Unlocking Opportunities: A Guide to GCU Transfer Scholarships

Grand Canyon University (GCU) offers a range of scholarship opportunities designed to make a private, Christian education affordable for transfer students. GCU welcomes applicants 16 years old and older for admission consideration. GCU seeks future graduates with diverse interests, experiences and perspectives, ready to capture academic opportunities with creativity and enthusiasm. Whether you're transferring from a community college or another university, understanding the available scholarships and their requirements is crucial.

GCU: A Transfer-Friendly University

GCU is a transfer-friendly university with ten colleges and over 349 academic program offerings. GCU's in-state and out-of-state tuition are the same per our commitment to delivering an affordable and transformative higher education to all students. The university provides support and scholarships for transfer students to help them pursue their academic goals.

Indirect Start Scholarships

As a transfer student, you may be eligible for a GCU Indirect Start Scholarship. Students with 24 or more attempted college credits must use their cumulative GPA to qualify for an Indirect Start Scholarship, while those with fewer than 24 attempted college credits must use their high school GPA.

Scholarship Amounts

Grand Canyon University offers a selection of substantial scholarship opportunities designed to make it easier for students to fund their higher education. GCU offers five Indirect Start Scholarship award levels ranging from $1,500 to $6,750. The amount of scholarship money you receive depends on your GPA or your ACT or SAT test scores.

Eligibility for Indirect Start Scholarships

To apply for a Gap and Transfer Student Scholarship, applicants must submit unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. Once any college coursework has been attempted, SAT and ACT scores may not be used to apply for an Indirect Start Scholarship. Students with 24 or more attempted college credits must use their cumulative GPA to qualify for an Indirect Start Scholarship, while those with fewer than 24 attempted college credits must use their high school GPA.

Read also: Transfer Student Funding

Indirect President Scholarship

The Indirect President Scholarship is under the Gap and Transfer Student Scholarships. It is available to students with an HS unweighted GPA of 3.9 or above, or a cumulative transfer GPA of 3.75 or above, or an ACT of 31, or an SAT of 1410. If a student is admitted based on ACT or SAT, the student needs a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 2.5 to be awarded.

Gap and Transfer Student Scholarships

Gap and Transfer Student Scholarships are available to students who do not enroll at GCU the semester following their high school graduation or those transferring from another university or college to GCU, provided they plan to attend classes on GCU's main campus as a traditional undergraduate student.

Application Requirements

To apply for a Gap and Transfer Student Scholarship, applicants must submit unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. Upon completion of final terms at all institutions, they must provide the official transcripts to GCU. Once enrolled as a traditional, undergraduate student and attending classes on GCU's main campus, you must maintain continuous full-time enrollment at GCU and adhere to the scholarship program requirements for renewal.

Additional Scholarship and Grant Opportunities

In addition to academic scholarships, there are additional scholarships available for traditional, undergraduate on-campus students.

Non-Academic Scholarships and Grants

GCU offers a variety of non-academic scholarships and grants, including:

Barnabas Scholarship Opportunities
Grand Canyon University Award (in-state and out-of-state)
California Grant Match Award
Honors College Scholarship
Canyon Rising Scholarships (Arizona and Out-of-State Residents)
Leadership, Education and Opportunity (LEO) Foundation Scholarships
CCSC Awards 17-21 and 21-23
Grand Canyon Theological Seminary Scholarship
Pell Grant Match Scholarship
Financial Support Scholarship
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship
Fostering Futures Scholarship

The Barnabas Scholarship Program will be used to cover your GCU tuition expenses progressively throughout your studies.

Program-Specific Grants

Priority Registration Grant: These grants award $750, $500 or $250 per academic year if you are among the first group of students to enroll at GCU for the fall semester.
Computer Science/Information Technology/Engineering Program (CSTEP) Grant: This grant awards $1,000 per academic year if you are admissible to GCU and enroll in one of our computer science, information technology or engineering programs.
Phi Theta Kappa Grant: This grant awards $1,000 per academic year if you are admissible to GCU, are a current member of Phi Theta Kappa and have a 3.5 or greater cumulative college GPA.
Canyon Christian Schools Consortium (CCSC) Scholarship: This scholarship awards $5,000 per academic year if you live on campus or $2,500 per academic year if you live off campus. You must attend a CCSC school, graduate with a 3.0 GPA and meet the required minimum ACT or SAT score. If you receive a CCSC scholarship, you are ineligible for the Grand Canyon State University Grant (in-state and out-of-state). Additionally, you are required to perform 20 hours of service each semester, as determined by the university, and must maintain a GCU GPA of 3.0 or higher each academic year to continue receiving the award.

High School Student Scholarships

High School Student Scholarships are only for students planning on attending class on GCU’s main campus as a traditional, undergraduate student in the fall semester directly after graduating from high school. These may be available to you if you graduated high school between December of the previous calendar year and June of the calendar year in which you wish to enroll and are planning on attending class on GCU’s main campus as a traditional, undergraduate student.

International Student Scholarships

International students attending GCU with an F-1 Visa are eligible for Indirect Start Scholarships only.

