When I had been overseeing the academic recovery program in a nationally ranked HBCU, one-third from the students within the program were scholarship students. To help future college-bound students, I'd like to share some advice about scholarship renewal.
One-Time vs. Renewable Scholarships
If your child received an institutional freshman scholarship, confirm using the college whether it's a one-time or renewable scholarship.
Many universities provide a one-time scholarship to incoming freshmen to make the institution more desirable and appearance less expensive. It often only covers the very first year. If this is the case, consider how you’ll cover the cost of that lost scholarship between sophomore year and graduation.
If your child received a renewable/full-ride scholarship for four years, congratulations! Just remember that the money isn’t guaranteed. Make certain your son or daughter understands the renewal requirements. For example, if a university requires that your student maintain a minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA, they will rescind that scholarship if they fall below that. If the renewal requirements say they have to have a minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA and a minimum of 30 credits completed by no more the educational year, that's also important to notice.
I've seen firsthand how those renewable/full-ride scholarships could be here today but gone tomorrow. When i also served around the scholarship appeals committee in the HBCU, I understand that universities are inclined to deny scholarship appeals. When a student loses a scholarship, the cash is funneled to other programs.
Why Scholarship Renewals Get Rescinded
In my experience, there's two logic behind why students lose their full-ride scholarships:
Reason #1
Students treat their college schedule just like a senior high school schedule, signing up for classes all day. The rigor and pace of school courses far exceed our prime school level, and even when they took AP and IB courses in senior high school, they simply aren’t the same as an entry-level college class.
Reason #2
Students don't know the scholarship contract and the renewal requirements. Sometimes they confuse their term GPA with their cumulative GPA, they confuse attempted credits with earned credits, or they change their major being unsure of the cash was tied to the first major and doesn't transfer.
If you have a student with a scholarship who is entering college in the fall, make sure to to examine the scholarship details so you can avoid these common pitfalls.
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