Institutional Scholarship Guidelines

Institutional Scholars must be enrolled full-time each fall and spring semester and earn 30 credit hours during the academic year. Students are highly encouraged to take, on average, 14-16 hours each fall and spring to stay on track for 30 hours. Be aware that repeating a course for which you have already earned credit will not contribute credit hours toward satisfying the 30-hour requirement for the year.

Institutional scholarship recipients must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative institutional GPA (after the spring semester) to be eligible for renewal in subsequent years.

If a student does not meet the renewal requirements at the end of the spring semester (i.e. had to withdraw from a course or GPA dropped below a 3.0), the student may enroll at USA, at their own expense, during the summer term to meet the requirements. The scholarship will be forfeited if renewal requirements are not met at the end of the summer semester. Qualified students can also participate in the Earn Back Program. 

No, only classes taken at USA count towards scholarship renewal requirements. Courses can be taken either in-person or online. If a student fails to meet the renewal requirements during the regular year, they are encouraged to take classes during the summer term through USA in order to maintain their scholarships. 

USA offers in-state tuition to all out-of-state students awarded a scholarship for academic merit at the time of admission. To be eligible, students must qualify for the renewable Freshman Admission Scholarship or Community College Transfer Scholarship. Scholarship criteria must be met each academic year in order for the scholarship tuition waver to renew. 

Study Abroad Scholarships, awarded as part of a Freshman Admission Scholarship to qualifying students, may only be used once during the first four years of a student’s undergraduate degree. Students must complete the travel abroad application and request use of scholarship funds prior to the OIE scholarship application deadline in JagSPOT. 

Institutional scholarships are applied typically towards the payment of USA tuition and fees. In some cases the award may also be used for USA Housing, USA Dining, and required textbooks at the USA Bookstore. Scholarships may have additional award specifics or restrictions – please review your award letter carefully for individual scholarship guidelines.

Institutional scholarships are non-refundable.

Institutional scholarship funds do not roll from term to term or year to year.

Institutional scholarship funds may not be used for the summer term.

A maximum has been established for the total combined amount a student may receive from all USA scholarships and aid funded through the institution or matched with institutional funds (all scholarships are considered institutional unless clearly documented as external). The maximum for the 2024/2025 academic aid year is $17,650.

Renewable scholarships will be reviewed after the end of the spring term, once all grades have been certified by the Office of the Registrar. Initial renewal notifications will be sent out in July each year. A second review period will take place at the end of the full summer term, once grades have been certified by the Office of the Registrar.

If a student does not meet the renewal criteria of their institutional scholarship at the end of the summer term, they may be eligible to participate in the Earn Back Program. Not all scholarships and aid are eligible to be earned back. For more information on the Earn Back Program and its requirements please visit the USA Institutional Scholarship Earn Back Program page.

Grade replacement requests must be completed and submitted to the Office of the Registrar at the end of the completing term and must be processed prior to the first day of the subsequent term. Students must notify the Office of Scholarship Services in writing (email) when a request has been submitted. Without notification scholarship disbursements and renewals may be affected. 

Student-athletes that participate in a head-count sport, for the University of South Alabama, receive athletic aid that covers 100% of their USA tuition and fees, room, board, and books. These student-athletes are not eligible to also receive USA Freshman Admission Scholarships.  

The institutional cap does not apply to scholarship recipients within the College of Medicine.