yes. You must be pursuing a degree in the School of Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, or Education, and you must stay in one of those to keep the award. Recipients also maintain a 2.5 GPA. A student who transfers into a humanities or psychology major would lose it.
What does the Day Foundation application involve?
Two letters of recommendation, an online form, and an essay demonstrating a commitment to fairness, compassion, and leadership. Top applicants are invited to campus for interviews. A committee of CBU faculty, staff, and alumni makes the selections. The essay is where this gets decided, and our Essay Toolkit and Brag Sheet Builder are built for exactly this kind of prompt.
Is CBU a Stamps or QuestBridge partner? Does it have a National Merit package?
No to all three. CBU does not participate in the Stamps program, is not a QuestBridge partner, and publishes no National Merit award. Its money goes into the automatic grid instead.
Can my student apply for both full-tuition awards?
Yes, if they are a Memphis-area senior who gets admitted in time to register for the February competition. Nothing prevents applying for both, and the two processes are entirely separate.
Sources:
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/day-foundation-la-salle-scholars-program/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/leadership-scholarship
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/
🧠 Parent Strategy: The “Only One of Three” Trap
CBU lists three high school affiliation scholarships on the same page, one after another, with no dollar signs crossed out:
- Catholic High School: $3,000/yr, no GPA requirement
- Lasallian High School (outside Memphis): $5,000/yr, 3.0 GPA
- Christian Brothers High School (Memphis): $5,000/yr, 2.5 GPA
Families add these up. You cannot. CBU awards exactly one per student, even when the criteria overlap,
and it will not always be the largest one by default. If your student attended a Lasallian Catholic high school outside
Memphis, make sure the $5,000 Lasallian award is what lands, not the $3,000 Catholic award.
Worth a phone call to your counselor: many families have no idea their school carries the Lasallian designation.
💎 Hidden Gem Scholarships
These are the awards that turn CBU from expensive into workable. Most require no application at all, which is exactly why they get missed. A family that qualifies for the out-of-state award, a visit grant, the housing grant, and a high school affiliation award is stacking real money on top of the grid without filling out a single form.
App Requiredstate_residency
Ned McWherter Scholars Program
📅 Deadline: March 1. TSAC must receive the completed application and all attachments by this date. Students may only apply during their final year of high school.
✓ Renews (3 GPA, 4 yrs)
⚠ Tennessee residents only. Requires a 3.75 unweighted high school GPA plus a 32 ACT or 1430 SAT.
🏫 3.8+ GPA✎ ~32 ACT✎ ~1430 SAT👥 ~Highly competitive and limited by available state funding. Renewal applicants receive first priority. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks with CBU institutional merit. Half of the award, $3,000, is a required institutional match that CBU may satisfy with a campus-based award already in your package, as long as that award carries no work or service obligation.
📄
How to Apply
Apply through the TSAC Student Portal by March 1 of your senior year. Submit an official high school transcript covering grades through the first semester of senior year, plus an official ACT or SAT score report.
💡
Strategic Detail
A Tennessee state award worth $6,000 a year, half from the state and half matched by the college you attend. Renewable three times for four years total, with a 3.0 cumulative GPA and full-time enrollment required. The academic bar is the highest of anything on this page: a 3.75 unweighted high school GPA plus a 32 ACT or 1430 SAT. ACT superscores are not accepted, so the score has to come from a single sitting. Extra credit is available for honors and AP coursework and for leadership in extracurriculars. One line to read closely: CBU may satisfy its $3,000 match with an award already sitting in your package, so ask financial aid whether this genuinely adds $6,000 to your bottom line or closer to $3,000.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Top Tennessee students who think to apply through the state rather than the college. This one gets missed because it lives on TSAC's portal, not CBU's application, and the March 1 deadline lands in the spring of senior year when most families believe the scholarship work is finished. A student with a 3.75 and a 32 is already at the top of CBU's automatic grid, so this is the piece that stacks on top of it. Funding is limited and renewal applicants are served first, so apply early in the window rather than at the deadline.
