Scholarships

Applicable for fall 2026 enrollment

Students who are accepted to SUNY Potsdam are automatically considered for merit scholarships, no scholarship application is required. However, you must have a valid FAFSA on file.*

Apply for admission and complete your FAFSA as soon as possible, as SUNY Potsdam scholarships and grants are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis and as funding allows. The minimum high school GPA to be considered for a merit-based scholarship is 88 on a 100 point scale, or equivalent. Students with a Student Aid Index (SAI) of $15,000 or less will also be considered for the St. Lawrence Academy (SLA) Grant. Merit scholarship and SLA grant recipients will be notified of their award(s) via email and in their SUNY Potsdam financial aid package.

If your high school education is through a home school program, international school, TASC / GED, please contact your Admissions Counselor to learn more about eligibility.

* The FAFSA is not required for international students.

Special Rules Apply:

• Students receive the scholarship for up to eight semesters of consecutive full-time study.
• To retain merit scholarship funding, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA each year of study.
• Students must live on campus in order to receive a merit-based scholarship and/or a St. Lawrence Academy (SLA) Grant.
• Scholarship awards are deducted from non-tuition educational costs.

NOTE: NCAA Division III Bylaws prohibit the awarding of financial awards, grants and scholarships to intercollegiate student-athletes on the basis of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance. As a result, eligibility for scholarships will be assessed without the consideration of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance.

Applicable for fall 2026 enrollment

Students who are accepted to SUNY Potsdam are automatically considered for merit scholarships, no scholarship application is required. However, you must have a valid FAFSA on file.*

Apply for admission as soon as possible, as scholarships are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis and as funding allows. The minimum college GPA to be considered for a merit-based scholarship is 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. Merit scholarship recipients will be notified of their scholarship via email, and that merit award will also be included in the SUNY Potsdam financial aid package.

If the campus you are transferring from is an international school, please contact your Admissions Counselor to learn more about eligibility.

* The FAFSA is not required for international students.

Special Rules Apply:

• Students receive the scholarship for up to four semesters of consecutive full-time study.
• To retain merit scholarship funding, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA each year of study.
• Students must choose to live on campus in order to receive a merit-based scholarship.
• Scholarship awards are deducted from non-tuition educational costs.

Note: NCAA Division III Bylaws prohibit the awarding of financial awards, grants and scholarships to intercollegiate student-athletes on the basis of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance. As a result, eligibility for scholarships will be assessed without the consideration of athletic participation, leadership, ability or performance.

Together with our generous alumni and supporters, SUNY Potsdam supports continuing students with more than 300 scholarships and awards each spring semester. To be considered, continuing students can ask their academic department and/or Student Affairs about opportunities at the beginning of the spring semester.

New students from eight states across the country will be able to attend SUNY Potsdam for the same tuition they’d pay at their home state’s public university system flagship schools.

2026 applicants from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California are eligible for the SUNY Tuition Match program.

Upon acceptance to SUNY Potsdam, eligible students will be automatically awarded with an estimated Potsdam Tuition Match as campuses typically finalize tuition rates later in the year.

If you have any questions, please connect with our Admissions Office.

The College in High School Scholarship is a one-time $1000 award for any first-time, matriculated college student that has taken SUNY Potsdam CHS coursework. This will be awarded in addition to any other SUNY Potsdam scholarships. 

Learn more about CHS