Renew Your Scholarship

For a student to retain or have the Promise award renewed each year, the student must:

• Maintain a 2.75 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
• Complete and earn a minimum of 30 credit hours or in an academic year or the equivalent thereof* for a student who receives a two-semester award. If a student receives a single-semester award, the student must complete and earn a minimum of 15 credit hours in an academic year or the equivalent thereof*.
  *For students attending a quarter school, you must complete and earn a minimum of 45 credit hours in an academic year for a student who receives a three-quarter award. If a student receives a two-quarter award, the student must complete and earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in an academic year. If a student receives a single-quarter award, the student must complete and earn a minimum of 15 credit hours in an academic year.
• Remain continuously enrolled as a full time student (scholars are not required to be full time or meet renewal during their final academic year of scholarship eligibility). Students who need to take a leave of absence may request a deferment. Learn more in our FAQs.
• Scholars may use subsequent summer sessions at their own expense to meet the requirements for renewal (see Summer Credit below).
• Eligibility for renewal is determined by your institution, according to institutional grading policies at the end of an academic year.
• The academic year for calculating renewal begins with the fall semester and ends with the summer semester.
• Scholars who do not meet renewal after the academic year may utilize the Second Chance Promise Renewal process to regain eligibility one time.
• Promise Scholars are not required to reapply to the scholarship yearly but are encouraged to file the FAFSA on a yearly basis, to see if they qualify for any other types of financial aid.

All college credit hours and corresponding grades must be counted in determining Promise Scholarship eligibility, regardless of whether the college accepts these credits. Any college credit hours earned prior to the first semester of fall or spring enrollment may not be counted toward the credit hour requirement in determining eligibility for award renewal.

Scholars may use subsequent summer sessions (at their own expense) with in the academic year (fall, spring, summer) to meet the requirements for renewal.

If a student enrolls in summer school to attain the minimum credit hours or the grade point average required, he or she shall not receive a Promise scholarship award for that summer enrollment. Summer courses must be completed before the commencement of a regular semester at the Promise eligible institution the student regularly attends.

Beginning in the 2024-2025* academic year, Promise Scholars who have lost eligibility due to non-renewal may regain eligibility for the Promise Scholarship through the Second Chance Promise Renewal process. This allows scholars, who did not meet renewal during the previous academic year, to renew the award after obtaining the renewal requirements. Promise Scholars may only utilize this process once to regain eligibility.

Once the academic shortfall has been met, the student may request the institutional financial aid office review eligibility for Second Chance Promise Renewal after the conclusion of the term(s) during which the student accumulated the remaining required credit(s) and gpa required for renewal. Both the credit hour and gpa requirements must be obtained to regain the award. Each term used to meet renewal will count as one semester of scholarship utilization.

Click here to see Scholarship Duration limitations for utilizing the Promise Scholarship.

*Available to scholars who received funds in the 2023-2024 academic year and after.