Queens University of Charlotte Scholarships (2026–2027)
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Last Updated on September 15, 2026- 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: ~57%
- Middle 50% ACT: 23-28
- Middle 50% SAT: 1160-1340
- Average GPA: 3.5
This is the single biggest thing happening at Queens, and it changes what your student’s diploma will say. Here is the plain version.
On June 29, 2026, the regional accreditor approved the first step of a merger between Queens and Elon University. Elon is now the sole member of Queens. For right now, Queens still runs as Queens: its own board, its own accreditation, its own degrees.
Step two is expected around mid-2028, pending federal approval. When it happens, Queens stops being a separate degree-granting university and becomes an additional Elon campus in Charlotte. Students enrolled at that point become Elon students and graduate with an Elon diploma carrying a Queens campus designation. The name of the combined institution has not been decided.
Parent translation: a student starting in fall 2027 will very likely walk across the stage holding an Elon degree earned on the Queens campus. Whether that is a win depends on how you value the two names. Elon carries a stronger national profile and a top ranking for undergraduate teaching. Queens carries 169 years of Charlotte roots. Both universities have committed in writing that tuition, financial aid, and scholarships continue without interruption, and that admissions runs as planned.
Comparing multiple schools? Try the Scholarship Tool to search by GPA, test scores, and state →
📌 Queens University of Charlotte at a Glance
- Queens publishes no merit scholarship tiers. There is no chart of names and dollar amounts to aim at. Every applicant is automatically reviewed, and the number shows up in your award letter. Anyone showing you a Queens tier grid is guessing.
- Two deadlines, and the later one is not the one that matters. The posted scholarship deadline is December 10. But Early Decision and Early Action close November 15, and that is the pool the strongest awards come out of. Treat November 15 as your real date.
- The full-ride program is not taking applications. The Charlotte Talent Initiative funds tuition, housing, and meals for four years. Queens currently states it is not accepting CTI applications. Do not build a plan around it.
- The other full-tuition award is one scholarship, for one student, from one community college. The CPCC Presidential goes to a single traditional transfer student from Central Piedmont each year.
- Outside scholarships stack here. Queens says so in writing on its own scholarships page. That is not universal, and it makes local and civic scholarships worth real money at Queens.
- Test-optional is genuine. The one exception is the BSN Direct Admit nursing track, which requires a 1100 SAT, a 22 ACT, or a passing TEAS, plus a 3.5 unweighted core GPA, with a November 14 priority date.
FAQ
Is this college test-optional? Yes — Queens University of Charlotte is test-optional.
What is the middle 50% ACT/SAT? ACT: 23-28; SAT: 1160-1340.
Average net price? About $27,786/year after aid.
Does this school use waivers/reciprocity? No — private school; same rate for all.
University scholarship page: https://www.queens.edu/afford/scholarships/
Transfer admission process page: https://www.queens.edu/admissions/transfer-admission-process/
RoyalUp transfer program page: https://www.queens.edu/admissions/royalup/
Charlotte Talent Initiative program page: https://www.queens.edu/afford/charlotte-talent-initiative/
Honors Program page: https://www.queens.edu/academics/honors-program/
Music & Music Therapy auditions page: https://www.queens.edu/artsci/music-music-therapy-auditions/
Preyer History Fellows program page: https://www.queens.edu/artsci/preyer-history-fellows-program/
Study abroad funding page: https://www.queens.edu/studyabroad/funding/
Athletics site: https://queensathletics.com/
APCU Presbyterian scholarships PDF: https://www.presbyteriancolleges.org/wp-content/uploads/APCU-Presbyterian-Scholarships_2021.pdf
Fastweb scholarship listing: https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/scholarships/183390-gossett-jewish-leadership-scholarship
CollegeScorecard / Admissions: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
💰 Cost of Attendance at Queens University of Charlotte 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) | $49,715 | $49,715 |
| Housing & Meals (typical) | $17,528 | $17,528 |
| Total (Direct Costs) | $67,243 | $67,243 |
Average Federal Net Price: $27,786 — 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.
