FAQs
Scholarship FAQs
Scholarship Awarding
Scholarships & Residency Classification
Receiving & Maintaining Your Scholarship
Specific Scholarships
Other
| Scholarship Awarding |
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Q: Can my scholarship transfer between campuses?
A: Yes, for students starting in Summer/Fall 2019 and beyond.
Q. What do I need to do to be considered for a scholarship?
A. Submit a complete admissions application by January 15. There is no separate application
needed, but all required information, including application fee or fee waiver, official
SAT, ACT or CLT scores, official high school transcripts and any other required documents
are needed for an application to be considered complete. Ensure that your application
is complete by logging into the Applicant Portal and viewing your checklist. Scholarships are awarded on a funds available basis.
Q. Do I need to submit a scholarship application to be considered for admissions scholarships?
A. No, scholarships offered by the Office of Admissions do not require a separate
application. Students are automatically considered for these awards when they submit
an admissions application by the priority deadline. However, additional scholarship
opportunities can be found at www.usf.edu/scholarships.
Q. Is any additional information needed to be considered for a scholarship (e.g. essay,
letters of recommendation, etc.)?
A. Most scholarships offered by the Office of Admissions do not require anything more
than the complete admissions application, which includes an application fee or fee
waiver, official SAT, ACT or CLT scores, official high school transcripts, and any
other required documents. No essays or letters of recommendation are needed. However,
the Ventures Scholarship and Tradition of Excellence Scholarships do require additional
verification. Please refer to the Awarding page to view the requirements for these awards.
Q. What criteria do I need to meet to be considered for a scholarship?
A. Criteria can be found on the Awarding page.
Q. If I meet the posted criteria for a scholarship, am I guaranteed to receive it?
A. Typically, a student meeting all criteria and deadlines for a scholarship will
be awarded. However, all scholarships are awarded on a funds available basis each
term, so receiving a scholarship is not guaranteed.
Q. What GPA is used for scholarship consideration?
A. The Office of Admissions recalculates students' high school GPA for admission and
scholarship purposes. This calculation is based on academic courses and the rigor
of the curriculum. If you have questions about your recalculated GPA, please contact
your admissions advisor.
Q. If I do not meet the criteria for a scholarship when I apply to USF, can I be considered
if I submit new information?
A. Students are automatically considered for scholarships from October-February. Standardized
tests (SAT/ACT/CLT) taken in December or earlier and received by the scholarship deadline
are used in scholarship consideration. Later tests and senior year grades will not
be used and students cannot be awarded scholarships from the Office of Admissions
after they have enrolled at USF.
Q. How will I be notified if I receive a scholarship?
A. Notification of your award will be included in your acceptance letter, or in a
separate letter that is sent after you are admitted. Awards will also appear on your
Student Self-Service account.
Q. How can I be considered for a higher scholarship?
A. Students are automatically considered for upgraded scholarships from November-February.
Standardized tests (SAT/ACT/CLT) taken in December or earlier and received by the
scholarship deadline are used in scholarship consideration. Later tests and senior
year grades will not be used. Students will be notified via postal mail if they are
offered an upgraded award.
Q. If I submitted updated test scores or transcripts, when will I know if I will receive
a higher scholarship?
A. Students are automatically considered for upgraded scholarships from November-February.
Students will be notified within that timeframe if they qualify for a higher award.
Q. If I believe I meet the requirements for a scholarship, but was not awarded, who
should I contact?
A. Please contact your admissions advisor or scholarships@usf.edu if you have questions about your scholarship eligibility.
Q. If I almost meet the requirements for a scholarship, is it possible to petition
to be awarded?
A. In order to ensure fairness to all applicants, students who do not meet the requirements
for a particular scholarship cannot be awarded.
Q. Does the university offer any other scholarships?
A. Yes. Many departments award scholarships to incoming students, but these require
a separate application that can only be submitted after a student has been admitted
to USF. Please visit www.usf.edu/scholarships for more details.
Q. Can I receive multiple scholarships?
A. Most awards offered by the Office of Admissions can be combined with other scholarships
and financial aid. Please view the Awarding page for details about which scholarship
offers can be combined.
Q. If I received a higher scholarship offer from another school, will USF increase
my award?
A. The Office of Admissions will consider students for an upgraded award if they meet
the necessary academic criteria, but does not increase award amounts based on other
offers.
| Scholarships & Residency Classification |
|---|
Q. How does residency impact my scholarship eligibility?
A. Certain scholarships are awarded based on residency. It is imperative that your
residency status is accurate to ensure that you receive the proper award.
Q. How do I prove Florida residency?
A. The State of Florida requires documentation indicating that the claimant has established
and maintained a legal Florida residence at least 12 months before the first day of
the semester for which in-state status is sought. In-state status is only for those
residents who reside in the state permanently with established legal domicile in Florida.
