Maintain Your Aid
Financial aid for the current semester and future semesters can be impacted by withdrawing from courses. See our Withdrawing from Courses webpage for more information.
A common question is "Is financial aid guaranteed every year?" No, it is not. There are a variety of criteria that can impact aid eligibility. This can include, but is not limited to, minimum grade point averages, earned hours each semester or academic year, completion of attempted courses, submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 1 priority deadline each year, continued financial need, degree-pursuant coursework and enrollment, and limitations on the amount of semesters or total amounts a student can receive over time. The priority submission deadline for submitting the FAFSA is usually March 1. The 2024-2025 priority deadline has been removed due to the delayed FAFSA launch.
Here are some important things to keep in mind:
SAP
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress for overall financial aid eligibility. In addition to specific program requirements, there are certain academic progress standards a student must meet to remain eligible for financial aid (with the exception of some private loans).
Renewal Requirements
Make sure that you understand and are meeting the renewal requirements necessary to maintain specific aid programs from one aid year to the next. State grant and scholarship programs often have requirements which must be met in order to renew the aid - such as a certain number of earned hours and/or a minimum overall grade point average.
FAFSA
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid each aid year that you would like to be reviewed for financial aid. Students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA by the March 1 priority deadline for each upcoming academic year. Not only do students need a FAFSA for federal student aid, but many state grant programs and some scholarships also require a FAFSA on file. Reapply for aid each year!
Limitations
Be aware of limitations on how long certain aid programs may be received. There are often time, value, or degree limits to how long aid types can be received, even if you continue to meet renewal requirements. For example:
- Federal Pell Grant: Limited to the equivalent of 12 undergraduate, full-time semesters, or completion of a first bachelor's degree - whichever comes first
- WV Higher Education Grant: Limited to 8 full-time semesters, or completion of a first bachelor's degree - whichever comes first
- WV Promise Scholarship: Limited to 8 semesters, or completion of a first bachelor's degree - whichever comes first
- Institutional Scholarships: Usually limited to 8 semesters, or completion of a first bachelor's degree - whichever comes first
- Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans: There are limits to how much you can borrow - total - over the course of your undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional programs (known as the aggregate limit)