First-Year Student Scholarships
Scholarships are available to students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
At Saint Mary's, we are driven by the unwavering commitment to make higher education accessible to all, offering distinctive and abundant financial aid and scholarship options that pave the way to a limitless future. Undergraduate scholarships are awarded on a need and merit basis and many are renewed annually.
Typically, students receive a combination of state and federal grants, Saint Mary's grants, and need-based and non-need-based government and private loans. Those are all in addition to the many merit-based scholarships from noteworthy academic performance and specific department honors. The average financial aid offer for the Fall 2022 admitted class was approximately $37,989.
First-Year Scholarships
Additional Scholarships
The Alumni Legacy Scholarship valued at $2,000 is available to new first-year and transfer students who are admitted for the upcoming Fall or Spring term, and who are the immediate children or grandchildren of Saint Mary’s College alumni. Qualification as an 'alumni' constitutes successful completion of an Undergraduate (B.A. or B.S.) or Graduate (M.A., M.S., MBA, MFA, M.Ed, Ed.D) degree from the college. The scholarship amount of $2,000 is awarded for four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study and is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress.
To apply: Eligible legacy applicants will be automatically awarded upon contingent acceptance to the college.
A Note about the Legacy Scholarship: This award may be combined with other Saint Mary’s College Scholarships for up to a maximum of three separate awards, which may not exceed the cost of tuition. These awards will be applied against any financial need that you may demonstrate through the filing of the Free Application of Federal Student Aid. Please note that should you later prove eligible for any Pell and or California Grant aid, the maximum amount of gift aid you will be awarded will not exceed the cost of tuition.
This scholarship enables an African-American student pursuing a Performing Arts degree a full-cost scholarship, renewable for four years, at Saint Mary’s College of California. As a full-cost scholarship, it covers both full-time undergraduate tuition and fees, as well as housing and meal plan while on campus.
Who can apply for this scholarship?
African American students with financial need residing in either Alameda or Contra Costa Counties pursuing a major or minor in the Performing Arts.
What are the majors that students can choose?
Performance & Theatre Studies, Design & Technical Theatre, Music, and Dance.
Is an audition required?
Yes, as a competitive scholarship an audition and interview is required.
Do students need to apply FAFSA to be eligible?
Yes, students need to complete the FAFSA by January 1 in order to be eligible. As a need-based scholarship, students need to qualify for the Pell and Cal Grant Programs.
Is it renewable?
Yes, the scholarship is renewable for four academic years for full-time enrollment to end with the completion of a baccalaureate degree.
What is the GPA requirement?
Minimum 3.0 GPA.
Apply here: https://admissions.stmarys-ca.edu/register/departmental-scholarships
Scholarships are determined and awarded at the time of acceptance, no additional forms are required to be considered for this scholarship. The scholarship will automatically be applied to each of your four years of consecutive full-time undergraduate study -- toward your first bachelor's degree -- at Saint Mary's College.
This award is available to admitted first-year students graduating from De La Salle Christian Brothers high schools. Recipients can combine these awards with one of the listed merit-based scholarships determined at the time of acceptance.
Scholarship amount per year: $5,000
Total Scholarship Amount over four academic years: $20,000
The Macken Collegiate Forensics Scholarships
Students are selected to receive scholarships based on their level of commitment to the Macken team, their competitive potential and contributions, and their academic standing. To apply students must complete and submit the following items.
- You will need to apply for admission to Saint Mary’s College
- Complete the Macken Collegiate Forensics application
- Available to incoming first-year, transfers, and currently enrolled SMC students
- Scholarships range from $2,500 - $5,000 annually
This scholarship in Journalism and Communication offered to one eligible entering first-year student and one transferring or continuing junior each year. This merit-based award is for Communication majors or those with a demonstrable commitment to journalism. To apply students must complete and submit the following items.
- You will need to apply for admission to Saint Mary’s College
- Complete Scholarship Application
- Provide a brief (500 words) statement of interest
- Provide proof of a 3.0+ GPA
- Your Portfolio of work on journalism (broadly defined)
- One letter of reference
- The scholarship amount is $6,000 per year
“Saint Mary’s checked all those boxes and was within decent driving distance from home. They offered me considerable scholarships, which was kind of them. Also, when I went to visit campus on a day that wasn’t specifically for visitors, students seemed actually interested in the stuff they were learning. That was quite honestly a big factor for me."
- Molly Gilbert ’23
Additional Resources
Veterans & Dependents Benefits
Saint Mary's is committed to providing our veteran students and their dependents access to all of the benefits they may be eligible for, in addition to the other financial aid options such as federal, state, and/or institutional grants, loans, and scholarships.