Automatic
Lasallian High School Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
🏫 3.0+ GPA
✚
Stacking & Combining
Only ONE of the three high school affiliation awards is granted per student.
💡
Strategic Detail
Five thousand a year, renewable, for graduating from a Lasallian high school outside Memphis with a 3.0 GPA or better. The geographic carve-out matters — Memphis-area Lasallian students are routed to the Christian Brothers High School award instead. As with the other affiliation awards, you receive only one of the three.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Students coming to CBU from the wider network of De La Salle Christian Brothers high schools around the country. This is a deliberate pipeline award, and if your student attended one of those schools it is essentially automatic at a 3.0. Worth asking your high school counselor directly whether your school carries the Lasallian designation, because families often do not know their school qualifies.
App Required
Gadomski Triangle Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Awarded annually. CBU closed the application window for the 2026-2027 academic year, so watch the scholarship page for the next cycle to open.
Non-Renewable
👥 ~One or more incoming students each year, depending on the applicant pool and available funds. winners/yr
✚
Stacking & Combining
A one-time award applied toward CBU tuition and fees.
📄
How to Apply
Apply and be accepted to CBU first, then submit the Gadomski Triangle Scholarship application linked from the scholarship page.
💡
Strategic Detail
A one-time award funded through the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity's memorial endowment, given to incoming students who show strong all-around involvement and leadership. You do not need to join TKE to receive it. Heads up on the amount — CBU's two pages disagree. The scholarship's own page lists a range of $1,000 to $5,000, while the main scholarship hub lists $500 to $1,000. We have used the figures from the award's own page, but ask financial aid what this year's range actually is before you count on it.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Well-rounded students who bother to apply. The applicant pool for a single endowed award like this is small compared to the automatic tiers, which means the odds are far better than the modest dollar figure suggests. It rewards involvement across the board rather than a single spike, so a student with steady activities, service, and leadership reads well here even without a standout test score.
Automatic
Legacy Alumni Referral Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
Holistic / Status Based
💡
Strategic Detail
One thousand a year, renewable, if a parent or grandparent who graduated from CBU refers you. There is no form, which is exactly why it gets missed — the referral has to actually reach admissions, so mention the family connection when you apply rather than assuming CBU will find it.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Legacy families who speak up. The award itself is small and the criteria are simple, but it depends on a referral happening, and a referral is the kind of thing that quietly does not happen. If Grandma went to CBU, have her call admissions. Four thousand dollars over four years for one phone call is a reasonable trade.
Automatic
First-Year Engineering Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
👥 ~Awarded at the discretion of the Dean of the Gadomski School of Engineering while funds are available. winners/yr
💡
Strategic Detail
Up to $8,000, but only during your first year — this is a one-time award, not a four-year commitment. You need to be admitted into one of the four ABET-accredited engineering majors and post a 22 or higher on the ACT math subscore, or the SAT or ALEKS equivalent. Note that the requirement is the MATH subscore specifically, not your composite.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Engineering admits with solid math preparation, while the money holds out. Two things to be clear-eyed about — the award is capped at the first year, so do not build a four-year budget around it, and it is funded at the dean's discretion while funds last, which means applying early genuinely matters here in a way it does not for the automatic tiers. If engineering is the plan, get your application in before the pool fills.
Automatic
Christian Brothers Promise Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
Renewal is tied to keeping your HOPE Scholarship eligibility.
💡
Strategic Detail
New beginning fall 2026. Three thousand a year for Tennessee students who already hold the HOPE Scholarship plus either HOPE Aspire or the General Assembly Merit Scholarship. The unusual piece is the Student Aid Index requirement, which has to be ABOVE 25,000 — this award is aimed at families whose income is too high to draw much need-based help but who are still stretching to pay tuition.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Middle and upper-middle income Tennessee families. This is the opposite of most need-based aid, and that is the whole point of it. If your SAI came back high and you felt like you were being penalized for earning a decent living, this is CBU explicitly filling that gap. Confirm your SAI figure before assuming you qualify, since the threshold cuts both ways and a lower SAI disqualifies you here.
