Undergraduate Scholarships and Financial Aid
Through support from generous donors and national foundations, MBU offers tailored financial aid packages that recognize academic and extracurricular achievements that make an MBU education affordable.
Each year, MBU provides over $16 million in scholarships, benefitting 100% of our undergraduate residential and commuter students.
Aid Offered:
Undergraduate Residential and Commuter Merit Scholarships
If you’ve excelled in the classroom, served your community, have a special relationship to MBU and its partners — or even just visited our campus — you may be eligible for merit-based scholarships and aid.
Academic Scholarships
Mary Baldwin University offers academic scholarships to new full-time undergraduate residential and commuter applicants (first year and transfer) based on academic achievement.
All applicants for admission are considered automatically and there is no separate application process. Standardized test scores are not required for these scholarships.
Undergraduate residential and commuter students (first-year and transfer) who are accepted for admission to MBU will be considered for an academic scholarship of up to $21,000 annually, and up to $84,000 in total over a four-year period.
Students are notified of eligibility for academic scholarships at the time of admission, and the information will be reflected in their financial aid award letter. The combination of Mary Baldwin Scholarship and Grant funds cannot exceed tuition in any given year. The award is renewable each year for four years or until the student satisfies the degree requirements, whichever comes first, provided the student remains in good academic standing and maintains satisfactory academic progress with the university.
| Scholarship | Transcript GPA | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Presidential | 3.9 and above | $21,000 |
| Dean’s | Between 3.5 and 3.89 | $20,000 |
| Founders | Between 3.0 and 3.49 | $19,000 |
| Baldwin | Below 3.0 | $18,000 |
Earn funding as you complete your MBU application, submit your FAFSA, and visit campus!
Application Priority Filing Award
Students submitting applications for undergraduate residential and commuter admissions on or before one of our priority deadlines (December 15, February 15, and March 15) will receive a renewable $1,000 award.
MBU Campus Visit/Virtual Event Award
Students who participate in one or more MBU-hosted campus visits or virtual events for undergraduate residential and commuter admissions will receive a renewable $1,000 award.
FAFSA Filing Award
Students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit the FAFSA to MBU prior to enrollment will receive a renewable $1,000 award. The FAFSA form must be completed each year to be awarded these funds.
Check out additional opportunities to earn funding from MBU, if you’re a part of the following groups.
MBU Sibling Award
Undergraduate residential and commuter students who have a sibling currently attending MBU will receive a $1,000 award.
Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership (VWIL) Award
Undergraduate residential and commuter students who are admitted to the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership (VWIL) program will receive a renewable $2,500 award. Please note that this scholarship requires completion of an additional VWIL admission application.
Military Veterans & Dependents Scholarship
Undergraduate residential and commuter students who are veterans, or spouses or dependents of veterans, of the U.S. military will receive a renewable $1,000 award. Eligibility is verified by the student providing a DD-214 of their military service, or their parent/spouse’s military service, with honorable discharge.
MBU-ROTC Supplemental Award
MBU provides additional funding to students who are recipients of the three and four-year ROTC national scholarships. ROTC national scholarships are awarded independently through the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
MBU is committed to cover the cost of attendance, including housing (room) and food (board), for ROTC National Scholarship recipients through an MBU-ROTC Supplemental Award.
This is an annual award. To keep the scholarship each semester, cadets must continue to demonstrate eligibility for their ROTC National Scholarship. This award is not stackable with any other MBU awards/grants. MBU-ROTC Supplemental Award funding, combined with ROTC and any other external scholarships, cannot exceed cost of attendance. Documentation of the ROTC National Scholarship needs to be forwarded to the Mary Baldwin University Office of Financial Aid to qualify for the MBU-ROTC Supplemental Award. The ROTC Supplemental Award is only available to undergraduate residential students. Students who live off campus or commute from home are not eligible to receive the MBU-ROTC Supplemental Award.
First Responder
Students currently employed in emergency medical services, law enforcement, and fire and rescue may qualify for this scholarship opportunity. Eligible students can receive up to $1,000 annually.
Application Award
Apply to MBU on or before one of our priority deadlines (Dec. 15, Feb. 15 & March 15) and receive a renewable $1,000 award!
