OHIO Regional Advantage Awards Frequently Asked Questions

All incoming first-year students who submit a complete application for admission to an Ohio University regional campus, including the application form and all required supporting materials, by December 1, 2024, will be considered automatically for the merit-based portion of the OHIO Regional Advantage Awards. Applicants who submit an application after December 1, 2024, are considered for these scholarships as availability permits. To be considered for the OHIO Regional Promise Award, applicants must ensure the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are received by Ohio University by the first-priority date, February 15, 2025. To receive the OHIO Regional Action Award, eligible students must apply by December 1, 2024, and ensure their FAFSA results are received by the first-priority date.

The OHIO Regional Promise Award is an automatic four-year renewable scholarship covering up to the full cost of regional campus tuition and mandatory fees for Pell-eligible students with a minimum 3.0 high school GPA enrolling at one of OHIO’s regional campuses for the fall 2025 semester as a full-time, first-year, degree-seeking student. A “last dollar” program, the scholarship will cover any gap between the cost of regional tuition and mandatory fees and what Pell Grant and/or federal, state or other institutional aid do not cover.

Merit scholarships are based on academic achievement as demonstrated by high school cumulative GPA (highest weighted or unweighted, recalculated to a 4.0 scale).  OHIO may continue to make scholarship awards using updated credentials received after February 15, 2025, on an individual basis if availability permits. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) serves as the application for federal, state and institutional financial aid. To receive the OHIO Regional Action Award, students must apply by December 1, 2024, and ensure their FAFSA results are received by the first-priority date, February 15, 2025. Financial Aid Offers, which will be sent on a rolling basis beginning in March, will include federal, state and institutional aid in addition to merit-based scholarships.

The highest cumulative high school GPA, weighted or unweighted, standardized to 4.0 scale, received by February 15, 2025, will be considered. OHIO will recalculate non-standard GPAs to a 4.0 scale as needed.

You will be notified by postal mail when you have been awarded an OHIO Regional Advantage Award. Notification of merit-based scholarship awards will be sent to admitted students on a rolling basis beginning in December. If OHIO receives your FAFSA results by the first-priority date, February 15, 2025, you will receive a comprehensive Financial Aid Offer via postal mail, beginning in March. This aid offer will include federal, state and other institutional financial aid, such as the OHIO Regional Action Award and the OHIO Regional Promise Award.

To secure your place in the incoming class and accept any scholarships you have been offered, accept your offer of admission in your  MyOHIO Student Center as soon as possible. Additionally, award recipients must enroll at one of OHIO’s regional campuses for the fall 2025 semester as a full-time, first-year, degree-seeking freshman student.

Yes! Ohio University must receive your FAFSA results by the February 15, 2025, first-priority date if you would like to be considered for the OHIO Regional Action Award or OHIO Regional Promise Award. Families are not obligated to accept any other types of financial aid that might be offered, including loans.

The U.S. Department of Education plans to open the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for testing in October 2024 and to all students and families by December 1, 2024. Submit the FAFSA at studentaid.gov and add Ohio University. Renewal of the OHIO Regional Action Award and the OHIO Regional Promise Award requires submission of the FAFSA each year by the published priority date.

Out-of-state students are eligible to be considered for all OHIO Regional Advantage Awards. International students are eligible to be considered for the OHIO Regional Advantage Scholarship and the OHIO Regional Distinction Scholarship.

Students receiving full tuition (instructional fees) awards, including through Ohio University Educational Benefits program, are not eligible for OHIO Regional Advantage Awards. Recipients of the OHIO Regional Distinction Scholarship are eligible only for the OHIO Regional Promise Award. Additional restrictions may apply, and the program is subject to change. For renewal criteria, please refer to your scholarship award notification.

All OHIO Regional Advantage Awards are renewable for up to four consecutive years of undergraduate study (8 semesters) toward a bachelor’s degree and two years (4 semesters) toward an associate degree. Most awards require students to enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours fall and spring semesters. Please note that a student must complete an average of 15 hours per semester to graduate within four academic years. Renewal criteria vary by individual award. Please refer to your scholarship award notification for the details specific to your award(s). Renewal of the OHIO Regional Action Award and OHIO Regional Promise Award requires submission of the FAFSA each year. Merit-based awards have specific academic performance criteria for renewal, such as your OHIO GPA. If an award requires submission of the FAFSA, results must be received annually by the first-priority date. 

Yes! Endowed scholarships are funds often given in honor or memory of an individual or family, and yearly amounts vary according to the monies earned in the scholarship fund. Automatic renewal is not guaranteed with endowed scholarships. Financial Aid Offers, which will be sent beginning in March, will list any OHIO Regional Advantage Awards you were offered and include the OHIO Regional Promise Award, if you are eligible. It will also provide any federal, state and other institutional aid for which you may qualify.

Filing the FAFSA is simply your application for federal, state and institutional aid at Ohio University. While filing a FAFSA is required to be considered for the OHIO Regional Action Award and the OHIO Regional Promise Award, you don't have to have financial need to be eligible for that scholarship. Families are not obligated to accept any other types of financial aid that might be offered, including loans.

Eligibility for the OHIO Regional Advantage Awards requires full-time enrollment at one of OHIO’s regional campuses for fall 2025. If you choose to relocate to the Athens campus, you would be eligible to complete OHIO’s online scholarship application for upper-class students. The online scholarship application serves as your application for the Dean’s Scholarship, which is available to undergraduate students for their sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as a variety of endowed and restricted scholarships that are awarded yearly.