📌 Regional Tuition & Waiver Options
Two things are baked into Queens tuition that most schools charge extra for, and they are easy to miss when you are comparing price tags.
- A funded trip abroad. The John Belk International Program provides funding toward an international experience for every full-time undergraduate paying comprehensive tuition. Queens aims to keep any supplemental cost under $1,000. Roughly 11 percent of American college graduates study abroad. At Queens it is closer to the norm.
- An internship, required. Every Queens student completes one, and it can be done overseas. In a city with Bank of America, Truist, Lowe’s, Ally, and Duke Energy inside a fifteen-minute drive, that requirement is doing real work.
When you compare Queens against a public flagship, put those two line items on the public school’s side of the ledger as an out-of-pocket add-on. It narrows the gap more than families expect.
FAQ — Cost of Attendance at Queens University of Charlotte
Is the price different for out-of-state students?
No. Queens is private, so every undergraduate pays the same published tuition and fees regardless of where they live. There are no residency waivers and no regional reciprocity programs. A family in Ohio and a family in Myers Park see the same number.
Why is the published total so much higher than the average net price?
Because almost nobody pays the published total. Queens reports that 98 percent of students receive financial aid and that 100 percent of applicants are automatically considered for scholarships. The federal average net price reflects what families actually paid after grants and scholarships came off, and it is roughly 40 percent below sticker.
What is the difference between the direct costs and the full cost of attendance?
Direct costs are what Queens bills you: tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and food. The full cost of attendance adds federally required estimates for books, transportation, and personal expenses, which brings the on-campus figure to about $74,968. Those extra categories are not charges, they are budget allowances, and your aid cannot exceed the total.
Can we lower the housing and food number?
Yes, meaningfully. Queens uses a single living-expense allowance, but the underlying rates vary. A first-year double in Albright, Barnhardt, Belk, or HBO runs $9,740 for the year, and a triple or quad drops it further. Meal plans range from about $4,048 to $7,550. Choosing a triple and a mid-tier plan instead of a suite and unlimited dining is a four-figure decision.
Does the Elon merger change what we pay?
Not according to either institution. Queens and Elon have both stated that tuition, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities continue without interruption, and that Queens remains a participant in federal financial aid programs throughout the transition. Your scholarship follows your student. What changes over time is the name on the diploma, not the award letter.
Will tuition go up each year?
Almost certainly, at Queens and everywhere else. Private universities commonly raise rates in the 2 to 5 percent range annually. Merit scholarships at Queens are typically fixed dollar amounts renewable for up to four years, which means the award stays flat while the bill climbs. Budget for the gap to widen by roughly $1,500 to $2,500 a year by senior year.
Is nursing priced the same as everything else?
No. The BSN tracks carry their own tuition schedule, listed separately by Queens. If nursing is the target, price that program specifically instead of using the general undergraduate number.
https://www.queens.edu/afford/
https://www.queens.edu/living/housing-options-rates/
https://www.queens.edu/afford/dining-on-campus/
https://charlotte.elon.edu/elon-queens/
📅 Queens Scholarship Timeline (Simple Version)
- November 14: Priority date for the BSN Direct Admit nursing track. Nursing families, this is your date, and it comes first.
- November 15: Early Decision and Early Action close. This is the pool the strongest scholarship offers come out of.
- December 10: The posted scholarship deadline.
- February 14: Regular Decision. Queens continues rolling admissions after this, but the money thins out.
Queens lists both November 15 and December 10 as scholarship-relevant dates across different pages on its own site. When a university gives you two dates, use the earlier one. Nothing bad happens by being three weeks early.
Automatic Merit Scholarships — Queens University of Charlotte
What Queens does not do is publish a tier chart. No named awards, no dollar amounts, no GPA or test cutoffs. If you have seen a Queens merit grid somewhere online, it was reconstructed from old listings, not from the university.
