How It Works

To apply, complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 15 every year.

DEADLINE: For a 2025-2026 award, complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA by the April 15, 2025, deadline.

The West Virginia Higher Education Grant is available to qualified residents of West Virginia. The following criteria are used to determine student eligibility:

• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be a West Virginia residency for at least 12 months prior to date of application (for dependent students, the legal residence of the parent(s) on the FAFSA is the student’s residency)
• Be a high school graduate or have earned a high school equivalency diploma
• Demonstrate financial need, determined by institutional financial aid office
• Academic Requirements
  • For New Recipients
    • For recipients who have not previously received the grant, they must demonstrate academic promise in one of the following ways:
      • If never attended college and graduated from high school or the equivalent in the past 5 years, must:
        • have a 2.0 overall high school grade point (gpa) average or
        • passed an approved high school equivalency exam.
      • If attended college and earned any college credit after high school graduation, must have a 2.0 overall college gpa.
      • If not attended college and graduated from high school more than 5 years ago, must:
        • be accepted into a program for a degree or certificate.
  • For Renewal Recipients
    • For recipients who have previously been awarded, they must meet the:
      • Requirements for renewal outlined below in the Renewal section
      • Institution’s satisfactory academic progress requirement.
• Enroll at a participating institution in West Virginia or Pennsylvania as a full-time undergraduate student
• Have not previously met the requirements for a bachelor’s degree
• For the 2025-2026 award year, a student must have a Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA up to and including 13000 when awards are made to qualify.

Award Information

The award amount each year varies based on a number of factors, including the financial need of applicants and available funding by the West Virginia State Legislature.

For the 2025-26 award year, eligible students attending an eligible West Virginia institution may receive up to $3,400 for the year. Students attending an eligible Pennsylvania school may receive up to $600 year.

Notification

Payment will be made directly to the institution listed on the electronic award letter notification. The award may be transferred to a different eligible institution by utilizing the Update My Institution button on the electronic award letter.

Payment

Payment will be made directly to the institution listed on the electronic award letter notification. The award may be transferred to a different eligible institution by utilizing the Update My Institution button on the electronic award letter.

Reduction or Cancelation of Award

The award may be reduced or canceled by an institution based upon program rules. If reduced or canceled, the financial aid office at the institution the student is attending will notify the student.

Changes to FAFSA

Any changes to the FAFSA can have a potential impact on eligibility, such as residency, student grade level, citizenship, or changes that impact the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)/Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated on the FAFSA.

Residency

If the student’s institution shows the student has not met the residency requirement, the award amount may be canceled.

Financial Need

Financial need is calculated by taking the cost of attendance (COA) of the school the student is attending and subtracting the Student Aid Index (SAI) and other financial aid received, not including student loans or work-study. If the student, who has met all other eligibility requirements, has remaining financial need after subtracting the SAI and other financial aid received from the COA, then the student may be eligible for an amount up to the annual award amount or their remaining financial need, whichever is less.

Example A:
COA $10,000
SAI 5000
Pell Grant $695
Promise Scholarship $5,500

Remaining financial need is $0

After subtracting the SAI and other financial aid received from the COA, the student has no remaining financial need and would not qualify for the award.

Example B:
COA $15,000
SAI 11,000
Institutional scholarship $2,500

Remaining financial need is $1,500

After subtracting the SAI and other financial aid received from the COA, the student has $1,500 in remaining financial need and would only be eligible for $1,500 of the award.

If you received an electronic WV Higher Education Grant award notification and will attend a different eligible institution than listed, please click the Update My Institution button and complete the form to request the award be transferred to the eligible institution you will attend. Follow the prompts and enter information in the format shown. Please know your name and date of birth must match what was input on your FAFSA.

If you are unable to make the request online, send an email to wvgrant@wvhepc.edu requesting the award be transferred with your full name, where you will attend and which term(s) you want the award transferred.

To renew, you must:

• Complete the FAFSA each year by April 15. To renew for 2025-2026, the deadline is April 15, 2025.
• Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale by the end of each summer term.
• Meet the institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.
• Students receiving a two-semester award in an academic year must complete and earn a minimum of 24 semester credit hours in the academic year (fall through summer) or the equivalent for a quarter school.
• Students receiving a single-semester award must complete and earn a minimum of 12 credit hours in the academic year or the equivalent for a quarter school.
• Maintain West Virginia residency throughout college to remain eligible.

The West Virginia Higher Education Grant may be used at approved post-secondary public and independent institutions in West Virginia or Pennsylvania. The grant may be transferred from one eligible institution to another.

The West Virginia Higher Education Grant may be used for up to eight terms or until a student has met the requirements for a bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.