How Not to Lose Your Scholarship
After working hard to receive a scholarship, you definitely don't want to lose it! Some scholarships are renewable, which means that each year, upon review of certain criteria, the organization may award you the same scholarship for the upcoming academic year.
To avoid losing your scholarship, it’s critical to read the rules and guidelines outlined by the organization administering the award. Common requirements to continue receiving a renewable scholarship include the following:
Full-Time Enrollment Status
Organizations sometimes require students to maintain full-time enrollment status. Check to make sure what the organization’s definition of full-time is; sometimes they have their own specifications, and sometimes they default to your school’s definition. So you may need to enroll in at least five classes to be eligible, depending on your school.
GPA Requirement
Organizations often require students to maintain a certain GPA each semester, which means you might have to submit a transcript to prove that you're performing well. This also means that you’ll need to work hard to keep your grades up. A few missed assignments throughout the semester might not seem like much, but they add up quickly! Know from the start what the GPA requirement is and recognize the work you'll need to put in to maintain that grade point average.
Service Requirement
Some organizations require their scholarship recipients to perform a certain amount of community service. Some even have specific service requirements, such as volunteering for certain events that are held by the organization or mentoring local students. Check with the organization to see if they have any guidelines as to how they’d like you to document and report your service hours.
Specific Major
Many scholarships are awarded to students who are planning to pursue a degree in a specific major or field of study. So if you decide that you’d like to change your major, reach out to the organization to see if switching majors will affect your scholarship. Some scholarships may not be automatically renewable, but rather invite past recipients to reapply each year. In fact, past recipients are often given priority.
Nobody ever likes to lose something they worked hard for, so do your research to avoid any potential losses. If you do happen to lose you scholarship, ask the organization about their reinstatement policies in order to try to win the scholarship back again.
