Orange barScholarships can help you pay for college. 

The following policies apply to scholarships that are awarded at the time of admission.

 

 

General Policies

A scholarship is defined as any form of award, payment, reimbursement or other transaction to a student for the purpose of aiding a student's study, training, or research, including but not limited to payments towards tuition, fees, living expenses, travel expenses, etc. Scholarships must be processed through Student Financial Services for financial aid considerations. Scholarships are considered "gift aid" and do not need to be repaid.

Renewal Eligibility

  • You must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) unless otherwise stated in your scholarship award, evaluated at the end of each spring term. Cumulative GPAs are calculated according to the Registrar's Policy on Grades and GPA Calculation.
    • Failure to meet the GPA requirement as of the end of a spring term will result in non-renewal of the scholarship for the following academic year. An email notification will be sent to your UVM email address if your scholarship will not be renewed.
      • ​If you are first admitted for a spring term, your scholarship will be automatically renewed for the next full academic year. Your cumulative GPA will then be reviewed at the end of each subsequent spring term to determine further renewal eligibility.
    • If you have a merit scholarship non-renewed due to GPA, you will continue to be reviewed at the end of each spring term. If you achieve the minimum cumulative GPA at the end of a future spring term, the scholarship will be reinstated for the next academic year, if you will continue to be enrolled as an undergraduate student and meet the other scholarship criteria.
  • You must maintain continuous full-time enrollment, defined as enrolling in 12 or more credits per term as an undergraduate student.
    • Enrolling at less than full-time will result in withdrawal of your scholarship for that term. If you continue to meet all other scholarship criteria, the scholarship will be reinstated for your next full-time term.
    • Exceptions:
      • If you will complete your program of study in fewer than eight full-time terms, you may enroll in fewer than 12 credits during your final term (provided you are graduating that term and the credits are required for your degree) and still retain your scholarship. If you are in this situation, you must obtain approval from Student Financial Services to retain your scholarship. 

Length of Scholarship

You will receive your scholarship for a maximum of eight terms, unless stated otherwise in your scholarship notification. If you complete all your degree requirements in less than eight terms you will not receive a refund of unused scholarship monies or an increase in your award amount for the enrolled terms.

Residency Classification

If you receive a residency reclassification (Vermont versus out-of-state), your scholarship eligibility will be re-evaluated. A change to your residency classification may result in a loss or reduction of your scholarship.

Gift Aid Tolerance

Your scholarship award may be reduced or cancelled if your total gift aid (including, but not limited to: grants, scholarships, employer tuition benefits and VA educational benefits) exceeds the total cost of attendance as defined by the University.

Relationship to Need-Based Financial Aid

Merit scholarships are not based on need or financial aid eligibility. If you apply/have applied for need-based financial aid at the University, you will receive more information on your total financial aid package directly from Student Financial Services. Your scholarship will be calculated into your overall aid package.

Merit Scholarship & UVM or Vermont State College Tuition Remission

If you have been offered a scholarship by UVM and will also receive UVM or Vermont State College Tuition Remission, your scholarship will be reduced to $2,000 per year if you were admitted to the University for the Spring 2016 term or later.

Merit Scholarship & NEBHE Tuition Break

If you will receive the NEBHE tuition break and were admitted for Fall 2019 or later, your scholarship will be reduced by 30%. This reduction reflects a proration of the scholarship based on the discounted tuition rate with the NEBHE tuition credit. Your full merit scholarship amount will be reinstated if you are determined ineligible for the tuition break as a result of course enrollment or change to a non-eligible major.

College Specific Scholarship

If you qualified for a college specific scholarship you must remain continuously enrolled in your college/school of admission in order to retain your award.

Summer Session

Your scholarship may not be applied to summer session courses. Scholarships may only be applied to fall and spring terms. 

Accelerated Master's Pathways

Students accepted into an Accelerated Master's Pathways (AMP) will no longer be eligible for their scholarship once they have completed their undergraduate degree. If such student begins their graduate level coursework while completing the undergraduate degree, the scholarship may still apply so long as they meet all other applicable terms and conditions, including the 8 term maximum, minimum GPA requirement, and full-time enrollment (including graduate level coursework). Once the undergraduate degree has been conferred, a student is no longer eligible for their merit scholarship awarded at the time of undergraduate admission, even if they have received that scholarship for fewer than the maximum number of terms.

Study Abroad

  • If you enroll in a UVM exchange program, including bilateral or ISEP, or a "UVM in..." semester programs, your scholarship may be used for that term. If you are an out-of-state resident participating in an exchange program, your scholarship may be reduced for the term you are abroad to account for any reduced tuition rate charged for the program.
  • If you enroll in an external study abroad program, including ISEP-Direct Enrollment programs, your scholarship cannot be used for the term you are abroad.
  • To determine whether a specific UVM merit scholarship can be applied for a specific study abroad program, review information on the Office of International Education's website or contact Student Financial Services.

Leave of Absence

  • You may take an approved leave of absence for up to two consecutive terms and retain your scholarship, provided you continue to meet all other scholarship criteria. This leave of absence may include enrollment at another institution.

Withdrawal or Inactive Status

If you withdraw or become inactive you will retain your scholarship as long as you return to school with no more than two full, consecutive terms away (not including summer), and continue to meet all other scholarship criteria. Your time away may include enrollment at another institution.

  • If you withdraw after a term begins, during the add/drop period or later, you can be away for the term of withdrawal/drop plus the very next term (not including summer) and will retain your scholarship upon your return as long as you continue to meet all other scholarship criteria.
  • If you withdraw prior to the term start you can be away for two full consecutive terms and will retain your scholarship upon your return as long as you continue to meet all other scholarship criteria.

Suspension or Dismissal

If you are suspended or dismissed from the University, you will lose your scholarship eligibility for all future terms. If the suspension or dismissal happens during a term, your scholarship amount may be reduced or cancelled for that term in accordance with any tuition refund given based on the tuition refund schedule.

Deferred Initial Offer of Admission

If you defer admission you will retain your original merit scholarship offer.

Declined/Cancelled Initial Offer of Admission

If you decline or do not accept your initial offer of admission and accompanying scholarship offer, you will not be eligible for your original scholarship offer if you return to UVM for a later term.

 

Additional Terms and Conditions

If you have been awarded one or more of the scholarships listed below, additional terms and conditions may apply.

Green and Gold Scholarship
The Catamount Commitment (no longer being awarded)
Yellow Ribbon Scholarship