I’m graduating
in May. Is there anything I need to do?
Do I have to apply for federal financial aid (FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid)?
When will I know if I’m eligible?
When will I know if there is funding available?
How will the college or university know that I am attending there?
How much money will I receive?
Can I use Oklahoma's Promise with other scholarships, grants and tuition waivers?
I’m graduating
in May. Is there anything I need to do?
There is no paperwork for Oklahoma's Promise that you need to do right now. However,
it is very important that you go over your coursework to make sure that
you have met all of the requirements of the program. You may want to use
the Oklahoma's Promise Curriculum
Checklist (PDF, 24k) to record
your grades and make sure you have taken the right courses. After final
grades are posted, the Oklahoma's Promise contact person at your school will complete
the Oklahoma's Promise Certificate of Completion and mail it to our office with a
copy of your final transcript. (Keep in mind that your school has to
prepare a final transcript for every student at school, so this does
take some time.) BACK
TO QUESTIONS
Do I have to apply for federal financial
aid (FAFSA – Free
Application for Federal Student Aid)?
We strongly encourage you to file the FAFSA, though you are not required.
Oklahoma's Promise will only pay for a portion of your total college costs, and you
will need additional money to help pay for your education. The FAFSA is
the best place to start. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
When will I know if I’m eligible?
Upon receiving the final paperwork from your school, the Oklahoma's Promise office will
evaluate your transcript and notify you in writing. Our goal is to notify
you within two weeks of receiving the final paperwork however, due to
the increasing number of graduating Oklahoma's Promise seniors each year, it may take
a little longer. We will be working as fast as we can. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
When will I know
if there is funding available?
Please refer to our Oklahoma's Promise Funding Update. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
How will the college or university
know that I am attending there?
Keep in mind that we do not know where you are planning to attend, so it
will be up to you to let the college or university know that you are an
Oklahoma's Promise student. (As long as you qualify, you will receive more information
in your award letter packet.) We will make the first eligibility list available
to the colleges and universities beginning July 1, and will update the
list on a regular basis. 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 provide a copy of your
transcript to the Oklahoma's Promise office. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
The college/university that I am
planning to attend is showing a dollar amount for Oklahoma's Promise on my preliminary
award letter. Does this mean that I will receive the scholarship for sure?
Please keep in mind that this letter is only “preliminary.” The
school is including Oklahoma's Promise on the award letter based on information you
have provided to them. The scholarship is not certain until your eligibility
is confirmed by the State Regents’ office. In addition, the amount
is estimated and could change depending on the final number of semester
hours in which you are enrolled and the tuition in effect at the time you
start college. The letter is provided as a service to help you understand
your financial aid. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
How much money will I receive?
It depends on which college or university you will be attending and the
number of semester credit hours in which you enroll. Oklahoma's Promise pays full
tuition at public colleges and universities for the actual number of
semester credit hours you take. It will also pay a portion of tuition
at accredited private colleges and universities or for programs offered
at public technology centers that qualify for credit from a public two-year
college. 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. BACK
TO QUESTIONS
Can I use Oklahoma's Promise with other scholarships,
grants and tuition waivers?
Yes. Oklahoma's Promise is considered a cash scholarship. It is always calculated based
on the amount of actual tuition. If you have a tuition waiver or another
scholarship that must be applied to tuition, Oklahoma's Promise can be applied elsewhere
in your total cost of attendance. (Some schools call this your financial
aid budget.) BACK
TO QUESTIONS