CHARLSETON, W.Va. West Virginia’s Promise Scholarship and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) deadline is March 1.
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Senior Director of Financial Aid Brian Weingart said they are hoping for additional Promise applicants from high schools across the state.
“Our numbers are a little bit down so far this year, but we have about five more weeks for students to apply for this upcoming fall,” he said.
Weingart said since covid there seem to be more high school graduates choosing the job market or other options.
“We have a hot job market, where you can come right out of school and make a decent wage, and so that may be part of it as well because the job market is so tight.”
Weingart said Promise is a merit-based scholarship that’s been around since 2002.
“It’s based on your high school GPA, which you need a 3.0 overall and a 3.0 in your core classes, and then you need to score an eligible score on either the ACT or SAT to qualify,” he said. “Promise can pay up to $5,000, which is still a good chunk of money, you can combine with a Higher Education Grant, with a Pell Grant and other scholarships, so when you piece all these programs together, you can get a lot of your college covered.”
You can find more information at CollegeForWV.com/promise.