Scholarship Enrollment and Renewal Standards

Op5.08-6 Scholarship Enrollment and Renewal Standards

The following information applies to all institutionally funded freshman and transfer scholarships:

Enrollment standards

  • During semesters that students are receiving scholarships, they must be full time (i.e., enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester during fall and spring semesters). Scholarship recipients generally need to complete more than 12 credit hours per semester in order to meet renewal criteria and should refer to their scholarship acceptance form for details regarding those criteria.
  • Students who are in their semester of graduation at MSU and taking all courses needed to fulfill graduation requirements are exempt from the full-time enrollment requirement if they complete and submit the Exemption from Full-Time Enrollment form and return it to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
  • Unless otherwise stated, scholarships are for the fall and spring semesters only and do not apply to summer tuition or fees. Students receiving the Presidential, University, Governors, Inclusive Excellence Leadership, Provost, or Deans’ scholarships have an option of utilizing their scholarship during the summer with specific conditions and restrictions. Please see the Summer Scholarship Policy for details.
  • Students may apply their MSU scholarships to education abroad programs approved by the Office of Education Abroad and should confer with the Office of Education Abroad and the Office of Student Financial Aid to coordinate their plans.
  • Students who wish to place their scholarships on hold to participate in internships or life-enriching experiences should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for information and assistance.
  • Graduate courses taken by undergraduates (i.e., for mixed credit in accelerated master’s programs and senior permission) are included in determining if students are full-time. Additionally, the credit hours and grades from those courses are used in determining if students meet renewal criteria.
  • Scholarship values will not be adjusted based on the cost of course(s) taken by a student.
  • Scholarship recipients who graduate before using their allotted semesters of scholarship eligibility can apply the remaining semester(s) toward a MSU graduate program. To qualify, students must meet established renewal criteria at the completion of their last semester as an undergraduate, be admitted to the MSU Graduate College and enroll for at least 9 graduate credit hours. Students cannot receive both a scholarship and a graduate assistantship or other form of graduate fee waiver.
  • Students receiving a housing stipend with the Presidential Scholarship, cannot receive the waiver in conjunction with a Resident Assistant housing waiver.

Renewal standards

  • Students must meet the renewal criteria outlined in their scholarship acceptance form. These criteria can also be found on the How Do I Keep My Financial Aid page and are dependent upon their semester of admission.
  • Students have a full academic year (fall, spring and summer) to meet scholarship renewal criteria.
  • Students who fail to meet scholarship renewal criteria at the end of one academic year (fall, spring, and summer) will not receive the scholarship for the following academic year (and will lose one year of scholarship eligibility) but may regain the scholarship for the second following year by completing the required annual credit hours during that year, having the required cumulative MSU GPA (including all MSU courses) at the end of that year, and completing service hours (if applicable). This is not an automatic process; instead, students must complete and submit the Request to Reinstate Scholarship form and return it to the Office of Student Financial Aid no later than the first day of classes for the academic year for which they are requesting reinstatement.
  • Students receiving the Presidential Scholarship who do not meet renewal criteria for that scholarship but who do meet criteria for the Board of Governors Scholarship may downgrade to that scholarship. Service hours must be completed to downgrade.
  • Students with renewable scholarships that require 27 or more credit hours per year may "bank" hours earned during one academic year for use in future years. For example, a student who earns 30 credit hours during the freshman year (fall, spring, and summer) can use the three additional "banked" hours toward the next year’s 27 credit hour requirement. Students must, however, maintain a full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) each semester.
  • Credit earned through MSU dual credit or dual enrollment is not considered in determining whether students meet the credit hour requirements for scholarship renewal.
  • The credit hours and grades from graduate courses taken by undergraduates (i.e. mixed credit and senior permission) are used in determining if students meet renewal criteria.
  • Transfer hours and GPA (i.e., any hours not completed through the Springfield campus of Missouri State) cannot be counted toward scholarship renewal.
  • Credit by assessment or examination may not be counted toward scholarship renewal criteria.
  • Grades earned by students through MSU dual credit or dual enrollment prior to their freshman year will not prevent a student from renewing freshman scholarships for their second year. That is, if students meet the GPA requirement for renewal based on courses taken during their freshman year but do not meet the cumulative GPA requirement when dual credit courses are included, their scholarships will be renewed. Students in this situation should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid. However, to renew for their third or subsequent years, students must meet the GPA renewal criteria based on their cumulative GPA (including dual credit hours).

Questions

Questions or concerns regarding the above policies may be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid, or by emailing FAScholarships@missouristate.edu.