USD First-Year Merit Scholarships
ListedCollege program
- Award
- Individual award amount determined by USD; renewable for up to four years, or five years for Engineering students.
- Timeline
- Nov 1, 2026Fall 2027: Early Decision I and Early Action
- Jan 5, 2027Early Decision II
- Jan 15, 2027Regular Decision . No separate merit application.
- How to apply
- Submit the Common Application and USD Member Questions plus required admission documents; all first-year applicants are considered automatically. USD does not consider SAT/ACT scores for fall 2027.
- What you'll need
- No separate application: you are considered when you apply for admission
- Who can apply
- All undergraduate first-year applicants to the University of San Diego (private, in San Diego; not UC San Diego), via holistic review of grades, course rigor, leadership, service, talent and personal qualities.
- Good to know
- Renewal requires a 3.0 cumulative USD GPA. Awards may combine with USD and outside aid; individual offers may include additional renewal conditions. USD offers a personalized merit estimate through its net price calculator; this estimate is not an official award offer.