To prove Florida residency, you must submit a Residency Affidavit and supporting documentation. It is the responsibility of the student to submit residency information before classes
begin or risk losing their scholarship.
Q. If my residency status changes when I am enrolled, what will happen to my scholarship?
A. If your residency status changes after enrollment, your scholarship will be forfeited.
You will not be reconsidered for a different scholarship from the Office of Admissions.
Q. How do students from Latin American and Caribbean countries qualify for in-state
tuition?
A. Students from eligible Latin American and Caribbean countries will be temporarily
reclassified as Florida residents for tuition purposes for each semester that they
receive a qualifying scholarship. It is important to note that this residency status
is dependent upon receipt of the scholarship and full time enrollment. Failure to
meet the renewal requirements for a scholarship will result in loss of the award and classification as a non-Florida resident for tuition purposes.
Q. I am a resident of a Latin American or Caribbean country and was told that I would
receive in-state tuition, but I am still classified as a non-Florida resident. When
will that change?
A. If you are receiving an eligible scholarship from the Office of Admissions or other
department, and are from an eligible Latin American or Caribbean country, your tuition
will be reassessed at the in-state rate during the start of each term.
| Receiving & Maintaining Your Scholarship |
|---|
Q. What do I need to do to accept my scholarship?
- Sign in to myUSF
- Select “My Resources” on the top bar
- Select “Student Self-Service”
- From the main menu, select the option for “Financial Aid”
- Select “Award Offer”
- Carefully review the requirements of your scholarship
- Select “Accept” to verify that you understand the terms and conditions associated with your award
Q. If I accept my scholarship, does that mean I am required to attend USF?
A. No, accepting your scholarship is not a binding commitment to the university. If
you are a freshman, you should confirm your intent to attend USF by submitting your
$200 admissions deposit by the deadline for your term of entry.
Q. How will my scholarship be paid?
A. Scholarships disburse automatically into student accounts after drop/add week at
the beginning of each semester of eligibility.
Q: If I decide to start in a different semester, will that impact my scholarship?
A: Scholarships cannot be retroactively applied. For instance, if you were admitted
to the Fall semester but would like to update to start in the Summer semester, you
will not receive a scholarship for that Summer semester and it would start disbursing
in the Fall semester.
Q. Do I need to reapply for my scholarship each year?
A. No, provided you meet renewal requirements, your scholarship will automatically
pay for each semester of eligibility.
Q. What do I have to do to continue to receive my scholarship?
A. In order to remain eligible for your scholarship, you must enroll full-time in
each Fall and Spring term, complete 30 USF credits by the end of each academic year
(Fall/Spring/Summer) and maintain a 3.0 USF GPA. You can view the full terms & conditions
of your award on your Student Self-Service portal.
Q. If I do not meet the renewal requirements for my award, is it possible to have
it reinstated in the future?
A. If there are extenuating circumstances that caused you to not meet renewal requirements,
you can petition for award reinstatement through Office of Financial Aid.
Q. What can my scholarship be used for?
A. With the exception of Green & Gold Awards, scholarships from the Office of Admissions
are credited directly to student accounts at the beginning of each term and will be
applied to tuition and other charges (e.g. housing, meal plan, etc.). Any amount remaining
after all charges have been paid will be refunded to the student. Green & Gold Awards
are credited to student accounts as partial tuition waivers and can only be applied
to certain expenses on a student's account.
Q. If I graduate early or do not use all eight semesters of my scholarship, can I
still receive that money?
A. Scholarships from the Office of Admissions can only be applied to undergraduate
study at USF and will not be credited to the student if the full amount is not used.
Q. Can my scholarship be used to cover study abroad courses?
A. Some admissions scholarships can be applied to certain study abroad trips. You
will need to work with Office of Financial Aid to determine if your award can be used.
| Specific Scholarships |
|---|
Q. My award letter states that my Green & Gold Award will pay "up to" a certain amount.
What does this mean?
A. Green & Gold Awards are credited to student accounts as partial tuition waivers
and can only be applied to certain expenses on a student's account. The waivable tuition
and fees for each account will vary based upon the specific courses in which a student
enrolls each term. Green & Gold Awards will pay up to the maximum allotted amount
each term. Students can view the exact amount on their Student Self-Service portal.
Q. Can I submit additional information to be used in consideration for the History
of Achievement Award?
A. No additional information is needed for consideration.
Q. Where do I need to submit my Ventures Scholars Certificate?
A. Ventures certificates should be sent to scholarships@usf.edu prior to March 1.
| Other |
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Q. Where can I find additional scholarships?
A. Other funding opportunities can be found at www.usf.edu/scholarships
Q. Who should I contact if I have questions about Bright Futures or other scholarships?
A. Please contact Office of Financial Aid at (813) 974-4700.