Undergraduate Residential and Commuter Need-Based Institutional Aid
MBU is committed to keeping a college education within reach for our students and their families.
MBU Grant Awards
The Mary Baldwin University Grant is awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. The FAFSA form must be completed each year to be considered for these funds.
Filling out the FAFSA Form
MBU keeps it simple! The only form you need to fill out is the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA). Then sit back, relax, and receive your customized financial aid package from MBU. (Plus a $1,000 award, just for submitting the FAFSA!)
Mary Baldwin’s FAFSA code is 003723.
Undergraduate Residential and Commuter Need-Based State and Federal Aid
Loans are a type of financial aid that students or their families can borrow to cover educational expenses. Unlike scholarships, grants, or work-study, loans need to be repaid over time, often with interest. Loans can be obtained from the government (federal loans) or private lenders, and the terms and interest rates may vary.
For the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters, approximately 66.5% of all enrolled students at MBU (undergraduate and graduate students combined) have used federal student loan funding. MBU’s most recent federal student loan default rate is 0%, while the national average is 0%.
Federal Loans
Most students are eligible for Federal Direct Loans, and eligibility is determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There are two types of federal student loans available to students:
- Direct Subsidized loans accrue no interest until after graduation. They are available to undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need.
- Direct Unsubsidized loans begin to accrue interest immediately. Borrowers are not required to make payments while in school but may make payments at any time. You do not need to demonstrate financial need for an Unsubsidized loan, and this loan type is available to undergraduate and graduate students.
More information about federal loans can be found here.
Direct Parent PLUS Loan
The Direct Parent PLUS Loan is a loan for parents of undergraduate, dependent students. Loan eligibility is based on college costs, less other aid, subject to a credit check by the lender. A parent can increase the loan amount up to the student’s cost of attendance less any other financial aid received. The extra funds can be used to cover loan fees, books or other educational expenses.
Review current and historical interest rates and loan fees here.
Contact our office for assistance in determining the amount of loan you may need. Parents begin repayment 60 days after the second disbursement of the loan (usually in March of an academic year); however, repayment may be deferred. Parents can contact their lender about the deferment process – lender information can be accessed at studentaid.gov within a month of the first PLUS loan disbursement.
More information about the Parent PLUS Loan is available here.
Students who demonstrate exceptional financial need, and who are earning their first undergraduate degree or a postgraduate teaching certificate, may be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant of up to $7,395 per year. Eligibility is determined using the FAFSA.
Students who display exceptional financial need may be eligible for the FSEOG program. Eligibility is determined based on the FAFSA.
Students may be able to finance part of their education through part-time employment at MBU. MBU’s work study program currently offers student positions on campus. The first step toward determining your eligibility for work study is to submit the FAFSA. Relevant paperwork including tax forms must be submitted to the student employment coordinator in the Financial Aid Office. Work study eligibility does not guarantee employment through the Student Employment Program.
Students who are planning to become teachers in low-income areas may be eligible for Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants of up to $4,000.
Students whose parents or guardians were members of the US Armed Forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11 may qualify for federal service grants, even if they do not meet the eligibility requirements for the Pell Grant. Students must have been under 24 years old and enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of their parent or guardian’s death.
Tuition Assistance Grant Program (VTAG) is designed to assist Virginia residents who attend accredited private, nonprofit colleges and universities in Virginia for other than religious training or theological education. MBU is one of these institutions. Eligible Virginia residents can receive a tuition assistance grant of up to $5,000 for the academic year. Completed applications must be submitted to the financial aid office of the institution on, or before, July 31 prior to the fall semester of enrollment. Applications submitted after July 31, but no later than December 1, will be considered for an award only if funds are available.
Transfer Student Scholarships & Aid
Transfer residential and commuter students who are Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Scholars will receive a $1,500 renewable award.
Established in 2007, the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program (CTG) provides an incentive for students to first complete an associate degree at a Virginia public two-year college before transferring to a participating Virginia four-year college or university as a means to reduce the overall cost towards completing a bachelor’s degree.
Eligible students who have completed an associate’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate financial need may be eligible for this $1,000 annual grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia. An additional $1,000 bonus award is offered for students in science, teaching, mathematics, or nursing.
Don’t hesitate to reach out! Contact MBU’s Office of Financial Aid