What grade point average do I have to maintain in college?
The amount Oklahoma's Promise
is paying is different than what my college says I owe for tuition. Why?
Oklahoma's Promise pays full tuition at public institutions and a portion of tuition
at private institutions. If you are attending a public college or university
and the amount shown on your bill is higher than the Oklahoma's Promise tuition rate,
most likely the institution has combined tuition and fees on your bill.
Oklahoma's Promise does not cover the fees. To be sure, it is best to speak with your
financial aid or bursar’s office. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
Where is my money?
In order for the institutions to get an accurate amount for your Oklahoma's Promise
award, they must know the final number hours you are enrolled in for
the semester. They will bill the Oklahoma's Promise office sometime after the first
drop/add period, which is usually about two weeks after the semester
begins. Before they can determine your award, they must know that you
are an Oklahoma's Promise student; if you have not told them, they will not know.
If your award is not showing up on your account please check with the
appropriate office on campus (probably financial aid or the bursar) to
make sure they know you are an Oklahoma's Promise student. Depending on the policy
of the institution, the Oklahoma's Promise may be applied as a credit to your account
or you may be required to pay the amount up front and be reimbursed when
Oklahoma's Promise arrives. Check with your school to determine what their policies
are. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
What grade point
average do I have to maintain in college?
Once in college, Oklahoma's Promise students must maintain good academic standing to
remain eligible for benefits. “Good academic standing” for
Oklahoma public colleges and universities is defined by State Regents'
policy (OSRHE Policy II-2-46.4). In short, the policy requires students
to achieve at least a 1.7 GPA during their first 30 semester credit hours
and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA after 30 semester credit hours
are completed. (If the college/university has stricter standards, then
the student must follow them.) If a student attends a private/independent
college or university, that institution's policy will apply. In addition, effective for students receiving the award for the first time in 2009-10, a minimum college GPA of 2.0 will be required for courses taken during the sophomore year and a minimum 2.5 GPA for courses taken during the junior year and thereafter. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I am not doing well
in a couple of my courses this semester, and I need to drop them. This
will put me below full-time status. Am I going to lose the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship?
Do I have to reimburse Oklahoma's Promise for the tuition of the dropped class(es)?
Oklahoma's Promise encourages students to enroll full-time in order to graduate on time,
however it is not required. You can still receive your Oklahoma's Promise scholarship
if you are enrolled part-time (but your five-year period of scholarship eligibility
will not be extended). You will be able to receive Oklahoma's Promise next semester
as long as you are in good academic standing. You will not be required
to reimburse Oklahoma's Promise for the dropped classes. However, we recommend that
you keep this to a minimum. Legislation passed during the 1997 legislative
session authorizes the State Regents to set a maximum limit on the number
of courses/credit hours to which the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship will apply. (At
this time, a limit has not been set.) BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I had a really rough
semester, and my grades are not so great. If my school places me on academic
probation, will I lose my Oklahoma's Promise scholarship? What if my federal financial aid
is suspended?
Oklahoma's Promise students on academic probation will not lose the scholarship
as long as they maintain satisfactory academic standing the following semester.
(Students should check with their college/university regarding their academic
policy.) Oklahoma's Promise is not currently affected by federal financial aid suspension; however,
this policy is under review. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I attended
Oklahoma College “A” in the fall and am transferring to Oklahoma
College “B” in the spring. Will Oklahoma's Promise transfer, and if so,
what do I need to do?
You should contact the financial aid office at the institution you are
transferring to (in the scenario above … Oklahoma College “B”),
and let them know you are attending this school and that you are an Oklahoma's Promise
student. Unless you are having problems, it is not necessary to contact
the State Regents’ Oklahoma's Promise office in this situation. We will find out
where you are attending when the college sends us a bill for your tuition. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I’m
planning to attend college out of state for a year and then return to
Oklahoma. Can I still get Oklahoma's Promise?
Yes. However, your five years of eligibility will begin with your first
semester of postsecondary education whether you receive Oklahoma's Promise or not. For
example, if you start at an out-of-state university the fall semester following
high school graduation, your five years begins then. If you stay there
for a year and come back to Oklahoma the next fall, you will have until
you receive your bachelor’s degree or four years left of Oklahoma's Promise. If
all of your out-of-state credits transfer back to your Oklahoma college,
you should still have plenty of time to earn your degree. When you transfer
back to Oklahoma, you will need to notify the financial aid or scholarship
office at the college you plan to attend that you are an Oklahoma's Promise student,
and send a copy of your transcript to the Oklahoma's Promise office. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I started
college in the fall after I graduated from high school and attended for
a year. I decided to lay out of school for a year so that I could work.
Now I want to go back again. Can I still use Oklahoma's Promise?
Yes. Although we encourage you to stay in school and complete your degree,
we realize that sometimes there are unavoidable interruptions. Once you
start postsecondary education (any education after high school), your five-year
time clock starts ticking. The year that you do not attend will count against
your five years of scholarship eligibility; however, you can use Oklahoma's Promise
again until your eligibility expires. Please contact the Oklahoma's Promise office for
an exact date of eligibility expiration if you are unsure. (Exceptions
can be considered if the interruption is due to medical reasons. Please
contact the Oklahoma's Promise office for more details.) BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I would like
to attend school during the summer and/or intersession term. Will Oklahoma's Promise
help pay for my tuition?
The Oklahoma's Promise scholarship is available for summer semesters except for the
first summer college semester immediately following your high school graduation.
Since official Oklahoma's Promise eligibility is not determined until high school graduation,
we do not have time to process scholarships for the first summer semester.
The first scholarships will be available for the fall semester. However,
once you are officially verified in our system, you may use the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship
in summer semesters and/or intersession terms of later years. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I have completed
my bachelor’s degree, and I would like to go on to graduate school.
Will Oklahoma's Promise be available to help pay for my tuition?
Oklahoma's Promise is available until you receive your bachelor’s degree or for five
years, whichever comes first. Oklahoma's Promise is not available for graduate tuition if
you have already completed your bachelor’s degree. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
I have
NOT completed my bachelor’s degree, and I would like to take some
graduate-level classes. Will Oklahoma's Promise be available to help pay for my tuition?
If your university allows you to enroll in these graduate-level courses prior
to your completion of a baccalaureate degree, you can use Oklahoma's Promise to help pay
for the tuition. However, Oklahoma's Promise will only pay at the upper-level undergraduate
rate; it will not pay at the graduate-level rate. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
