Requirements

The Promise Scholarship Application and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed by the March 1, 2027, deadline.

High school students should apply by the deadline, even if qualifying test scores or grades have not been achieved yet. Qualifying scores and grades will be linked to the application on file once received and processed.

Applicants who miss the application deadline may be eligible for a late award to begin the following spring semester but will not qualify for the fall 2027 semester. Late awards are dependent upon availability of funding. Students must apply for the scholarship within two years of graduation from high school, unless the applicant entered the United States armed services pursuant to Section 4 of the Promise Scholarship Program Rule.

Only full-time, first-year students may receive initial awards. Students already enrolled at a higher education institution are not eligible to apply, except as outlined under Section 2.6 of the Promise Scholarship Program Rule.

Learn more about how to apply HERE.

For those who completed the 2026 Promise Scholarship application or an earlier application, contact the office at promise@wvhepc.edu for details about additional specific requirements to qualify for your cohort.

A student and parent or legal guardian reported on the FAFSA must have resided in West Virginia continuously for twelve consecutive months preceding the Promise Scholarship deadline, unless the applicant or applicant’s parent or legal guardian is a member of armed services or a military dependent under Section 5 of the Promise Scholarship Program Rule.

Must complete high school graduation requirements at a West Virginia public or private high school.

Must complete at least one half of credits required for high school graduation through attendance at a public or private high school in the state of West Virginia.

• Limited exceptions are available for students from West Virginia who commute daily to an out-of-state public or private high school under Section 6 and who qualify as a military dependent under Section 5 of the Promise Scholarship Program Rule.

Must achieve an overall grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or whatever is considered a “B” average, based on county board grading policies, in overall coursework required for graduation by the West Virginia Department of Education.

• For students attending a private West Virginia high school, grades and transcripts must be submitted by the high school counselor or other designated staff person through our Financial Aid Management System (FAMS). Counselors can contact promise@wvhepc.edu for assistance with new grade reporting process that will be made available by December 2026.
• West Virginia public high school students using final grades to meet their eligibility should request the high school counselor or other designated staff person to provide final grades and transcripts through our Financial Aid Management System (FAMS).
• Applicants may qualify with sixth or seventh semester grades but must maintain the grade point average requirement through the eighth semester or the scholarship will be revoked.
• If a student does not have a qualifying sixth or seventh semester grade point average, they must apply and have a completed FAFSA submitted by the March 1 deadline to be considered.
• Grade point average calculations must be determined by a high school counselor or school official.
• Weighted grades may be used based on county board grading policy.

Dual credit and other college coursework.

• Students can take unlimited amount dual credit coursework prior to college enrollment and still be eligible for award.
• College coursework taken in high school will count towards initial eligibility.
• All college credits (including dual credit coursework) will be counted in the cumulative GPA calculation in determining Promise Scholarship renewal eligibility, regardless of whether the college accepts these credits.
• Credit hours earned prior to the first fall semester of enrollment may not be counted toward the credit hour requirement in determining eligibility for award renewal. See the Promise renewal requirements tab for more information on maintaining scholarship eligibility.

For those who completed the 2026 Promise Scholarship application or an earlier application, contact the office at promise@wvhepc.edu for details about core coursework requirements that were also required to qualify for your cohort.

An applicant must meet all listed requirements for the ACT or SAT national test by the July test date for the ACT or the June test date for the SAT. An applicant must qualify on either the ACT or SAT, not both. Students may not combine scores from different testing formats to qualify.

Minimum Test Score Requirements:

• ACT Minimum Composite Score of 21 using the English, reading and math sub sections.

OR

• SAT Minimum Total Score of 1080 using the combined scores from the Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing and Math sub sections.

Those applying for 2027-2028 may use a superscore to achieve the minimum standardized testing scores. Superscoring allows students to take their top score from sub sections of various ACT exams dates or SAT exams date and combine them for a higher overall score. Superscores will automatically be calculated based upon the individual test scores received by our office.

Our office automatically receives ACT and SAT scores for all students who take the test in the state of West Virginia. For ACT, it usually takes 4-6 weeks for us to receive official scores. For SAT, we only receive all the scores from the August through December test dates in late January and all the scores from the February through June tests in August. Official scores must be received from ACT or SAT for the eligibility status to change.

Students must submit an application and FAFSA by deadline, even if they have not met the required testing scores by the application deadline.

For those who completed the 2026 Promise Scholarship application or an earlier application, contact the office at promise@wvhepc.edu for details about the subsection test scores that were also required to qualify for your cohort.

ACT – July 2027

• To report your official scores to our office use ACT Code: 4539
• Please send individual test scores not a superscore report when requesting official scores be sent to our office.

SAT – June 2027

• To report your official scores to our office use SAT Code: 3456

To have your official scores sent to our office use the following codes:

• ACT Code: 4539
• SAT Code: 3456

Homeschooled applicants must achieve an overall grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or whatever is considered a “B” average in overall coursework required for graduation and meet the admission standards of West Virginia colleges.

• Homeschooled applicants must submit a Grade Verification Form and a transcript to qualify. The form is first complete by the applicant then forwarded to the homeschool administrator.

Homeschool applicants must provide documentation of homeschool registration from your county school board office. Documentation must show you were registered as a homeschooler during the 11th and 12th grades. For homeschool recipients of the Hope Scholarship, the documentation must specify Hope Scholarship IIP and 11th and 12th grades. Preferred documentation: Obtain a letter from the county board of education on letterhead indicating at minimum the student was registered as a homeschool student during the 11^th and 12^th grades or the date when the student registered as a home school student.

Eligible commuters must submit a Grade Verification Form and transcript to qualify. Grade Verification Forms must first be completed by the applicant then completed by a high school counselor or school official.

Eligible commuters must provide documentation from a high school counselor or school official on letterhead that you commuted daily to an out of state high school and include your dates of admission and current address on record.

If you are taking the ACT/SAT in a state other than West Virginia, an official score must be sent to our office.

• To report your official scores to our office use ACT Code: 4539
• To report your official scores to our office use SAT Code: 3456

Provide documentation of military status.

Military dependent applicants must submit a Grade Verification Form and official transcript to qualify. Grade Verification Forms must first be completed by the applicant then completed by a high school counselor or school official.

Military dependent/Armed Services Member applicants must submit verification of maintaining legal residence in West Virginia while serving in the United States armed forces while the student attended high school.

If you are taking the ACT/SAT in a state other than West Virginia, an official score must be sent to our office.

• ACT code: 4539
• SAT code: 3456

Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen.

A person who successfully completed an alternative educational program, such as the Mountaineer Challenge Academy, approved by the Director of State Financial Aid Programs, may qualify for a Promise award, but only if he or she has passed a state approved high school equivalency examination with a minimum score determined by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. All other requirements, including ACT/SAT test score requirement, must also be met to qualify.

A student passing a state approved high school equivalent examination under other exceptional circumstances may appeal for scholarship consideration.