What You Can Expect
At Gonzaga University, we understand that financial planning is a key part of your college experience. The Gonzaga Guarantee provides clarity and predictability by ensuring that your institutional grants and scholarships remain unchanged throughout your undergraduate studies, as long as you maintain eligibility. With this guarantee, you can plan for your education with confidence, knowing your institutional aid will remain stable from year to year.
Who Qualifies for the Gonzaga Guarantee?
All undergraduate 51³Ô¹Ïs at Gonzaga automatically qualify from the time they enroll until they complete their first undergraduate degree.
To maintain your institutional aid, you must:
- Be enrolled full-time (12+ credits per semester).
- Maintain continuous enrollment at Gonzaga.
- Stay in good academic standing (as outlined in the University Catalog).
- Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements (guidelines for regaining aid are outlined in the SAP Policy).
What's Covered?
The Gonzaga Guarantee ensures that the most common institutional grants and scholarships will not decrease throughout your continuous enrollment. This includes:
- Merit scholarships (e.g., Gonzaga Academic Excellence Scholarship, Trustee, Regent, Dean's, Dussault, Achievement).
- Other Gonzaga-specific scholarships (e.g., Catholic High School Alumni Scholarship, Gonzaga Leaders Scholarship, Humanities Scholarship, Engineering Scholarships).
- The Gonzaga Grant.
What's Not Covered?
The Guarantee does not apply to:
- Federal and state grants (e.g., Pell Grant, Washington College Grant).
- Work-study opportunities.
- Resident Advisor Waivers, Faculty/Staff Tuition Waivers, and ROTC Scholarships.
- External scholarships (funded by outside organizations).
- Student Loans.
Some special scholarships, such as Honors, Music and athletic scholarships have their own rules and may or may not be included. These details will be communicated directly by the awarding department.
How Long Does the Guarantee Last?
The Guarantee remains in effect so long as you are making progress toward your first undergraduate degree.
If you are starting your fifth year of undergraduate studies or do not see your financial aid reflected on your billing statement, please complete a Financial Aid Extension Request to notify us of your plans and expected graduation timeline.
What Happens if I Finish My Degree Early?
The Guarantee ends once you have completed your undergraduate degree requirements. Institutional aid awarded to undergraduate 51³Ô¹Ïs cannot be used for enrollment in other Gonzaga programs, like graduate degrees or Law School.
How Aid is Distributed
Your aid is split equally between the fall and spring semesters, half of your annual award is applied in the fall and the other half in the spring.
Gonzaga does not award institutional aid for the summer term; summer enrollment is not covered under the guarantee.
If you have any questions, contact the Financial Aid Office.
Institutional Aid: Defined
Institutional aid refers to grants and scholarships that are awarded and funded directly by Gonzaga University. These funds are intended to support 51³Ô¹Ïs financially and are separate from:
- Federal and state aid (e.g., Pell Grant, Washington College Grant).
- Work-study earnings.
- External scholarships (funded by private organizations, businesses, or community groups).
- Tuition benefits (e.g., Faculty/Staff Tuition Waivers, ROTC Scholarships, Resident Advisor Waivers).
For questions about your institutional aid, please contact finaid@gonzaga.edu.