Allegheny Highlands Today

West Virginia University will offer additional financial assistance to incoming first-time freshmen with the launch of the WVU Pledge, a last-dollar-in aid program for qualifying Promise Scholarship recipients, set to begin with the fall 2023 semester. 

“It is imperative that we remove as many barriers as possible to allow our brightest West Virginia students access to higher education,” President Gordon Gee said during his spring State of the University address on Monday (March 27). 

After all other financial aid options have been utilized, the WVU Pledge will cover remaining costs of University tuition, fees, housing and meal plans for students who meet the following criteria:  

• Incoming first-time freshman as of the fall 2023 semester, 

• Admitted to WVU, WVU Institute of Technology or WVU Potomac State College by June 1, 

• A Promise Scholarship recipient with an Expected Family Contribution of zero, 

• Living in a residence hall during each semester the scholarship is received, 

• Has submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and qualified for the Promise Scholarship by the May 1 priority deadline. 

No application is necessary. Students will be automatically reviewed for eligibility.  

“The WVU Pledge is designed to deliver direct support to West Virginia’s neediest students and help them attain college degrees,” said George Zimmerman, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management. 

“Earning a college degree is a transformational opportunity, especially for students and their families with high financial need. The WVU Pledge shows the University’s commitment to helping students succeed and — through them — West Virginia, as a whole, fulfilling our land-grant mission.” 

Scholarship award amounts will be determined by how much an eligible student owes for specific expenses after other federal and state aid programs and institutional scholarships are applied to their accounts. 

“This is not a one-time option,” noted Sandra Oerly-Bennett, assistant vice president for Student Financial Services. “Students could potentially maintain the WVU Pledge throughout their time at the University, accessing critical assistance to support their education.” 

To renew the WVU Pledge, students must meet the Promise Scholarship renewal criteria, live in a campus residence hall, submit a valid FAFSA by an established deadline for each upcoming aid year and be Pell Grant eligible, and have remaining eligible costs not covered by other aid, as defined by last-dollar-in criteria.  

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