App Required
NSF S-STEM Grant
📅 Deadline: No application deadline is published. Selection committee appointments are scheduled in March. · 📢 Results: Qualifying students are contacted in March to set up a committee appointment.
Non-Renewable
Holistic / Status Based
📄
How to Apply
Submit the NSF S-STEM application through the CBU admissions portal. If you qualify, CBU contacts you in March to schedule an appointment with the selection committee.
🎤 Interview
💡
Strategic Detail
A need-based grant for Engineering and Computer Science majors, funded by a National Science Foundation award to CBU. Both an application and an interview are required. CBU does not publish the dollar amount — it varies — so treat this as a conversation to have with financial aid rather than a number you can plan around.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
STEM students who can document real financial need and are willing to sit for an interview. That interview requirement thins the field considerably, because plenty of eligible students never complete the process. If your family has need and your student is headed into engineering or CS, this is worth the extra step — grant money layered on top of a merit tier is how the CBU price actually gets manageable.
App Required
Pascal Fellowship in Computer Science & Mathematics
📅 Deadline: No application deadline is published. Contact admissions for the current window.
Non-Renewable
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
CBU states the $5,000 is awarded in addition to all other awards, so it stacks on top of your merit tier.
📄
How to Apply
Complete the Pascal Fellowship application form linked from the CBU Pascal Fellowship page. Contact admissions at admissions@cbu.edu or (901) 321-3205 with questions.
💡
Strategic Detail
A $5,000 scholarship that comes bundled with a full program — academic and industry mentors, a funded internship path, a senior project at a Memphis-area company, and money for conference travel. It was built with FedEx. You must be pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics. Two things to check with admissions, because CBU does not publish them — whether the $5,000 is annual or one-time, and what the application deadline is. This page was last updated in 2023, so confirm details before relying on them.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Strong math-and-CS students, especially from the Mid-South. CBU says preference goes to regional students with a 30+ math ACT and a 3.5 GPA, but read that word carefully — these are stated preferences, not cutoffs, so do not talk yourself out of applying at a 3.4. The money is modest next to the merit tiers, but the mentorship and the corporate senior project are the real asset here, and those are hard to price.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of your CBU transfer merit tier.
💡
Strategic Detail
Two thousand a year, renewable, for transfer students who belong to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. You have to show proof of membership and stay in good standing while at CBU. This sits on top of whatever transfer merit tier you land in.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Community college students who joined PTK and kept it active. Many students get the invitation, pay the one-time dues, and never think about it again — and then never mention it when they transfer. Dig up your membership documentation before you apply. It is $2,000 a year for paperwork you already have in a drawer somewhere.
Automatic
Christian Brothers High School Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
🏫 2.5+ GPA
✚
Stacking & Combining
Only ONE of the three high school affiliation awards is granted per student.
💡
Strategic Detail
Five thousand a year, renewable, for graduates of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, and the GPA bar is only 2.5 — the most forgiving of the three affiliation awards. One award per student across the three.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
CBHS graduates, and almost all of them. A 2.5 is a low bar by design, which tells you CBU treats its brother school as a genuine feeder rather than a marketing line. If your student is at CBHS and considering CBU, this is money you should assume is in the offer. It does not stack with the Catholic or Lasallian high school awards, but at $5,000 it is already tied for the largest of the three.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
CBU Transfer Achievement Award
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.0+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of your CBU transfer merit tier. Athletes are not eligible.
