Scholarship Policies

On this page:

• Enrollment
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and Terms for Renewable Scholarships
• Institutionally Funded Scholarship Policy
   

Enrollment

The Office of Financial Aid may make exceptions to scholarship enrollment requirements on a case-by-case basis. Students dropping below full-time status prior to the end of the 100 percent refund period will have their scholarship canceled for the term. Please email scholarships@wright.edu regarding special circumstances that may affect your scholarship, such as co-op, internship, study abroad, or attending part-time due to degree requirements or nearing graduation. Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please note, if an exception is granted to allow your scholarship to pay at less than full-time, the award amount will be prorated based on your registration hours for that term.
 

Full Tuition Scholarships

Students who choose to register for more than 18 credit hours are required to pay the overload tuition charges with other financial aid resources or pay out of pocket. If an exception has been granted to allow the use of your tuition scholarship at less than full-time hours (12 credit hours) your scholarship will be adjusted to the actual tuition charge as listed on your bursar account.
 

Undergraduate/Graduate Mixed Enrollment

Undergraduate scholarship recipients pursuing their first bachelor's degree and registered for both undergraduate and graduate courses during an academic term for combined full-time enrollment, must notify Financial Aid to ensure release of scholarship disbursements.
 

Dayton/Lake Campus Enrollment

Undergraduate scholarship offers are determined based on the campus of admission at the time of the scholarship offer. Scholarship offers are subject to change if a student's campus changes. 
 

Leave of Absence

If you will not be attending an academic term due to circumstances such as a birth of a child, co-op, study abroad, being called to active duty by the military, COVID-19, etc., you may request a scholarship leave of absence by sending an email to scholarships@wright.edu. By doing so, you will be able to utilize your renewable scholarship when you return to Wright State without losing a term of eligibility. Please note there is a two term maximum leave of absence. You will not be considered for a leave of absence if you attend another school. You must be in a good Scholarship Satisfactory for Academic Progress (SAP) status to request a Leave of Absence.
 

Summer Scholarship Requests

Renewable scholarships may be requested for use in the summer by completing the Summer Scholarship Request Form which can be found on the Enrollment Services website under Forms and Resources. You must be registered for summer classes prior to submitting your form. Please note that most scholarships require you to attend full-time (part-time for the Next Step Transfer, Rike Associate Degree Transfer and Transfer Honors Scholarships). By using the scholarship during summer, one academic term of eligibility is counted and renewal stipulations (GPA and hours) apply. Please note, if an exception is granted to allow your scholarship to pay at less than full-time, the award amount will be prorated based on your registration hours for that term. Using your scholarship at less than full time at a prorated amount counts as using one full term of your scholarship eligibility.

Approval to use a renewable scholarship during summer is based on review of current academic progress, remaining eligibility and projected graduation. Your renewable scholarship for summer will be canceled if you do not meet renewal requirements after spring grades are posted. If applicable, your renewable scholarship eligibility will be reviewed after summer grades are posted to be sure you still meet renewal requirements to receive your award for the remainder of the academic year.
 

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Scholarship Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and Terms for Renewable Scholarships

The Office of Financial Aid will annually review students' cumulative GPA and credit hours earned to determine eligibility for renewable scholarships at Wright State. The annual review will occur after grades have posted for the spring term. Students must meet Scholarship Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements to continue to receive their scholarship. Students who have received scholarships from their college or department will have the renewal decisions made by the awarding college or department. If scholarship SAP requirements are met and the student has at least one term of unused scholarship eligibility remaining, the scholarship is automatically renewed and posted to the student's Award Notice for the following academic year.
 

Renewal Requirements

The following scholarships require students to maintain a 3.0 and earn 30 credit hours annually (fall/spring) for renewal. To meet the 30 credit hours required, students are encouraged to earn an average of 15 credit hours per semester. Students who earn a 2.8 GPA and earn 27 credit hours can be placed in a warning status for a maximum of two terms during their undergraduate studies. Students can receive these scholarships for a total of 8 semesters of full-time undergraduate study, except where otherwise noted.

*Some scholarships have additional requirements set forth by the awarding department or college.

The following scholarships require students to maintain a 2.5 and earn 24 credit hours annually (fall/spring) for renewal. To meet the 24 credit hours required, students are encouraged to earn an average of 12 credit hours per semester. Students who earn a 2.3 GPA and earn 21 credit hours can be placed in a warning status for a maximum of two terms during their undergraduate studies. Students can receive these scholarships for a total of 8 semesters of full-time undergraduate study, except where otherwise noted.

*Some scholarships have additional requirements set forth by the awarding department, college, or organization.