💡 The Number That Actually Helps You Plan
Since Queens will not give you a grid, use the federal data instead. The average institutional merit award at Queens runs around $19,200 per year. Against roughly $49,715 in tuition and mandatory fees, that is a discount of about 39 percent before any need-based aid enters the picture.
Use that as your planning anchor, not as a promise. A student well above the admitted middle lands higher. A student at the edge of admissibility lands lower. The award letter is the only number that counts, and Queens turns one around within three to five business days of a completed FAFSA if the student is already admitted.
Note: Queens is genuinely test-optional and states that applications are complete and fully considered with or without scores. Submitting a strong score can strengthen the overall file, but there is no published score threshold that unlocks a specific award. The one exception is the BSN Direct Admit track, which does require scores.
Automatic Merit — FAQs (Queens University of Charlotte)
Do I have to apply separately for merit scholarships at Queens?
No. Queens states that the admissions application also serves as the merit scholarship application, and that all applicants are considered automatically regardless of financial circumstances. Both the Queens Application and the Common App are free and treated identically.
What GPA or test score do I need for a Queens merit scholarship?
Queens does not publish one. Merit is decided through holistic review of the academic record, course rigor, and the overall application. Admitted students who submitted scores have tended to land in the 1160 to 1340 SAT and 23 to 28 ACT ranges, but those are enrolled-student ranges, not scholarship cutoffs, and only a small minority of applicants submit scores at all.
When do I need to apply to get the best scholarship offer?
November 15. That is the Early Decision and Early Action date, and Queens describes applicants in that window as being considered for its most competitive scholarships. December 10 is the posted general scholarship deadline and works as a backstop, not as the target.
Are Queens merit scholarships renewable?
Yes. Institutional merit awards are typically renewable for up to four years with full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress. Renewal terms appear in your award letter, so read that section before you celebrate.
Can I stack outside scholarships on top of Queens merit?
Yes, and Queens says so directly: outside scholarships from churches, foundations, employers, and community groups can be stacked on top of university awards. That makes local scholarship hunting unusually worthwhile here compared to schools that claw back institutional aid dollar for dollar.
Is there merit money for transfer students?
Yes. Transfers are reviewed automatically for institutional merit, and Queens uses rolling admissions, which means earlier applications get better consideration for both admission and money. Central Piedmont students should look hard at RoyalUp, and Phi Theta Kappa members should make sure that membership is documented in the application.
What is the Queens Commitment?
It is the guaranteed floor attached to the RoyalUp pathway: Central Piedmont students who enroll in RoyalUp, hold a 2.5 GPA, and complete an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science are guaranteed admission to Queens plus a minimum of $10,000 per year in Queens institutional aid. Nursing is excluded from the pathway.
https://www.queens.edu/afford/scholarships/
https://www.queens.edu/admissions/high-school-admission-process/
https://www.queens.edu/admissions/royalup/
https://www.queens.edu/admissions/transfer-admission-process/
🏆 Flagship Scholarships (Competitive Scholarships)
Queens has exactly two full-value competitive awards, and neither one is realistically available to a general applicant right now.
- The Charlotte Talent Initiative is a genuine full ride covering tuition, housing, and meals for four years. Queens currently states that it is not accepting applications for the program.
- The CPCC Presidential Scholarship covers full tuition, but it goes to one traditional transfer student from Central Piedmont Community College per year.
If your student is a high school senior in, say, Ohio or Georgia, there is no full-tuition path at Queens this cycle. The realistic ceiling is automatic merit plus stackable add-ons. We would rather tell you that now than let you build a plan around a closed door.