💡
Strategic Detail
Fifteen hundred dollars for transfer students with a 3.0 college GPA who are working toward their first bachelor's degree, renewable for up to eight semesters. This is separate from and stacks on top of the transfer merit tier. Athletes are not eligible. CBU does not spell out whether the figure is annual or per semester, so confirm with financial aid.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Transfer students at or above a 3.0 who have not already finished a degree. It is a straightforward add-on with no application, which means the only way to miss it is to fall below 3.0. If you already hold a bachelor's degree, do not take this one — go look at the Transfer Success Award instead, which is double the money for the same GPA.
Automatic⚠ Transfer Only
CBU Transfer Success Award
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews (4 yrs)
🏫 3.0+ GPA🎓 Transfer
✚
Stacking & Combining
Stacks on top of your CBU transfer merit tier. Athletes are not eligible.
💡
Strategic Detail
Three thousand dollars for transfer students who already hold a bachelor's degree and carry a 3.0 cumulative GPA, renewable up to eight semesters. It is the mirror image of the Transfer Achievement Award — same GPA bar, double the money, but you need the completed degree. Athletes are not eligible. CBU does not state whether the figure is annual or per semester.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Career changers. This is aimed squarely at adults coming back for a second bachelor's — someone with a business degree pivoting into nursing or engineering. Second-degree students are used to being shut out of scholarship money entirely, so an award that specifically requires a prior degree is genuinely unusual and worth knowing about.
Automatic⚠ All Undergrad Only
International Access Scholarship Package
📅 Deadline: Varies
Non-Renewable
🎓 All Undergrad
✚
Stacking & Combining
Not stackable with athletic scholarships.
💡
Strategic Detail
A package for international students admitted on academic merit that helps with tuition, housing, and the full meal plan — notably broader than CBU's domestic merit awards, which cover tuition only. CBU does not publish the dollar value anywhere, so you have to email ugintl@cbu.edu to find out what you would actually receive. It cannot be combined with an athletic scholarship.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Academically strong international applicants. The thing worth flagging is that this is the only CBU award that touches housing and meals, which for an international student with no local family support is the difference between workable and impossible. Email international admissions early in your process rather than waiting for an offer letter, because you cannot compare CBU to other schools without a number in hand.
Automatic
Catholic High School Scholarship
📅 Deadline: Varies
✓ Renews
Holistic / Status Based
✚
Stacking & Combining
You can receive only ONE of the three high school affiliation awards — Catholic High School, Lasallian High School, or Christian Brothers High School. Even if you qualify for more than one, CBU awards a single one.
💡
Strategic Detail
Three thousand dollars a year, renewable, for graduating from a Catholic high school. There is no application and no GPA requirement attached to this one. Important — CBU awards only one of its three high school affiliation scholarships per student, so if you also qualify for the Lasallian or Christian Brothers High School award, you will receive whichever single one applies, not all of them.
🕵
Who Actually Wins
Most winners: Catholic high school graduates, which at a Lasallian university in Memphis is a meaningful slice of the class. The trap here is arithmetic — families see three affiliation scholarships listed and add them up. You cannot. If your student went to a Lasallian Catholic high school outside Memphis, take the $5,000 Lasallian award instead of this one, because only one will land.
* GPA/test bands are estimates based on official selectivity and prior cohort profiles. "Who Actually Wins" insights are pulled from external peer-sourced data where students and parents have reported real-world award results. Because colleges can change funding thresholds and deadlines at any time, always verify these details with the institution before finalizing your application strategy.
🏛️ Tennessee State Aid CBU Layers On Top
CBU is an eligible institution for the full slate of Tennessee state programs, and these stack with everything above.
They are administered by the state through the TSAC Student Portal, not by CBU, so nobody at the
college will remind you about them.
- Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (TELS): up to $2,250 per semester as a freshman and sophomore, then up to $2,850 as a junior and senior.
- Ned McWherter Scholars: $6,000 a year, half matched by CBU. Deadline March 1 of senior year. Detailed in the cards above.
- Helping Heroes Grant: $1,000 per semester for qualifying veterans and Guard or reserve members.
- Dependent Children Scholarship: for children of Tennessee law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS personnel killed or permanently disabled on duty. September 1 deadline.
- HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant: for students who were in state custody at or after age 13.
- HOPE Non-traditional Component: for returning students 25 and older meeting income limits.
More detail on all of these lives on our Tennessee aid and grants page.
📄 Two More Worth Knowing About
TheDream.US and Equal Chance for Education. CBU is a named Partner College for both programs.
TheDream.US is the country’s largest college access program for DREAMers, and CBU also participates in the
Opportunity Scholarship for students living in states where they cannot access in-state tuition. Equal Chance for
Education is open to students who have graduated or will graduate from a Tennessee high school with a Tennessee address.
Both are applied for through the outside organizations, not through CBU.
Partner Tuition Discount. If a parent works for one of CBU’s partner organizations, this is worth a
look for the employee’s own degree rather than their child’s. Discounts run from 10% to 50%, with a 20%
discount for first responders, and the partner list is heavily Memphis: Methodist, Baptist, Le Bonheur, Regional One,
St. Jude, Medtronic, and most of the surrounding school districts. Ask Graduate Admissions.
❓ Hidden Gems FAQ
Which of these actually require an application?
Most do not. The out-of-state award, both high school affiliation awards, the legacy referral, the Promise Scholarship, the housing grant, the visit grant, the transfer add-ons, Phi Theta Kappa, and the First-Year Engineering award are all awarded automatically once CBU has your paperwork. The ones that do need a form are the Gadomski Triangle Scholarship, the Pascal Fellowship, the NSF S-STEM Grant, and the Ned McWherter Scholars program.
How does the legacy referral actually happen?
There is no form, which is precisely why $4,000 goes unclaimed. If a parent or grandparent graduated from CBU, someone has to tell admissions. Mention the family connection when you apply rather than assuming CBU will connect the dots from a last name.
The Christian Brothers Promise Scholarship requires a high SAI. Is that a typo?
No. It requires a Student Aid Index above 25,000, which is backwards from how need-based aid usually works. It is aimed squarely at Tennessee families whose income is too high to draw much need-based help but who are still stretching to write the tuition check. Check your actual SAI before assuming you qualify, because a lower number disqualifies you here.
Why do two CBU pages list different amounts for the Gadomski Triangle Scholarship?
They do, and we have flagged it rather than picking a side quietly. The award’s own page lists a range of $1,000 to $5,000. The main scholarship hub lists $500 to $1,000. Ask financial aid what this year’s range actually is before you count on it either way.
Is the First-Year Engineering Scholarship really only one year?
Yes. Up to $8,000 during the first year of attendance, and it does not renew. It is also funded at the dean’s discretion while money lasts, which means applying early genuinely matters here in a way it does not for the automatic tiers. The requirement is a 22 ACT math subscore specifically, not a composite, and you have to be admitted to one of the four ABET-accredited engineering majors.
Can transfer students stack these?
Yes, and 3.0 is the number that unlocks the most. It qualifies you for the Deans’ transfer tier at $14,000, plus either the $1,500 Transfer Achievement Award (first bachelor’s) or the $3,000 Transfer Success Award (you already hold a bachelor’s), plus $2,000 a year for Phi Theta Kappa membership. Dig up your PTK documentation before you apply. CBU does not state whether the transfer add-on figures are annual or per semester, so confirm that with financial aid.
How do I find out what the international package is worth?
You have to email ugintl@cbu.edu and ask, because CBU publishes no dollar figure. It is worth the email: this is the only CBU award that touches housing and the full meal plan rather than tuition alone. Do it early, since you cannot compare offers without a number in hand.
Sources:
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/transfer-scholarships/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/scholarships/gadomski-triangle-scholarship/
https://www.cbu.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/partner-tuition-discount/
The Honors Program at Christian Brothers University
Let us be straight with you up front: CBU’s Honors Program carries no scholarship money of its own.