The following scholarships require students to maintain a 3.0 and earn 12 credit hours annually (fall/spring) for renewal.To meet the 12 credit hours required, students are encouraged to earn an average of 6 credit hours per semester. Students who earn a 2.8 GPA and earn 9 credit hours can be placed in a warning status for a maximum of two terms during their undergraduate studies. Students can receive these scholarships for a total of 6 semesters of half-time undergraduate study, except where otherwise noted.

• Wright Path Transfer Scholarship (Formerly known as the Next Step Transfer Scholarship)
• Rike Associate Degree Transfer Scholarship
• Transfer Honors Associate Scholarship

Wright Start Scholarship

The Wright Start Scholarship requires students to maintain federal satisfactory academic progress, complete a FAFSA annually by February 1 prior to the start of the academic year, complete all outstanding financial aid requirements, and have the same or similar student aid index (SAI). Students can receive these scholarships for a total of 8 semesters of full-time undergraduate study, except where otherwise noted.

Take Flight Program

Students must to continue to meet the following requirements to remain in the Take Flight Program.

• File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 1 prior to the start of each academic year.
• Continue to have an Student Aid Index (SAI) of 2,200 or less.
• Maintain Ohio residency.
• Enroll full-time on the Dayton campus.
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
• Meet standards of Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Continue to complete all outstanding financial aid requirements to be considered for Title IV and state aid.

Students who continue to meet the criteria will be eligible for the program for 8 semesters of full-time undergraduate study.
 

Notification

Once the Office of Financial Aid reviews your grades and hours earned at the end of spring term. Your academic progress for Scholarship SAP is only used to determine your eligibility for the renewal of your scholarship and does not indicate eligibility of your federal student aid. You can view your Academic Progress for Scholarship SAP in WINGS.

• Log in to WINGS.
• Click on the Financial Aid tile located under Your Launchpad
• Select the appropriate aid year.
• Your Scholarship SAP status appears on the Satisfactory Academic Progress tab.

Below is a list of the different statuses for renewable scholarships.

• Good Standing: The student (a) has met the minimum required cumulative GPA and (b) earned the minimum required credit hours (or cumulative credit hours) during the annual review period for Good Standing. The scholarship is renewed and posted to the student’s account for the following aid year based on remaining eligibility.
   
• Warning: The student has not met the Scholarship SAP requirements for Good Standing. However, the student meets the requirements for Warning status and has remaining eligibility. A student is assigned a Warning status for no more than two academic terms, thus the award will be posted as eligibility permits. If, at the end of the Warning period, the student has not regained Good Standing, the scholarship is terminated. A student cannot be assigned a Warning after being assigned Good Standing by Appeal.
   
• Unsatisfactory: The student has not met one or both of the Scholarship SAP requirements for Good Standing. The student is ineligible for the renewable scholarship for the following aid year. Students will remain ineligible unless they successfully appeal or re-establish eligibility on their own. Students may appeal one-time only for continued use of remaining eligibility. For each academic term (semester) in which the student has not met the required renewal stipulations of the scholarship, one academic term of scholarship eligibility is lost.
   
• Good Standing by Appeal: The student has successfully appealed an Unsatisfactory status and the renewable scholarship is awarded based on stipulations as stated in the scholarship appeal approval email.
   
• Terminated: The student (a) has not met one or both of the SAP scholarship requirements for Good Standing and (b) had been assigned an Unsatisfactory or Warning status for a previous aid year and (c) has failed to regain Good Standing. The renewable scholarship has been terminated. Students whose scholarship is terminated cannot appeal. In order for their scholarship to be reinstated, they must get back in to good standing. Please see the Regaining Eligibility section below form more details.
   
• Canceled: A finding of responsibility for a violation of academic misconduct will result in the cancelation of all university scholarships. 

Students with a Warning, Unsatisfactory, or Terminated Scholarship SAP status will receive an email via their Wright State email address from Enrollment Services directing them to log in to WINGS to view their Scholarship SAP status.
 

Regaining Eligibility

Students may re-establish eligibility for their renewable scholarship on their own or complete an appeal, if applicable.

University policy permits the scholarship to be reinstated when the required cumulative grade point average is achieved while earning the required full-time hours as stated in your original scholarship award letter. To request a review for scholarship reinstatement, send written notification to scholarships@wright.edu. For each academic term in which the student has not met the required renewal stipulations of the scholarship, one academic term of scholarship eligibility is lost.

Students may attend the following summer semester to make up any deficient hours, and/or raise their cumulative GPA. If you are registered for summer classes, please send an email to scholarships@wright.edu AFTER your summer grades have posted if you feel your eligibility status has changed. We are unable to review your eligibility until all your summer grades are posted.

