AFFORDABILITY AT WESTMINSTER
Every single Westminster student receives aid — and no one pays the published sticker price. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends, every student accepted to Westminster receives at least $22,000 in merit scholarships.
Published cost, 2026-27
Tuition, housing, and food
Average cost after aid
100% of undergraduates receive scholarships or grants.
FAMILIES JUST LIKE YOURS
Meet the students joining us in Fall 2026 — a community built from every income level. At Westminster, what your family earns doesn't decide whether you belong here. Students from every background find their place, and a way to afford it. The numbers below show just how wide that range runs.
Federal grant support for lower-income students
First in their family to attend college
A close-knit residential community
STICKER PRICE, ITEMIZED
Let's start with the full price, no fine print. This is what a year at Westminster costs in 2026–27 — tuition, fees, housing, and meals, before a single scholarship is applied. It's only the starting point, though. Almost no one pays full sticker price — scholarships, grants, and other aid bring out-of-pocket costs well below it.
Why it Costs Less Than it Looks
Because our alumni and friends know the value of a Westminster degree, they give back — so the next generation of students can benefit the way they did. Their generosity funds the scholarships and grants that bring your cost down.
So while the published price may look daunting, know that every student receives at least $22,000 in aid.
HOW AID WORKS
Aid isn't a single discount — it's a stack of smaller pieces working together. It comes in three forms: money you never repay, money you can borrow, and money you earn. Stacked up, they turn that published price into something far more manageable.
START HERE - THE FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS
This is the foundation — and where your cost drops the most, because none of it is ever repaid. Every accepted student earns a merit scholarship, awarded automatically and renewable all four years. Many add need-based grants, endowed scholarships, and community scholarships on top.
IF YOU NEED IT
LOANS
After the free money, some families borrow to cover part of what's left — through federal or, if needed, private loans. Loans are repaid over time, but they lower your out-of-pocket cost now, spreading the investment across the years your degree pays you back.
AS YOU GO
WORK-STUDY & JOBS
Students can earn as they go, too. Federal Work-Study and jobs on and off campus let you earn a paycheck during the year to put toward your bill — often while building a résumé at the same time. Every dollar you earn is a dollar you don't borrow.
Hunting for outside scholarships? Start a free search at fastweb.com — any awards you receive brings your cost down even further, beyond what the example below shows.
The example below uses only free money — scholarships and grants — to show how far your cost drops before you borrow a single dollar.
Example Aid Offer | First Year | 2026-27
- $26,000
- $2,000
- $1,000
- $2,000
- $4,000
- $4,000
This is only one example of how a financial aid offer comes together. Every family's circumstances are different,so every award is too.
THE WESTMINSTER ADVANTAGE
The Advantage is applied last — after your scholarships and your federal and state grants — to cover whatever tuition is left. There's no separate application and no essay.
The Westminster Advantage scholarship is a program for students who meet eligibility criterion, so not everyone will qualify — but for those who do, it's one more way a Westminster education becomes genuinely affordable.
Be a Pennsylvania resident.
High school GPA of 3.0 or higher
Total family income of $75,000 or less
File the FAFSA and apply for a PA State Grant
STACKABLE AID
Beyond your merit scholarship, Westminster layers on even more ways to bring your cost down. Some are one-time grants you earn during the admission process by hitting key steps — each with its own deadline, applied to your first-year bill. Others renew year after year, so the savings follow you all the way to graduation. And some aren't Westminster's money at all — they're federal and state grants, like Pell and the PA State Grant, that you become eligible for by filing the FAFSA. Filing the FAFSA is the single most important step to unlocking the federal and state aid you're eligible for. Here's how it all stacks up.
One Time During Admission
Early Application Grant
Apply ahead of the deadline
$1,500
Transcript Grant
Send your official transcript
$500
FAFSA Filing Grant
File the FAFSA with our code 003392
$1,000
Visit Grant
Come see campus
$1,000
Deposit Match Grant
We match your enrollment deposit
$200
Annual With Eligibility
Out-of-State Grant
For students from beyond PA
$2,000
Music Ensemble Grant
Perform in a Westminster ensemble
$1,000
Jerb Miller Scholarship
Alumni educator–nominated
$2,000
Young Presbyterian Scholarship
For active Presbyterian students
$2,000
The Foundation of Your Award
Merit Scholarship
Guaranteed minimum, renewable 4 years
$22,000+
Federal Pell Grant
Based on your FAFSA
Up to $7,395
PA State Grant
Through PHEAA
Up to $6,000
Westminster Advantage
Eligible PA families applied last
Tuition
MERIT, GUARANTEED
Nearly every student earns a merit scholarship, guaranteed on admission and renewable all four years, starting at a minimum of $22,000. And this is an academically strong class: about a third of the entering class arrived with a weighted high school GPA above 4.0.
Share of scholarship recipients at each award level Fall 2026 entering class.
More students earn the top $30,000 scholarship than any other amount. Because it's guaranteed on admission and renews each year, it's real money you can count on for four years — not a one-time discount.
THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Affordable going in — and worth it coming out. Westminster students finish with manageable debt and a degree that's nationally recognized for value.
Of demonstrated financial need met
Among the highest of PA peers
Average years to a degree
Finish on time, spend less
Median student debt at graduation
Below the national average
Money — for educational quality, affordability, and outcomes.
Washington Monthly — helping students of every background earn marketable degrees affordably.
Washington Monthly — national recognition for value.
The Net Price Calculator gives you a personalized estimate — merit and grants included. Then take the next step.