Not a stipend, not a housing credit, not a separate award pool. We looked, and CBU does not publish one. If your student is
weighing honors programs across schools partly for the aid attached, CBU’s belongs in a different column.
That does not make it worthless. It makes it a different kind of thing. The
CBU Honors Program
is an academic and community structure layered on top of a degree your student is already paying for, and at a school of
roughly 1,100 undergraduates the practical benefits are real ones rather than brochure language.
What Honors Students Actually Get
- Priority registration. First access to course schedules, which at a small college is the difference between graduating on time and waiting a year for a section to run again.
- Smaller honors sections across a range of disciplines each semester, taught by dedicated faculty.
- Honors advising in addition to major advising.
- Honors Contracts. Upper-level courses that are not designated honors can be converted by working one on one with a faculty member on a research project. This is the single most useful feature for a student headed toward graduate or professional school, because it produces a real relationship with a professor who can write a real recommendation letter.
- A choice of Honors Diploma tracks, plus a medallion at commencement and an honors diploma.
- An Honors Lounge in the Rosa Deal School of Arts and a built-in social community, which first-generation students in particular describe as the thing that made campus feel navigable.
This institution does not offer designated Honors College scholarships at this time.
The Real Requirement to Know About: Honors students complete six co-curricular experiences every semester,
drawn from honors courses, honors events, career services workshops, departmental programs, conference presentations,
internships, service learning, or study abroad. Plus a required Honors CBU 101 course in the first semester. That is a
meaningful time commitment on top of a full course load, so it is worth an honest conversation about capacity before applying.
Where the Money Actually Is at CBU
| If your student is… |
The award to chase |
Worth |
| A high achiever generally |
30+ Club (automatic, 30 ACT or 1360 SAT) |
$21,000/yr |
| A Tennessee resident with a 3.75 and a 32 |
Ned McWherter Scholars (state, March 1) |
$6,000/yr on top |
| A leader and a joiner |
Leadership Scholarship (February competition) |
Full tuition, 2 awards |
| A CS and math double major |
Pascal Fellowship (mentorship + FedEx ties) |
$5,000 + program |
| Well rounded, willing to apply |
Gadomski Triangle Scholarship |
One-time, small pool |
Honors Program — FAQs (Christian Brothers University)
Is Honors admission automatic if my student has good stats?
No. There is a separate Honors application through the CBU admissions portal, and CBU weighs test scores, high school GPA, extracurriculars, and writing ability together rather than using a single cutoff. CBU also runs information sessions covering the program and the application process, and registering for one is a reasonable first step.
Does joining Honors increase my scholarship offer?
It does not. Your merit tier is set by the published grid at the moment of acceptance, and Honors admission does not move it. This is the most common misconception families bring to CBU.
Are Honors courses harder?
They emphasize depth, discussion, and smaller sections rather than added volume. First and second year students are pointed toward honors sections that satisfy general education requirements in English literature and religious studies, so early on it is the same requirements taught in a smaller room.
Is it worth doing without the money?
For a student headed toward medical school, law school, a PhD, or a competitive engineering job, yes, and mostly because of the Honors Contract mechanism and the faculty access that comes with it. For a student who mainly wants to graduate and get to work, the priority registration alone may justify it and the six co-curriculars per semester may not.
Where do I ask questions?
The Honors Program office is in the Rosa Deal School of Arts, Room 305B, at honors@cbu.edu or (901) 321-3529.
Sources:
https://www.cbu.edu/academics/special-programs/honors-program/
https://www.cbu.edu/academics/special-programs/honors-program/honors-eligibility/
https://www.cbu.edu/academics/special-programs/honors-program/honors-faq/
⭐ College Specialty
Christian Brothers University is the oldest degree-granting college in Memphis, founded in 1871 by the De La Salle
Christian Brothers, and it has stayed deliberately small at roughly 1,100 undergraduates. What that buys you is a
12-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio and professors who actually know your student’s name by October. What it costs you is
breadth: this is not a school with a hundred majors. CBU concentrates on engineering, business, the sciences, healthcare,
and education, and it is genuinely strong in those lanes.
