By Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Updated: September 13th, 2021

According to research from Pew, there are over 50 million Catholics in the United States. This makes Catholicism one of the most common religious denominations in the country. This also means that there are many Catholic scholarships out there to support Catholic students!

In this guide, you will learn about private Catholic scholarships, as well as some of the top Catholic colleges and universities that offer merit scholarships to prospective students.

Jump ahead to:

• Top Catholic Scholarships
• Top Catholic Colleges
• Summary of Catholic Scholarships
• Upcoming Catholic scholarships

Keep on reading to learn more about the top Catholic scholarships for 2021 including eligibility, award amounts, and application deadlines.

Top Catholic scholarships

Annual Catholic College Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students who are a current high school freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in attending a Catholic university or college.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: September 30, 2021

$2,500 Christian Connector Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be a current high school freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in attending a Christian university or college.
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: September 30, 2021

$500 Faith and Tech Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who are Christian and interested in technology
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: October 10, 2021

Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship

• Eligibility: Practicing Catholics who are high school seniors actively involved with a Scout Troop, Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship. Must have earned the Eagle Scout, Summit Award or Quartermaster Award as well as the Altare Dei, Pope Pius XII, or Light is Life (Eastern Rite) Religious Award
• Amount: 1st place $5,000, 2nd place $4,000, 3rd place $3,000 plus four additional $2,000 scholarships
• Deadline: March 1, 2022 

Knights of Columbus Scholarships

• Eligibility: High school students who will enroll at a Catholic college or Catholic university in the United States. They must be members in good standing of the Knights of Columbus, a son or daughter of such a member, or of a such a deceased member
• Amount: $6,000 ($1.500 per year for a total of four years)
• Deadline: April 1, 2022

Catholic Order of Foresters Scholarships

• Eligibility: Catholic high school seniors insured by the Catholic Order of Foresters for two years before they apply for the scholarship
• Amount: Up to $5,000 (20 scholarships are awarded!)
• Deadline: Varies

Catholic Community Foundation Scholarships

• Eligibility: Catholic students from high school to university level study in a variety of majors, including STEM, engineering, and humanities. Scholarships for first generation students as well
• Amount: Up to $5,000
• Deadline: Varies

Young Christian Leaders Scholarships

• Eligibility: High school seniors or college student who are active in their churches and permanent residents of Connecticut, New Jersey, or New York
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: Rolling through August 30th

Top scholarships at Catholic colleges

In addition to private scholarships, Catholic students should consider Catholic colleges and universities. Institutional financial aid can include generous merit scholarships, as well as need-based financial aid.

Some of the top Catholic Colleges are:

Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)

• Boston College only offers one merit scholarship program, the Presidential Scholars Program, which is a full tuition scholarship that 15 students per year will receive.

University of Dayton (Dayton, OH)

• The University of Dayton considers all accepted students for merit scholarships. These awards range from $59,000 to $109,000 over four years.

Fordham University (Bronx, NY)

• Fordham offers a variety of merit scholarship programs ranging up to the Cunnliffe Presidential Scholarship which is a full ride scholarship that includes tuition, room, board, other fees, and up to $20,000 over four years for academic enrichment.
• Since Fordham is a test-optional college, students do not need to submit the ACT or SAT to be considered for merit scholarships.

Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)

• Georgetown does not offer merit scholarships, but does meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students.
• To receive financial aid from Georgetown, students must submit both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.

College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

• While most of Holy Cross’ financial aid budget is focused on supporting need-based aid, there are some merit scholarships available (many of these merit scholarships also have a need-based component).

Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA)

• Loyola Marymount offers merit scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 per year. All students who apply and are accepted to LMU are considered for these scholarships so no additional application is needed!

University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)

• Notre Dame offers the Notre Dame Scholars Program, which is a renewable scholarship worth $25,000 per year that 20 students will receive per year.
• Notre Dame also offers the Stamps Scholarship which is a full tuition scholarship that also includes $12,000 of additional funding for students.

University of San Diego (San Diego, CA)

• University of San Diego considers all applicants for merit scholarships that range from $18,000 to $25,000 per year.
• Since USD is test-optional, ACT and SAT scores are not required parts of the scholarship review process.

Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA)

• Santa Clara merit scholarships include awards that are full ride, full tuition, and half tuition.
• There are also specific scholarships for legacy students, as well as for students talented in theater, art, and music.

Villanova University (Villanova, PA)

• The Villanova Presidential Scholarship is a full ride scholarship for high-achieving students who are also leaders in their communities.
• Villanova’s other merit scholarships also have a need-based component, so the only pure merit scholarship is the Presidential Scholarship.

Summary of Catholic scholarships

1. Annual Catholic College Scholarship
2. $2,500 Christian Connector Scholarship
3. $500 Faith and Tech Scholarship
4. Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship
5. Knights of Columbus Scholarships
6. Catholic Order of Foresters Scholarships
7. Catholic Community Foundation Scholarships
8. Young Christian Leaders Scholarships

Upcoming Catholic scholarships

$500 Hailey Julia “Jesus Changed My Life” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to Christian high school and undergraduate students who write an essay about how their lives changed because of Jesus
• Amount: $500

Catholic United Financial Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students must be members of the Catholic United Credit Union for at least two years
• Amount: Up to $500

Italian Catholic Federation Scholarships

• Eligibility: High school students living in California, Arizona, Nevada, or Illinois.
• Amount: Up to $1,000

National Catholic College Admission Association Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors planning to attend a member college of the National Catholic College Admission Association (CCAA)
• Amount: $1,000 (16 awards will be given out)
• Opens: January 2022

Newman Society Essay Scholarship Contest 

• Eligibility: High school seniors  who sign up and explore the Newman Society’s tips for navigating the college search
• Amount: $5,000