As my son is considering his options, I have noticed that the merit scholarships offered by colleges have different GPA requirements. A couple require that he maintain a 3.0, one is a 3.2 and another is a 3.4. I am wondering how hard it is to maintain the GPA in college. I would hate to pick a school based on the merit offered and then lose it after the first year and be full pay.
I am sure different colleges have different curves or grade inflation. How can you tell if it will be possible to maintain a certain GPA?
Will it be possible? Of course it will be possible. Will it be likely? There’s no way for us to tell; there are way too many factors that play a part in determining a GPA. You probably know your son better than anyone else, so you are much better equipped than any participant on an anonymous internet forum to figure out if maintaining a certain GPA will be feasible.
Good question. I’m curious, too.
I guess I am just wondering if some of these schools are offering merit as a bait and switch tactic. They get the kids in but set the GPA high so they don’t end up paying out the 4 years of scholarship.
And, I just don’t know how to compare his HS GPA to what he will do in college. I’m just wondering if there is a way to get stats from the school as to what % of these scholarships lapse.
Find out the average GPA of specific major at that particular school. If they set the renewal requirement around or slight below average, it is more reasonable. I would think 3.4 may be tricky at some school.
^ Good ideas. Major also plays into it. Engineering is harder to keep a high GPA than others.
It depends on the school, the program and the student I think. Many schools also offer the student one full semester to bring their GPA back up before cutting off the scholarship.
FWIW I maintained better than the 3.5 requirement for my merit scholarship way back when, and so has my daughter, who is now a senior. None of her cohort in her Honors program have lost their scholarships.
I don’t think it’s bait and switch. But the pressure may be too much for some.
I think you need to have a back-up plan, in case the scholarship is lost. My D would have needed to transfer to the local directional university (and commute) as we could not have become full pay. She considered this before accepting the scholarship and committing to her school.
It should be a consideration. My daughter has to maintain a 2.8 for her major scholarship (from the school) and it hasn’t been a problem at all for her, but I’m sure some students do lose the funding. She has another one from the state that requires a 3.0, and many students have lost that one (not only for the gpa requirement but for dropping below 12 credits, for not taking the right classes, for otherwise not following the rules). 3.4 is pretty hard to maintain at some schools, especially for a freshman.
I have two kids on merit and both are in engineering.
One has to maintain a 3.0 and the other has to maintain a 3.5.
I don’t sweat it too much. They are both surrounded by fellow smart and driven students in their honor colleges and they aren’t likely to blow off their responsibilities to maintain their scholarships.
But they were both straight A students in high school who were incredibly responsible. If I thought they were going to blow it, I probably would’ve discouraged OOS schools on merit.
At my D’s school, around 1/4 of her class were straight A students in HS. My D was GPA4.0 top 1% in her HS class and yet her first semester was just above 3.5 in college as she got 33 AP credits and started Calc3 and Organic Chem besides the engineering intro in her first semester in college. Fortunately her scholarship renewal requirement was just 3.0. So one need to watch out if the renewal requirement is a bit high when you start with many 200 level classes in freshmen year.
You also want to look at when the GPA for renewal is considered.
Some schools look at the end of year GPA so if the first semester isn’t perfect, the student can make up ground second semester.
Some schools continue the scholarship for an additional term or year…sort of scholarship probation…and give the student the chance to bring the GPA up.
Some schools discontinue the scholarship immediately…so if the student doesn’t make the cum GPA in any term…the scholarship is lost. So for example…if the student doesn’t meet the GPA requirement after freshman first term…poof…gone.
You want to also ask if scholarships can be reinstated IF a student brings their GPA up.
It’s NOT a bait and switch. They are awarding you kid a scholarship because your kid met a certain high bar for academic excellence…and they expect that will continue to be the case in college.
I am wondering if it is possible to appeal a merit scholarship decision after the student has been accepted to a university. I understand that it should not be assumed but that many of the universities may offer different tiers of merit scholarships based on GPA. My child currently has a 3.9 and could get a 4.0 by the end of the first semester and even higher by the second semester (higher due to college classes). Is it possible to appeal the merit scholarship in an effort to qualify for a higher amount based on the increased GPA?
@Rooney340 Most colleges that offer merit aid do not have hard cutoffs or tiered awards based on GPA. Merit is also based partially on SAT/ACT scores. Some say merit goes to the top X% of admitted students. Others say merit is awarded holistically.
If a student qualifies for major merit awards maintaining a 3.0 GPA should not be a problem unless the student develops homesickness of majors in partying. A 3.5 requirement would be worrisome.
It is up to the school. DD#1 school gave the preliminary award in Feb., but said the amount could go up - or down- based on the final gpa. The last test scores they accepted for the merit award was February sittings.
My D only has to maintain a 2.0, which we knew was quite doable even if there was a period of adjustment to college. Of course she is well above that. Her GPA in college is very close to what it was in HS. I would have been hesitant about any requirement higher than 3.0, but definitely each student and family need to weigh the various factors for themselves. You can probably find reports of a school’s general grading reputation (take with a grain of salt).
Another consideration is whether a scholarship will follow if the student does a study abroad program. One of the offers D got, could not be used for study abroad.
You need to find the average gpa for scholarship students at that school. My daughter had one that required a 2.8 and one a 3.0. Not an issue at all.
Many (or at least I know many) kids who get Florida Bright Futures lose it. Not always for gpa, sometimes for not taking 12 credits, or not taking the right credits. You kind of have to stay on top of it.
Often if the study abroad is sponsored by the college then merit based aid can be used. If the study abroad is not sponsored by that college, the aid cannot be used.
In my D’s case, the scholarship award letter plainly stated that the merit scholarship could not be used to study abroad. It said there potentially could be other FinAid granted for study abroad, but that’s just one more worry, one more question mark.
Luckiky she liked another college better, similar scholarship amount, and it will follow her abroad for a full year. I verified all that before she accepted.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread. I think the OP’s question has been answered. But now, users are hijacking with their own questions which should be a new thread.