Merit Scholarships: Incoming traditional students are awarded merit scholarships by the Office of Admission based on their application for admission to Guilford College. Merit scholarship determination uses a combination of SAT/ACT, GPA, service, community involvement, leadership and essay. Merit scholarships require that you maintain good academic standing to retain your scholarship. Undergraduate students must meet the following:

• The required minimum cumulative GPA requirement is 1.6 for students who have earned 53 credits or less
• The required minimum cumulative GPA requirement is 1.8 for students that have earned 54 to 86 credits
• The required minimum cumulative GPA requirement is 2.0 for students that have earned 87 credits or more

Guilford Grant: This grant is awarded to cover a portion of the gap between financial aid available and the student’s financial need based on the FAFSA. If you receive a scholarship from any source after being awarded the Guilford Grant, the grant may be reduced by the amount of the scholarship that was added to your award package. This can occur before, during, or at the conclusion of any semester and will be adjusted at the time the Office of Financial Aid is notified of this additional scholarship.  This grant requires you maintain good academic standing to retain. 

Bonner Scholar: Scholars enrolled prior to fall of 2021 receive substantial grant and scholarship assistance to meet their financial need in full.  This makes the Bonner Scholarship one of Guilford’s most generous scholarships and removes the financial barriers for many students.  The scholarship will pay for up to the cost of double room and the Quaker 19 meal plan if need allows for it. This grant requires you maintain good academic standing to retain. In addition, two checks per semester will be issued to the student for the Bonner community service work. These checks will be issued to the student, when authorized by the Bonner Office, if the balance due has been cleared. If the student has a balance due, the Bonner checks may be used as payment toward that balance. Students will need to sign a release form, authorizing the College to use Bonner stipends to settle account balance due. 

Outside Scholarships and Loans. A student who has been awarded any outside scholarships and/or loan must produce a letter of confirmation indicating the source of the money and the estimated date of payment. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 336.316.2354 or financialaid@guilford.edu with information about any additional scholarship or loan funds. Upon receipt of the letter, the student’s account will have the scholarship and/or loan listed.  When the funds arrive, it will be credited to the student’s account.   

Aid for Quaker Students: To the extent that funds are available, Guilford follows the guidelines below for financial aid to Quaker students.

• Quaker Leadership Scholarship Program: In an effort to recognize leadership potential among young Friends and to cultivate that potential, Guilford offers an average of eight to 10 Quaker Leadership Scholarships to each entering first-year class. Scholars are selected on the basis of interest in the Religious Society of Friends as well as leadership and academic potential. Students selected as Quaker Leadership Scholars receive financial awards renewable for four years. Selected QLSP recipients may apply for the “Sojourners” program after their first year. Sojourners undergo a more intense series of self-examinations and program requirements. Quaker Leadership Scholars must participate in a variety of program activities that include mentoring, community service, internships, Quaker studies courses and involvement in campus groups. The program is coordinated through the Campus Ministry Office and Friends Center.  This scholarship requires you maintain good academic standing to retain. 

• Other Aid for Quaker Students: Guilford matches scholarship funds provided by a student’s Meeting House up to a maximum of $500.

NOTE: All Guilford College scholarships, grants, and awards require full-time enrollment and that you maintain good academic standing to retain your institutional aid.  Most institutional aid is restricted from paying more than 100% of tuition when combined with certain non-Guilford awards.  CE students are not eligible for most forms of institutional aid. 

North Carolina Need-Based Scholarship (NCNBS): The State of North Carolina provides scholarship assistance to North Carolina students who meet the N.C. residency requirements. They must be enrolled as an undergraduate student in at least 9 credit hours, demonstrate a certain level of financial need based on calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The grant amount will vary depending on the student’s FAFSA, enrollment, and appropriated funding by the N.C. General Assembly.  It is recommended that you complete the FAFSA as early as possible due to funding restrictions. This grant requires you maintain good academic standing to retain. 

State Assistance for Students from States Other than North Carolina

We suggest students contact the Department of Education in their home state to ask about state-funded financial aid opportunities for students attending school out of state. In some states, the agency/department responsible for higher education financial aid programs may be called the State Board of Higher Education, State Council of Higher Education, State Education Assistance Agency (or Authority), Office of Student Financial Assistance, etc. Generally, the appropriate office/agency/department is located in the state’s capital. If students have difficulty locating the address of their state’s Department of Education, contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.