Appealing an Unsatisfactory Scholarship SAP Status

Students who have been assigned an Unsatisfactory Scholarship SAP status may submit an appeal. The option to appeal is only offered one-time during undergraduate studies.

How do I appeal and what should my scholarship written statement include?

To appeal, students must submit a Scholarship Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form. The appeal will ask for two written statements and to upload documentation that supports the written statements.

1. A statement that explains the circumstance or reason(s) you were unable to meet the scholarship SAP requirement(s).
2. A statement that explains what has changed in the student’s situation that will now enable him/her to meet scholarship SAP requirements. 
3. Documentation that supports the written statement(s). A statement of support such as a letter from an academic advisor must be signed by the person providing the support and must be printed on company letterhead.
   • For “mitigating” circumstances (e.g., illness, injury, bereavement, etc.) appropriate documentation may include a statement of support from a physician, counselor or clergy; court documents, obituaries, etc.
   • For “non-mitigating” circumstances (e.g., return to school after extended leave, Fresh Start, change of major, etc.) appropriate documentation may include a statement of support from an academic advisor, faculty member, or tutor; academic transcripts from a transfer college, etc.

How will I be notified of the appeal decision?

It is the student’s responsibility to check their Wright State email account and WINGS account for updates to their scholarship status, including the status of the scholarship SAP appeal. 

PLEASE NOTE: If your appeal is approved, your spring award cannot be made until your fall stipulations have been reviewed. Since spring fees are due December 15, you will need to make payment arrangements that exclude your scholarship award. If eligible, your spring award will be posted after your fall grades/hours have been reviewed.

If my appeal is approved, what are the renewal stipulations?

Students can view the probationary renewal stipulations in WINGS once an appeal is approved. Failure to meet the stipulations (credit hours and semester GPA) will lead to the termination of the scholarship. If stipulations are met, the scholarship will be posted for the next academic term. Students must earn the required number of credit hours as outlined in the original award letter along with the cumulative GPA at the end of Spring Semester in order to have the scholarship renewed for the next academic year. If the required cumulative GPA and hours are not met by the end of spring, the scholarship will be terminated. 

What if my appeal is denied or I do not submit an appeal at this time?

Students who have an Unsatisfactory scholarship SAP status may re-establish eligibility on their own. University policy permits the scholarship to be reinstated when the required cumulative grade point average is achieved while earning the required full-time hours as stated in your original scholarship award letter. To request a review for scholarship reinstatement, send written notification to scholarships@wright.edu. For each academic term in which the student has not met the required renewal stipulations of the scholarship, one academic term of scholarship eligibility is lost.

What if my scholarship was terminated, can I regain my eligibility?

Students who have been assigned a Terminated Scholarship SAP status may re-establish eligibility on their own. University policy permits the scholarship to be reinstated when the required cumulative grade point average is achieved while earning the required full-time hours as stated in your original scholarship award letter. To request a review for scholarship reinstatement, send written notification to scholarships@wright.edu. For each academic term in which the student has not met the required renewal stipulations of the scholarship, one academic term of scholarship eligibility is lost.

Scholarship SAP and Federal Student Aid SAP

It is important to note that it is possible for a student to have a scholarship SAP issue and a Federal Student Aid SAP issue at the same time. If a student has been notified of an issue with both SAP policies, they must submit an appeal for each issue. For more information on appealing an unsatisfactory SAP status for federal student aid, visit our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal page.
 

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Institutionally Funded Scholarship Policy

Undergraduate student eligibility for scholarship awards from academic colleges or administrative departments:

• The maximum academic or merit award is equal to flat-rate tuition for undergraduate students. Students who receive full-tuition scholarships or receive full-ride scholarships (inclusive of tuition, room, and board), are not eligible to receive additional scholarships from academic colleges or administrative departments. Academic colleges and administrative department awards are classified as academic or merit awards. 
• Students who receive scholarships for talent programs (athletics, arts, performance, etc.) may receive scholarships up to cost of attendance and are reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid for full eligibility. Scholarship awards may be reduced if the student chooses to not live on campus. Students who choose to live off-campus will not receive a refund of institutional financial aid/scholarship awards to pay for living off campus. There may be exceptions made for certain scholarship programs and as required by NCAA regulations.

PLEASE NOTE: Scholarship programs funded by the Wright State University Foundation and grant-funded programs are excluded from this policy. Wright State athletic scholarship programs are regulated through NCAA Division I regulations, and in some cases exempt from the policies outlined above.