Resource Library

How to Renew Your Idaho Opportunity Scholarship

If you wish to renew your Idaho Opportunity Scholarship, there are important steps that you MUST follow in order to redeem your funds. Read closely.

Category
Paying for Education & Training
Topics
Scholarships

Terms of the Scholarship

  • If you plan to take a break from college or don’t enroll for a semester, you must tell the Idaho State Board of Education at least 30 days before that semester starts.
      • If you don’t notify them in time, you’ll lose your scholarship and will have to reapply in the future.
      • Not sure if you need time off? Reach out to the Scholarship Programs team to talk through your options:
  • In order to renew, you must maintain at least a 2.7 GPA.
    • Your cumulative GPA must be at or above a 2.65 (2.65 rounds to a 2.7)
    • To keep your scholarship, you need to stay on track to finish your degree on time:
  • To keep your scholarship, you need to stay on track to finish your degree on time:
    • Associate’s degree: finish in 2 years
    • Bachelor’s degree: finish in 4 years
  • Your progress is checked every year by the scholarship team.
  • For students without prior college credits upon receiving the Opportunity Scholarship, this means you must complete 30 credits per academic year.
    • If you fail a class, you did not complete it or earn the credit, so those credits will not count.
  • You are responsible for completing a renewal questionnaire each year by March 1. Please set a reminder on your calendar and do not depend on reminder emails.
    • You can renew each year by logging in to your Scholarship Idaho account. There will be a Renew/Request Leave of Absence button by the scholarship on the status page. If you do not see this, your award is not ready to renew yet.
  • If you drop any classes, you must immediately inform the Office of the Idaho State Board of Education. Not doing so could jeopardize your award.
    • Class drops may affect your ability to renew.

 

I just accepted the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. What do I do now?

  1. August: Make sure you have been awarded the correct amount at your institution.
  2. November: Login to your Scholarship Idaho account to see if you can renew. There will be a Renew/Request Leave of Absence button by the scholarship on the status page. If you do not see this, your award is not ready to renew yet.
    • Also in November:
      Make sure you notify the Office of the Idaho State Board of Education if you are taking a leave of absence in the spring. You will need to submit your leave request this month! There are instructions on the status page when you log in to your Scholarship Idaho account. If you are not sure if you will need a leave of absence, email scholarshiphelp@edu.idaho.gov or call the Scholarship Programs team at (208) 334-2270 to discuss your situation and learn about your options.
  3. December: Are you switching institutions? Login to your Scholarship Idaho account to submit a transfer request. Instructions are on the status page.
  4. February: Login to your Scholarship Idaho account to double-check that you renewed for next year. The deadline is March 1!
    • That’s it! As long as you complete the required number of credits for your institution and meet the minimum GPA (your institution reports this to us), you should be awarded sometime over the summer. It might be as late as September. If you are taking summer classes to meet credit requirements, you will not be awarded until you have shown you have completed the classes.

How Award Amounts Are Calculated

  • The scholarship amount depends on how much other financial aid (grants and scholarships) you’ve already received.
  • Awards range from $0 to $3,500 per year.
  • If your total aid already covers the full cost of attendance (either your school’s cost or the state-set amount of $28,061), you won’t receive additional funds from this scholarship.
  • You’ll never get more than your actual tuition and fees.

 

Ongoing Expectations

Please note that by accepting this offer, students are indicating that they understand and agree to the requirements associated with the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. Continuing Eligibility appears on page six, section 302; 01-04. Review the rules HERE.

FAQs

No, you do not. HOWEVER, your institution may require a FAFSA in order for that college or university to consider you for their awards. Remember, you DO need to complete a renewal form each year by March 1 (see Terms of the Scholarship section above).

All students who earn or attempt more than 120 credits are required to complete a graduation plan with the Office of the Idaho State Board of Education. Reminders to submit this plan are usually emailed to students during the summer.

The Idaho Opportunity Scholarship cannot be used for graduate programs. Once your official program at your institution is a graduate-level program, you are no longer eligible for this scholarship.

If you are an undergraduate student who has not yet graduated and you are just taking a graduate-level course, that is allowed.

You can receive the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship for up to four years. You can be awarded the first year, then renew three more times for a total of four years.

That is not possible. The maximum award amount for one semester is $1,750.

There is no minimum enrollment requirement each semester. There is a requirement to complete a certain number of credits each year in order to be on track to graduate in four years.