13 Full Ride and Free Tuition Scholarships: West Coast
It is possible to go to college for free, with a merit scholarship! Here’s our full list of West Coast colleges and universities that offer merit-based full ride or free tuition scholarships.
Complete list of merit-based full rides at Mid-Atlantic schools.
Coming soon: Complete list of merit-based full rides at Southern schools.
Complete list of merit-based full rides at East Coast schools.
Go to College on a FULL RIDE or with FREE TUITION! - Full Ride/Full Tuition Scholarships to West Coast Schools
Everyone wants to go to college for free. And guess what - you actually CAN! Seems like a dream come true, right?
There are multiple ways to do this. Some schools have great financial aid policies and guarantee a full ride or full tuition for students from families under a certain income level. However, this list is only 14 schools long.
Good news, though! This is the news we have to share in this blog post - there are also PLENTY of schools that offer merit-based full ride or free tuition scholarships to students that don’t fall into their financial aid income levels.
The schools included in the other post are listed for their need-based aid - this means that the aid described there is given to ALL of their students. At those schools, with so many exceptional students admitted, it’s more difficult to point out star people to give merit-based scholarships to. And for most of those schools, it’s not necessary to give these scholarships because the school’s brand often is enough of a pull to get students to accept the admission offer.
However, there are many, many more lower-profile (and even some higher-profile!) schools that offer very comparable education to more “elite” universities, just without the name brand, that are looking for star students - like YOU - and want to entice you to accept their offer. That’s where these merit scholarships come into play. If the school sees you as someone that would really add to their campus, they’ll offer you a merit scholarship (based on your achievements).
This is the secret to going to college on a full ride or with free tuition - make sure to apply to schools that offer these merit scholarships! Don’t discount lower-profile schools; the more your scores and achievements are outside their typical range, the more likely they are to offer a scholarship to you!
This blog post, current October 2022, lists ALL the schools on the West Coast (and Hawai’i) of the United States that offer full rides and full tuition scholarships based on merit:
Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, California)
Interdisciplinary Science Scholars: Offers full tuition and is available for students with financial need. This scholarship is part of the Scholar Community Program and is for students with a passion for science and leadership whom are interested in pairing a non-science major with a science major. Admitted students are selected for this program based on the information they provide in their application for admission.
Seaver Scholars: Offers a full tuition merit scholarship to incoming freshmen. Selections are based on exceptional leadership as well as a commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Admitted students are selected for this program based on their application and recipients are expected to participate in small group leadership programs.
Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction, Colorado)
Distinguished Scholar Award: Covers tuition for Colorado residents and $6,000 annually for out-of-state residents. To qualify, students need a 3.75 GPA, an ACT composite score of 29 or SAT combined score of 1340, and be in the top 5% of their class. All applicants to the university are automatically considered.
Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, California)
The President’s Scholars Program: Offers full-tuition to about eight students each year. The program is intended for incoming freshmen who have the potential to be leaders in STEM. Priority is given to traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, such as women, ethnic minorities, low income students, students with disabilities, and students who are the first in their families to attend college. Applicants must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and have had a rigorous high school course, excellent grades, and rank among the top students in their high school. Candidates must submit their scholarship application by January 20.
Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon)
Barbara Hirschi Neely Scholarship: Offers full tuition and a $2,000 stipend for approved projects to five entering first-year students. Selections are based on exceptional academic achievement, leadership qualities, community impact and participating in an on-campus program and interview. Applications are due by November 2, early action or early decision.
Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California)
Arrupe Scholarship: Offers scholarships ranging from $12,500 annually to full tuition. Admitted students are selected for this program based on the information they provide in their application for admission.
Occidental College (Los Angeles, California)
Barack Obama Scholars Program: Offers a loan-free financial aid package that covers tuition, room and board, books, summer travel, and other expenses. Selections are based on outstanding academic achievement and a commitment to the public good. Students who are first-generation college students, military veterans or community college transfers are given preference. There is no separate application.
Soka University of America (Aliso Viejo, California)
Global Merit Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, travel and personal expenses, books, and supplies. All admitted students are given automatic consideration for this award.
Makiguchi Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, travel and personal expenses, books, and supplies. One Makiguchi Scholarship is given to an international applicant who has graduated from high school in an African nation, demonstrates academic achievement, outstanding character, and has financial need. All admitted students are given automatic consideration for this award.
Ikeda Scholarship: Offers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, travel and personal expenses, books, and supplies for one year. This scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship program at Soka University, and is awarded to one incoming sophomore, one incoming junior, and one incoming senior each year. Selections are based on academic accomplishment with experiences in leadership and service.
University of Hawai’i (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Regents Scholarship: Offers full tuition, a $4,000 stipend per year, and a one-time travel grant of $2,000 to twenty outstanding freshmen each year. Students must have a GPA of 3.5 - 3.8, and have remarkable extracurriculars to be eligible.
Presidential Scholarship: Offers a full tuition waiver for two years, a $4,000 stipend per year, and a one-time travel grant of $2,000 to ten college juniors each year. Eligible students have a minimum of a 3.7 GPA for all college level work, a record of sustained progress in academic courses, and evidence of superior academic achievement or a creative endeavor.
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
Trustee Scholarship: This scholarship includes full tuition and is awarded based on academic excellence, leadership, service, and talent. Freshmen applicants are automatically considered, and after interviews are conducted in late February and early March, finalists are contacted in late January or early February.