Nationally Known Program:
The Gadomski School of Engineering is the reason a lot of families find CBU in the first place. Four
ABET-accredited majors (chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical), plus engineering management and a packaging
concentration that plugs directly into Memphis logistics. There is also an accelerated five-year BS/MS track. The
engineering programs carry their own money: an $8,000 first-year award at the dean’s discretion, and an NSF-funded
S-STEM grant for engineering and computer science students with financial need. One thing to plan for: chemical, civil,
electrical, and mechanical engineering, along with biochemistry and natural science education, require a minimum
22 math ACT or the SAT equivalent for admission even though CBU is otherwise test-optional.
- Business (accounting, finance, marketing, management): The largest cluster on campus, with concentrations in banking, international business, supply chain, and sport management. Accounting runs into a Master of Accountancy, which matters for students chasing the 150-hour CPA requirement.
- Nursing: A traditional BSN program with clinical placements across one of the deepest hospital markets in the South, including Methodist, Baptist, Le Bonheur, Regional One, and St. Francis. Budget for the program’s own fees: $750 per semester plus a one-time $185 lab fee.
- Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Mathematics: A combined Computer Science and Mathematics double major is the only route to the Pascal Fellowship, which was built with FedEx and includes industry mentorship and a senior project at a Memphis-area company. There is also a standalone cybersecurity and digital forensics major.
- Pre-Health Pathways: Structured tracks for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine, alongside biomedical science, health science, and biochemistry majors. For a school this size, that is an unusually well-mapped set of routes into professional school.
- Behavioral Sciences: Psychology, applied psychology, and neuroscience. Worth noting that CBU discloses these undergraduate programs do not by themselves meet professional licensure requirements in any state, so a graduate degree is the assumed next step.
- Education: Licensure-track majors from early childhood through secondary English, math, natural science, and special education, feeding directly into the region’s school districts.
One practical thing that does not show up in rankings: CBU is accredited by SACSCOC and publishes its retention,
persistence, graduation, and job placement data openly on its consumer information page. For a small private college,
that transparency is worth a few minutes of your time before you write a deposit check.
🔗 Official Christian Brothers University Links
Every link below was checked against CBU’s live site. Use these for final deadlines, award terms, and official figures. CBU does not publish a public Common Data Set, so the Consumer Information page is where its retention, graduation, and job placement data lives instead.
✅ Wrapping It Up
Here is the honest summary. Christian Brothers University will not be the cheapest name on your student’s list, and it does not pretend to be. What it offers instead is something most private colleges will not give you: a published grid, no separate application, no essay, no fee, and a number you can calculate in your kitchen in about four minutes. For families who are exhausted by opaque financial aid letters that arrive in April, that alone is worth something.
Just go in with your eyes open on two points. The top award covers roughly half of tuition and nothing toward housing, so the grid narrows the gap rather than closing it. And the two full-tuition awards go to at most twelve students a year, one of them limited to Shelby County. Apply for them, but do not plan around them.
The families who do best here are the ones who work the layers. Visit campus before you commit and take the $1,000. Live outside Tennessee and take the $3,500. Get the FAFSA in by April and take the $3,000 housing grant. Make sure admissions knows Grandma went here. Check whether your high school carries the Lasallian designation. Retake the ACT once if you are sitting two points below a tier line, because at CBU those two points have a published dollar value. None of that requires an essay. It requires a checklist and somebody in the house paying attention, which is usually a parent.
And if your student is a strong Tennessee tester headed into engineering, nursing, business, or a pre-health track, run the CBU number against your in-state public before you assume the public wins. With the grid, the state HOPE money, and possibly the McWherter match stacked together, the gap is often much narrower than the sticker price suggests. Run the net price calculator before you fall in love with the grid, and confirm your tier with an admissions counselor before you treat it as settled.
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