✅ Can You Stack Scholarships at Queens?
| Aid Type | Stacks with Merit? | Queens Parent Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Merit | Base award | This is the foundation of the package. Everything else layers on top of it or replaces it. |
| Outside Scholarships | Yes, explicitly | Queens states on its own site that outside awards stack on top of university aid. Chase the local ones. They are real money here. |
| Legacy Scholarship | Yes | A small add-on for children, grandchildren, or siblings of Queens students and graduates. Free money that layers, if you remember to mention the connection. |
| Departmental & Audition Awards | Usually yes | Music and music therapy auditions, the Preyer History Fellowship, and similar program awards generally layer on top of general merit. |
| CTI / CPCC Presidential | Replaces | These are comprehensive packages. They restructure institutional aid rather than adding to it. You do not get merit plus a full ride. |
| Athletic Aid | Limited | Queens is NCAA Division I. Athletic aid is coordinated with financial aid and constrained by NCAA equivalency rules. Ask the coach and the aid office the same question separately. |
| Need-based grants | Usually | Layered after merit to close the remaining gap. File the FAFSA with school code 002957 and do it early. |
The honest summary: Queens is not a school where a sharp essay and an interview weekend win a full ride. There is no nomination-driven flagship competition here the way there is at larger private universities. At Queens, the money is decided quietly during admissions review, and your leverage is the strength of the application and the timing of when you submit it.
❓ Flagship / Competitive Scholarship FAQs
Is the Charlotte Talent Initiative still available?
Not right now. Queens states on both its scholarships page and the CTI program page that it is not accepting applications at this time. The program funds tuition, housing, and meals for four years for selected Charlotte-area students from low-income backgrounds, through cohorts partnered with Ally Financial and Lowe’s. If it reopens, the program page is where it will be posted.
What did CTI actually require when it was open?
Selection weighed academic achievement, documented financial need, program fit, an interview, and willingness to commit to four years of cohort activities and internship pathways. The Ally cohort required a Computing and Data Analytics minor. Both cohorts excluded nursing and education majors.
Who can win the CPCC Presidential Scholarship?
One traditional transfer student from Central Piedmont Community College each year, selected for superior academic and leadership achievement. It covers full Queens tuition and requires a 3.50 GPA to renew. It is a separate track from the RoyalUp pathway, and the application requires written materials and letters of recommendation. Contact Queens admissions for the current-year timeline, which is not posted publicly.
Does Queens sponsor National Merit, QuestBridge, or Stamps?
No to all three. Queens is not a National Merit sponsor, not a QuestBridge partner, and not a Stamps partner institution. If your student is a National Merit Finalist chasing a guaranteed package, Queens is not that school.
Does the Elon merger open up Elon’s scholarships to Queens students?
Not currently. During step one the two universities operate separately with separate aid programs. Both have said scholarship opportunities continue without interruption and that any future changes will be considered with student access in mind. Nothing has been announced about cross-eligibility.
What should we prepare?
Since merit is decided inside the admissions review, the application is the scholarship competition. Strong essays and a clear activity record matter more here than at schools with separate scholarship forms. Our Essay Toolkit and Brag Sheet Builder are built for exactly this.
https://www.queens.edu/afford/scholarships/
https://www.queens.edu/afford/charlotte-talent-initiative/
https://charlotte.elon.edu/elon-queens/
The Academic Honors Program at Queens University of Charlotte
The structure is unusual and, for the right student, better than the standard honors-college model. You start with an introductory seminar on current topics, take a series of one-credit seminars along the way, and then do the part that actually matters: “honorize” two courses inside your own major. That means working with a faculty mentor to turn a regular course into a research project or a community-based learning experience of your own design.
- Incoming first-year students: considered automatically on the strength of the admissions application. No separate form.
- Transfer students: apply directly by emailing honors@queens.edu.
- Current Queens students: apply after completing at least one semester, with a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher.
- Application windows: September and January each year for transfers and current students.
Honors Scholarships & Awards
Queens does not publish an award amount tied to Honors Program membership for 2026-2027. Any dollar figure you see quoted elsewhere is an estimate. Confirm current award levels with the Honors office before you count on them.
