Marquis & Lafayette Awards Program
Lafayette recognizes its most outstanding applicants with non-need-based, merit-based awards named for the College’s namesake. Recipients of Marquis & Lafayette Awards have intellectual energy, empathy, idealism and action-orientation in a fashion that honors Le Marquis de Lafayette.
All applicants to the College, both early decision and regular decision applicants, are considered for Marquis & Lafayette Awards and are encouraged to schedule an admissions interview as part of their application experience. Candidates seeking financial aid, whose demonstrated need exceeds the amount of a Marquis or Lafayette Award, will receive additional need-based aid up to their level of demonstrated need. Applicants seeking need-based aid must submit the required financial aid documents by their assigned due dates.
All Marquis & Lafayette Awards are granted annually for up to eight semesters of full-time study. Only first-time applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships at the time of their application for admission. Selection is based on the academic record prior to enrolling at Lafayette.
The Marquis Fellowship is a full-tuition scholarship. A 3.00 grade point average is required to maintain this merit-based scholarship.
The Marquis Scholarship is a half-tuition award. A 3.00 grade point average is required to maintain this merit-based scholarship.
The value of both the Marquis Fellowship and Marquis Scholarship are appended to a set tuition amount and will grow each year with annual tuition increase.
Lafayette Awards are offered in increments of $2,500 between $5,000 and $30,000.
All scholarships are awarded at the time of admission and are noted in the applicants’ acceptance letters, regardless of whether admitted as an Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision applicant. Notification can be found on the applicants’ Lafayette portals. Domestic students are also mailed acceptance letters. Additional financial aid awards are found on the applicants’ portals only.
Who typically qualifies for a Marquis Award?
Lafayette seeks students who have demonstrated intellectual curiosity in addition to their superior academic achievement. Curriculum, grades, rank in graduating class, and scores on standardized tests (for those who submit as they are optional) are all considered. Furthermore, the College looks for students creatively engaged in the life of their communities and who, like the College’s namesake, have “made a difference” through significant accomplishments in school and community.
Fellowship and scholarship offers are typically made to students who are at the top of their graduating class in the most demanding curriculum available, with standardized test scores above the mean for admitted students (see the profile of the most recently admitted class).
Students who decide that Lafayette is their first choice and apply under the Early Decision option are also carefully considered for all merit-based scholarship opportunities. However, if your enrollment here is critically dependent on being awarded a merit-based scholarship, you should apply under the Regular Decision option.
All merit-based scholarships (Marquis Fellowship and Scholarship) are renewed each year at Lafayette provided the student maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and is enrolled full time. Students who are also requesting need-based financial aid must file all required forms by the deadlines.
Although the admission application deadline is January 15, we strongly encourage those seeking merit-based scholarships to submit their applications a few weeks earlier.
No additional application materials are required for merit scholarship consideration. This underscores the importance placed upon submitting the highest-quality and best-prepared application possible.
Athletic Scholarships
Lafayette offers athletic scholarships in 10 sports:
- men’s and women’s basketball
- women’s field hockey
- football
- men’s and women’s lacrosse
- men’s and women’s soccer
- softball
- women’s volleyball
Recipients are selected based on athletic talent as well as the ability to meet Lafayette’s rigorous academic standards. Compliance with NCAA regulations and continued participation in the sport are required. Scholarship recipients are required to file the FAFSA each year in order to determine and maximize federal and/or state eligibility. First-year students must file by November 15 if Early Decision I and January 15 if Regular Decision. A full athletic scholarship covers tuition, fees, room, board, and books. Partial scholarships are also awarded.
Athletic Scholars are subject to the same application requirements, filing deadlines, and terms and conditions of need-based grant awards (academic progress, full-time enrollment, and maximum of eight semesters).
Posse Scholarships
Lafayette College partners with the New York City and Washington, D.C., chapters of The Posse Foundation and selects and awards full-tuition scholarships to 10 incoming students from each city. Posse Scholars are required to file the FAFSA. First-year students must apply Early Decision I and file the FAFSA by the Early Decision I deadline. Students seeking additional need-based aid must meet all filing deadlines. Posse Scholars are subject to the same application requirements, filing deadlines, and terms and conditions of need-based grant awards (academic progress, full-time enrollment, and maximum of eight semesters).
Tuition Exchange Scholarships
Lafayette participates in Tuition Exchange (TE), a national scholarship exchange for dependent children of qualifying employees of member institutions. Eligibility for a TE scholarship must be certified by the TE liaison officer at the parent/guardian’s place of employment. TE is considered an employment benefit and not treated as an outside scholarship, meaning the value of TE will applied toward demonstrated need. Applicants must submit all required documents and meet the filing deadlines to be considered for admission and financial aid, if applicable.
The number of scholarships offered by Lafayette each year is subject to the balance that must be maintained between “imports and exports of eligible candidates.” Selection of TE scholars is highly competitive and determined by the Office of Admissions. Given the competitiveness of the program, awards are typically limited to first-year applicants. Students should expect to receive notification no later than April 1. For more information, contact Krista Evans, dean of admissions, evanskr@lafayette.edu.