MOU Scholarships

GCU provides several scholarships based on Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with different organizations:

(See disclaimer ◊,◊◊) On select bachelor's and master's degrees in education!
**(See disclaimer ◊) **Discover your scholarship eligibility as you plan for the future. Find answers to your scholarship questions and hear more about the details behind different scholarship opportunities.
(See disclaimer MOU 9238): This scholarship is only valid for applicants who are currently working for an accredited school or district, who are seeking initial teacher licensure and who are not already a licensed teacher, and who are applying for one of the following bachelor’s programs: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education (any emphasis), Elementary Education and Special Education, Educational Studies, Secondary Education (any emphasis). This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarships. This scholarship will be applied toward your tuition only, and you will not receive funds in excess of your charges.
(See disclaimer ◊◊) MOU 9237: This scholarship is only valid for applicants who are currently working for an accredited school or district, seeking initial teacher licensure, not already a licensed teacher and applying for one of the following Master of Education programs: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education, Elementary Education and Special Education, Secondary Education (any emphasis), Special Education (any emphasis). This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarships. This scholarship will be applied toward your tuition only, and you will not receive funds in excess of your charges.
(See disclaimer ±) MOU 10141: This scholarship is only valid for admissible new students who are participating in a GCU evening-campus program, offered on GCU’s main campus, and who submit a completed application to start their program on or before December 31, 2026. If you enroll in an evening-campus program, Grand Canyon University will offer you 20% off the tuition per course for your program. This scholarship will be applied at the same time the tuition charges occur. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarships/awards. This scholarship will be applied toward your tuition only and does not include fees (i.e., Canyon Connect, Technology, etc.).
(See disclaimer ¬) MOU 10134 & 10135: This scholarship is only valid for those applicants who are participating in a GCU College of Education or secondary education emphasis master’s degree program, offered online, and who submit a completed application to start their program on or before December 31, 2026. If you enroll in a master’s degree program through any of the College of Education or secondary education emphasis degree programs offered online, Grand Canyon University will offer you 18% off the tuition per course for your program. This scholarship will be applied at the same time the tuition charges occur. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarships/awards. This scholarship will be applied toward your tuition only and does not include fees (i.e., Canyon Connect, Technology, etc.).
(See disclaimer §) MOU-Alumni 2000 Doctoral-Feb2026: The Alumni Scholarship for Doctoral Programs is only valid for those applicants who submit a complete application and begin a Doctoral program in February 2026. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarship or awards and only applies to online and evening programs.
(See disclaimer †) MOU 10324: This scholarship is only valid for new student applicants who submit a complete application, meet all requirements for acceptance and start an online or evening Bachelor of Science in Psychology or Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Health Science beginning on or after Feb. 1, 2026. GCU will award eligible applicants a scholarship of 32% off tuition per course for your program. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarship/awards.

Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility

GCU's scholarships are renewable annually. To maintain your current scholarship, you must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) with GCU at the end of each academic year (spring term). To review SAP requirements, please review the University Policy Handbook.

General Conditions

Scholarships may be awarded based on sixth semester transcripts. At the time in which final official transcripts are received, GCU reserves the right to rescind or modify the scholarship if it is determined that eligibility was not achieved. GCU reserves the right to decline scholarship awards for any reason. If a student does not meet the minimum renewal criteria, their scholarship will be forfeited. GCU reserves the right to change scholarship awards at any time without notice.

GPA Requirements

If a student is admitted based on ACT or SAT, the student needs a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 2.5 to be awarded. The Chancellor award is the only scholarship level that requires an unweighted GPA for eligibility.

The Registration Commitment

GCU’s Registration Commitment is your chance to secure a scholarship offer and admission decision for a future semester. By sharing your intent, GCU’s admissions team can appropriately plan for your arrival.

Benefits

Benefits include:

Locking in GCU’s scholarship offer, aligning with the date of the signed Registration Commitment
Course advisement to maximize transferability of credits
Invitations to exclusive GCU events so you can experience our community before you officially join the Herd

This option is available to a variety of incoming students including those taking a gap year, those currently enrolled at another school or those planning to attend another school prior to attending GCU.

Transfer Resources at GCU

GCU offers several resources to assist transfer students:

The university employs a bulk transfer process for the transfer of doctoral credits from the same type of degree (e.g., EdD, PhD, etc.) and the same type of content (e.g., organizational leadership, business administration, etc.).
GCU is proud to offer servicemen, servicewomen and Veterans the option to transfer up to 30 college credits from military training and experience.

How to Apply

Educational Interests: This helps GCU connect you with the right enrollment counselor to help you through the process.
Submit Transcripts: Submit unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. If you did not attend another college or university, you must provide your high school transcript.
Test Scores (If Applicable): SAT and/or ACT test scores can be used to apply for these scholarships if you have a 2.5 or higher unweighted high school GPA.
Final Transcripts: Upon completion of final terms at all institutions, provide the official transcripts to GCU. For scholarship adjustment considerations, submit unofficial transcripts, due no later than two weeks prior to the start of the term. All official transcripts are due by day 21 of the semester to lock in your scholarship award.
Maintain Enrollment: Once enrolled as a traditional, undergraduate student and attending classes on GCU’s main campus, you must maintain continuous full-time enrollment at GCU and adhere to the scholarship program requirements for renewal.

Additional Financial Aid

To minimize debt, and graduate with the least amount of debt possible, GCU encourages students to accept the most beneficial sources of financial assistance first, such as scholarships, grants, work-study (if eligible), student worker positions, and GCU’s interest-free payment plan options. Compare the terms of federal loans before applying for private loans. Please review the terms and conditions of student loans, including grace periods and payment plan options.

State and Federal Grants

Grants are financial aid awards that do not require repayment, making them a valuable resource for potentially reducing educational costs. They may be ideal for first-time students, returning learners and those pursuing advanced degrees. By understanding the various types of grants for college and their eligibility criteria, you have the opportunity to secure vital funding to help achieve your academic goals.

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