- Faculty mentorship built into the major. The honorization requirement forces a one-on-one working relationship with a professor in your field. At a school with roughly 1,600 students, that access is the product.
- Honors housing. Hayes Residence Hall houses first-year and upperclass Honors students in suite-style rooms. Note that it prices higher than the standard first-year double, so factor that into the housing decision.
- Graduate school positioning. Independent research completed through honorization is the kind of thing that makes a recommendation letter specific instead of generic.
- Cross-major community. Students come from every program, so the honors cohort is a genuinely mixed group rather than a pre-professional silo.
Academic Honors Program — FAQs
Do incoming freshmen apply to Honors at Queens?
No. First-year students are evaluated automatically through the regular admissions review. Whether Honors is offered depends on the strength of that application: academic record, course rigor, and evidence of genuine intellectual engagement beyond grades. There is no separate deadline to miss.
What GPA does Honors require?
For current Queens students applying in, a 3.35 cumulative GPA after at least one completed semester. That same 3.35 is the standard for staying in good standing. Queens does not publish a high school GPA threshold for incoming students.
Can transfer students join?
Yes. Transfers from two-year or four-year institutions apply directly by emailing honors@queens.edu during the September or January window. This is not automatic the way it is for freshmen, so it requires an email that most transfers never send.
Are Honors courses harder?
Different, more than harder. The one-credit seminars are small and discussion-driven, and the honorized courses replace standard assignments with a project you design. Students who want more structure often find it more work. Students who want ownership of their own learning find it less.
Does Honors come with guaranteed scholarship money?
Not that Queens publishes. Honors membership is an academic distinction first. If there is an award attached in a given year, it is designed to stack on top of the base merit scholarship rather than replace it, but ask the Honors office directly for current figures.
Will the Honors Program survive the Elon merger?
Nothing has been announced either way. Both institutions have stated that no current student programs will be disrupted and that academic offerings will expand over time. Elon runs its own honors structures, so a student entering now should ask admissions how the two programs are expected to relate after step two.
https://www.queens.edu/academics/honors-program/
https://www.queens.edu/academics/honors-program/about/
https://www.queens.edu/living/housing-options-rates/
⭐ College Specialty
Queens is a small private university of roughly 1,600 students sitting in Myers Park, one of Charlotte’s oldest residential neighborhoods, about ten minutes from uptown. Founded in 1857 and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it has spent most of its recent history doing one thing deliberately: attaching a liberal arts education to a working city. Every student completes an internship. Every student gets funding toward an international experience. Those are not brochure lines, they are graduation requirements and endowed programs.
James L. Knight School of Communication — Built with support from the Knight Foundation, this is the program that gives Queens a profile beyond the Carolinas. Its distinguishing focus is using digital tools to close the digital divide in Charlotte itself, which means student work happens in actual neighborhoods with actual community partners rather than in a simulated newsroom. Journalism, public relations, and strategic communication students graduate with a portfolio built on real clients.
- McColl School of Business: Named for the former Bank of America chairman, and positioned accordingly. Four undergraduate programs and three master’s programs, with the school’s real asset being its placement pipeline into a banking and corporate headquarters city. Charlotte is the second-largest banking center in the country, and McColl students are twenty minutes from all of it.
- Presbyterian School of Nursing: The BSN runs on its own tuition schedule and its own admissions track, including a Direct Admit option for students with a 3.5 unweighted core GPA and qualifying test scores. Nursing is excluded from the RoyalUp transfer pathway, so plan the route in accordingly.
- Music Therapy: A Bachelor of Music approved by the American Music Therapy Association, supported by an on-campus Music Therapy Clinic where students work with real clients. Very few schools in the Carolinas offer this, and it is the most distinctive academic program at Queens that families have never heard of.
