The WV Promise scholarship has opened a 2022 scholarship program for students who reside in West Virginia.
You may be eligible for this scholarship if you are; a high school student homeschooled student or a military student.
This article explains all you need to know about the WV Promise scholarship and how you can successfully apply for the scholarship without hassle.
About West Virginia (WV) Promise Scholarship
The WV Promise Scholarships is a merit-based financial aid program awarded by the College Foundation of West Virginia for the residents of West Virginia.
The academic achievements of a student are expected to be eligible for these funds.
The WV promise scholarship funds are in two categories, which are; the early and summer promise.
The scholarship amount is $4,750, which covers both the tuition and mandatory fees at public or private institutions in West Virginia.
The total amount of a WV Promise Scholarship award, together with assistance from all other sources, will not exceed the cost of the institution that the recipient attends.
WV Promise Scholarship Worth
The WV Promise Scholarship awards $4,650 per year or the expense of mandatory fees and tuition to students at any eligible institution.
The award payment is paid directly to the West Virginia University or college of the student’s choice.
WV promise Scholarship coverage
The WV promise scholarship funds can be used in any eligible four-year and two-year institutions in West Virginia.
The institution’s funds can be used to pay for undergraduate coursework that pertains to the student’s educational program.
A bachelor’s degree student is eligible to obtain the Scholarship for no more than eight semesters of a four-year degree program.
An associate degree student is eligible to get a Scholarship of not more than four semesters of a two-year degree program.
Note: Students who wish to change from a two-year degree program to a four-year degree program must be able to achieve the renewal requirements after their second year to continue scholarship eligibility.
Host Nationality
WV Promise Scholarship is awarded by the College Foundation of West Virginia for the residents of West Virginia.
Eligible Nationality
Promise Scholarship requires that the student must have lived in West Virginia for twelve successive months continuously coming before the WV Promise Scholarship deadline.
Eligibility for the WV promise scholarship.
Applicants must meet the following academic requirements for the WV Promise Scholarship before applying for the scholarship.
The applicant:
- Must complete a high school graduation requirement at a West Virginia private or public high school.
- Complete at least one-half of the credit required for high school graduation.
- Achieve an average cumulative grade point of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or whatever that is considered a “B average, based on county board grading policies in both overall coursework expected for graduation by West Virginia Department of Education and core courses.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants who are attending a private high school must submit a grade report form to be eligible.
- Applicants with sixth or seventh-semester grades may qualify.
- Applicants must have the grade point required based on the grades in all core courses a student completes on the core class listing, not just those required for graduation.
- Applicants’ Grade point average calculations must be determined by a school official or high school counselor.
- Applicants who use final grades to meet their eligibility are accountable for their grade reports.
- Students who do not qualify for the sixth or seventh-semester grade point average must apply and have a completed FAFSA submitted by the March 1 deadline to be considered.
Note: Homeschool applicants must give detailed documentation of their home school status from their county school board office.
Eligibility Requirements
To be for the WV Promise Scholarship, the applicant will need to fulfill the following requirement to be eligible for this Award:
- Minimum Test Score Requirements
Applicants must meet standardized test score benchmarks on the ACT or SAT federal test by the July test date for ACT and June test date for the SAT of the application year.
- ACT Score requirement:
Applicants must have at least 22 composite scores with a minimum of 20 in English, Mathematics, Science, and Reading.
- SAT Score requirement:
Applicants must have a total score of 1100 and 520 in Math.
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 530.
Note: The SAT writing percentage is not included in calculating the combined score. More so, Scores must be from a single testing date and cannot be combined from multiple test administrations.
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Eligibility Requirements for Homeschooled Applicants.
Homeschooled applicants must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or whatever is considered a “B” average in both core courses AND overall coursework required for graduation.
The core course requirements are:
- English- 4 credits
- Mathematics- 4 credits
- Social sciences- 4 credits
- Natural sciences- 3 credits.
Note: Homeschool applicants must submit documentation of home-schooled status from their county school board office, which must show that they were homeschooled during the 11th and 12th grades.
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Eligibility Requirements for Eligible Commuter Applicants
For eligible commuter applicants, they submit their grade report form and transcript to qualify.
The grade report forms must be submitted by a high school counselor or school official and can be found under documents.
Eligible commuters must provide documentation from a high school counselor or school counselor that they commuted on a daily basis to an out-of-state high school.
Applicants must have these scores if the ACT or SAT is taken.
ACT code: 4539
SAT code: 3456
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Eligibility Requirements for Military Dependents/ Armed Services Members Only
- Applicants must provide documentation of military status.
- Applicants must submit a grade report from an official transcript.
- Applicants must submit verification of maintaining legal residence in West Virginia while serving in the United States armed forces while the student attended high school.
Applicants who are taking the ACT/SAT in a state other than West Virginia must submit the official scores below
ACT code: 4539
SAT code: 3456
The West Virginia Promise Scholarship Renewal Requirement.
Students who wish to have the WV Promise Scholarship renewed or retained each year must:
- Maintain an average cumulative grade point of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale the first year and then a middle cumulative grade point of 3.0 in the subsequent years.
- Remain enrolled as a full-time student at the time of renewal.
Note: Students can not renew their scholarships during their final academic year.
Students who get a two-semester award in an academic year must complete and earn a minimum of 30 credit hours every 12 months.
Students who got a single semester award must complete and earn a minimum of 15 credit hours in the academic year.
Note: Scholarship renewal is also determined by the student’s institution, and according to the institutional grading policy at the end of an academic calendar, which usually takes 12 months to start calculating renewal.
Application processes and requirements
To apply for the West Virginia Scholarship, applicants must:
- Create a West Virginia Student Aid Management (WVSAM) Account online to submit your application.
- Students who submit complete documents by March 1 are eligible for the 2022 awards.
How to apply
Applicants should visit the West Virginia Promise Scholarship to apply.
Application deadline
Applicant’s FAFSA must meet the mandatory conditions for processing by March 1 deadline.
Applicants must complete the WV Promise Scholarship Application by June 15.
Note: No applications will be accepted after June 15.
Conclusion
The West Virginia (WV) Promise Scholarship aims to provide monetary funds for high school students, homeschooled students, and military students who reside in West Virginia and possess the eligibility requirements.
Applicants for West Virginia (WV) Promise Scholarship awards are advised to perform at least 20 hours of unpaid community service while in high school and college to be qualified as commuter applicants.
Applicants must meet the academics and eligibility requirements stated by the scholarship donor to be considered for the scholarship.
The WV Promise Scholarship is a renewable scholarship. Students must maintain a 2.75 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale the first year and a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in subsequent years, complete and earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in an academic year for a student who receives a two-semester award and must remain enrolled as a full-time student to be able to renew the scholarship award.
Application for the 2022 scholarship program is still ongoing; students are encouraged to apply on or before the state’s deadline