West Virginia Department of Education (WVHEPC)

West Virginia Department of Education

West Virginia Department of Education College Grants and Scholarships

The West Virginia Higher Education Grant

• Filing your FAFSA is required, so check your West Virginia FAFSA deadline.
• Award amounts change every year depending on the level of funding available. Your degree of financial need also determines your award amount. At present, the maximum award is $3,300 per year (for a max of 4 years).
• Other than financial need, eligibility requirements are:
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• One year West Virginia residency
• Satisfactory academic performance
• Full-time undergraduate, enrolled in an eligible West Virginia or Pennsylvania school
• The award is transferable between participating schools.
• The student must not already have a bachelor's degree.

Higher Education Adult Part-Time Student Grant Program

• The FAFSA is required and also an application for the award must be filed at your college financial aid office.
• The award is variable, based on per credit hour costs (not to exceed program costs) and unmet need.
• The award must be renewed each year and can be used for a total of 10 years based on need, satisfactory academic progress, and filing the forms on time.

West Virginia Department of Education scholarships for college are merit-based. The only scholarship which is not actually a scholarship/loan program is the:

West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship

• FAFSA must be submitted by March 1. Also, you can fill out and apply online scholarship forms for the PROMISE.
• awards are up to $4,750 per year (renewal required)
• Initial eligibility:
• 3.0 GPA
• a composite ACT of 22 (Eng, Math, Sci, Reading- all 20+) or combined SAT of 1020 (Reading 490+, Math 480+)
• If home-schooled- GED of 2500
• Parents must have one year of West Virginia residency.
• 1/2 high school credits must be completed in West Virginia
• apply before enrollment in college
• Renewal eligibility
• 1st year- 2.75 GPA
• 2nd, 3rd years- 3.0 GPA
• 30 credits must be earned each year.

West Virginia Department of Education scholarship/loan programs are:

The West Virginia Engineering, Science and Technology Scholarship Program

• These are academic scholarships which require the high school and/or college to certify grades and test scores- minimum 3.0 GPA, 22 ACT or 1020 (combined reading/math) SAT
• awards are up to $3,000 per year, renewable
• A service commitment is required to work in West Virginia, full-time in an engineering, science or technology field (or in a related, approved community service program) to repay the scholarship at the rate of one year of service for each scholarship year (regardless of award amount).
• If the commitment is not met, the scholarship turns into a loan and it must be repaid with interest.
• free scholarship applications should be downloaded, filled out and mailed.

The Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship Program

• These are competitive scholarships for juniors, seniors, or graduate students, who are enrolled (or accepted) in a degree program leading to certification to teach. At the undergrad level, a GPA of 3.25 is required; at the graduate level, a GPA of 3.5 (or top 10%) is required.
• award is up to $5,000 per year (renewable)
• A service commitment is required to teach in West Virginia, full-time to repay the scholarship at the rate of two years of service for each scholarship year (regardless of award amount) except in a teacher shortage area where the rate of service is one year for each scholarship year.
• If the commitment is not met, the scholarship turns into a loan and it must be repaid with interest.
• free scholarship applications should be downloaded, filled out and mailed.

Scholarship/loans that are not overseen by the West Virginia Department of Education (They are run by the Bureau for Public Health.) are:

The Health Sciences Scholarship Program

• These scholarships are for fourth-year medical students at a West Virginia school, or for students who are in their final year of a program for nurse practitioners or physician assistants, or a graduate degree program in nursing education or physical therapy.
• award is $20,000 for medical students; $10,000 for others
• must agree to work in your field in West Virginia for two years to fulfill the service obligation or the scholarship turns into a loan which must be paid back with interest.

The Medical School Loan Program

• For students enrolled or accepted for full-time enrollment in a West Virginia school of medicine or osteopathy.
• maximum is $10,000 per year
• Student loan forgiveness is granted at the rate of one year's service in an underserved area or specialty in West Virginia for each $10,000.
• If the service obligation is not met, the loans must be paid back at the unsubsidized Stafford loan rate of interest.

Educational Seed for Physicians (ESP)

• These are loans for medical students who promise to specialize in family medicine and practice.
• The loan limits are $4,500 per year or $18,000 total for four years.
• A service commitment of two years is required for forgiveness and if not met, the loans will have to be repaid with interest.

Rural Hospital Residency Scholarship Program

• These are scholarships for physicians in residency training.
• $10,000 per year are offered in return for an equal number of years' service in the community that the hospital services. If the commitment is not met, the scholarships become loans that must be repaid with interest.

West Virginia offers a college loan repayment program for primary care practitioners:

State Loan Repayment Program

• For primary care physicians specializing in:
  • general family practice
  • general pediatrics
  • obstetrics/gynecology
  • general internal medicine
  • general psychiatry
  and nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives
• The state will repay $40,000 in return for a two-year commitment, and for each additional 2 years, they will pay $25,000 back.

If you want to study a subject that is not offered by the schools in West Virginia, you can apply to an eligible school in one of 16 Southern states, and pay in-state tuition costs if you are approved.

This is a list of Academic Common Market schools and programs.