- Interior Architecture & Design: Accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, which is the credential that matters for professional licensure. Alongside graphic design and studio art, this sits in a department that runs small and hands-on.
- Law, starting fall 2027: Elon University School of Law is launching a full-time J.D. program on the Queens campus. For an undergraduate interested in law, having a law school physically on your campus changes what mentorship, research assistance, and early exposure look like.
- NCAA Division I athletics: Queens competes in Division I in the ASUN Conference, which is genuinely unusual for an institution this size. If your student is an athlete who wants D-I competition without a 30,000-student campus, this combination is rare.
🔗 Official Queens University of Charlotte Links
Every link below was checked and confirmed working. Use these for final deadlines, award terms, and official policy. Queens is mid-merger with Elon, so verify anything time-sensitive against the university directly rather than against a third-party listing.
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Undergraduate Admissions:
Applying to Queens
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Application Deadlines & How to Apply:
Undergraduate Admission Process
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Transfer Admission Process:
Transferring to Queens Admission Process
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Scholarships (Merit-Based):
Scholarships
-
Charlotte Talent Initiative (currently closed to applications):
Charlotte Talent Initiative
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Tuition, Fees & Cost of Attendance:
Tuition, Scholarships & Aid
-
Financial Aid (Need-Based) & FAFSA:
Financial Aid
Queens FAFSA school code: 002957 -
Net Price Calculator:
Net Price Calculator
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Academic Honors Program:
Honors Program
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RoyalUp Transfer Pathway (Central Piedmont):
RoyalUp Transfer Program
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John Belk International Program (funded study abroad):
John Belk International Program
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Elon & Queens Merger: Official FAQ and Timeline:
Elon & Queens
elonandqueens.org redirects here. This is the page that answers what happens to tuition, aid, admissions, and diplomas. -
Federal Data (College Scorecard):
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
Queens does not publish a public Common Data Set, so federal data is the best independent source for net price and outcomes.
✅ Wrapping It Up
Queens is a genuinely unusual case right now, and the usual scholarship math is only half the story.
On the money: there is no tier chart to reverse-engineer and no flagship competition to win. Every applicant is reviewed automatically, the average institutional merit award runs around $19,200 a year against about $49,715 in tuition and fees, and outside scholarships stack on top. The two full-value awards are effectively out of reach for most families, because one is closed and the other goes to a single Central Piedmont transfer each year. What makes Queens affordable is not a jackpot, it is a solid merit base plus a stack of small awards that you have to ask for by name: legacy, music, Presbyterian, departmental, transfer.
On what the price actually buys: a funded international experience for every full-time undergraduate, a required internship in a city full of Fortune 500 headquarters, class sizes where emailing a department chair actually works, and Division I athletics on a campus of 1,600.
And then the thing nobody can ignore. Queens is becoming part of Elon. Step one closed in June 2026. Step two is expected around mid-2028, and when it lands, students enrolled at Queens become Elon students earning Elon degrees on the Queens campus. Both universities have put in writing that tuition, aid, and scholarships continue uninterrupted, and the campus, the location, and the community are staying. But a family choosing Queens for fall 2027 should go in with eyes open: you are buying into an institution in transition, and the name on the diploma at the end is probably going to be Elon.
Depending on your read, that is either the risk or the whole point. Elon carries a stronger national profile and a top ranking for undergraduate teaching, and a Queens-sized price with Elon-sized recognition is not a bad trade. Just make it on purpose.
If you take three things from this page: apply by November 15 and not December 10, tell your admissions counselor every family connection and talent your student has, and ask directly how the merger will affect your student’s specific program and graduation year before you deposit.
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I started CollegeReadyParent while working through college costs for my own kid, and quickly figured out that the number a school advertises and the number a family actually pays are two very different things. Since then I’ve gone school by school pulling apart award letters, scholarship pages, and cost sheets to find what families are supposed to just know. This site is the version of that research I wish someone had handed me. More about Leo →