Scholarship Conditions
This page explains the payment and renewal conditions for students who have already been awarded the renewable scholarships or other awards listed below. These conditions apply ONLY to these awards.
To learn how to apply for these awards, follow the links below.
For questions about these requirements, please contact the Financial Aid Office, Scholarship Unit at scholarship AT_TOWSON.
Most need-based grants don't automatically renew. Instead, you must reapply every year. For more information, see need-based grants. Most grants are not subject to the award requirements listed below, except for the Top 10% Grant, which has academic and financial need renewal requirements.
Scholarship GPA and Other Requirements
These awards require the cumulative TU GPA and other requirements listed below.
- Black & Gold Scholarship: 2.5 GPA and must pay out-of-state tuition rates*
- CEEP Award: 2.5 GPA, and additional CEEP program requirements.
- Dean's Scholarship Education: 3.0 GPA and education Major. The earned unit conditions below only apply to undergraduates. (This award doesn't require a scholarship application. We use Admission Application data to select recipients.)
- Department Award - Art: Art major and the GPA listed in your scholarship notification letter
- Department Award - Dance: 3.0 GPA and dance major
- Department Award - Debate Team: 2.5 GPA and the additional team requires in your scholarship letter
- Department Award E. Media & Film: 3.0 GPA and EMF major
- Department Award - Music: 3.0 GPA and music major
- Department Award - Theatre: 3.0 GPA and acting or theatre major
- Honors College Scholarship: 3.0 GPA for freshman, sophomores, and juniors; and
3.2 GPA for seniors (90 earned units). You must also meet additional Honors College Requirements, which include additional GPA requirements for all courses taken to fulfill Honors College credit. - International Student Scholarship: 3.0 GPA and must pay out-of-state tuition rates*
- Provost Scholarship: 2.75 GPA for admit terms Fall 2023 and beyond. 3.0 GPA for earlier admit terms.
- Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM) Scholarship: 2.75 GPA and education major
- Tiger Scholarship: 2.75 GPA for admit terms Fall 2023 and beyond. 3.0 GPA for earlier admit terms. Students must also pay out-of-state tuition rates.*
- Top 10% Grant: 2.75 GPA. You must also submit a FAFSA every year and have a FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) value less than or equal to $10,000. For Priority Consideration for this award, you must submit your FAFSA by TU's FAFSA Priority Deadline for current students. Before 2024-2025, the SAI was called an Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
- TOPS Program Scholarship: 2.5 GPA. Must major in Biology, Chemistry, Forensic Chemistry, Computer & Information Sciences, Math, Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences, Environmental Science & Studies, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry & Bioinformatics, Pre-Professional Programs, or Towson UTeach programs.
- Transfer Achievement Award: 2.75 GPA for admit terms Fall 2023 and beyond. 3.0 GPA for earlier admit terms.
- University Scholarship: 2.5 GPA. If you received an out-of-state award amount, and switch to in-state tuition status, your amount will be reduced.* (This scholarship is not accepting new applications.)
*For the Black & Gold Scholarship, Tiger Scholarship, International Student Scholarships and the out-of-state University Scholarships, if you are granted in-state tuition rates, you must email scholarship AT_TOWSON within 7 days of that change.
Award Payment Conditions
These awards may be used only for full-time fall and spring enrollment at TU (at least 12 units per semester). Winter minimester units can’t be used to meet the required full-time units.
Your annual award amount will be evenly split into fall and spring disbursements.
These funds cannot be applied to your non-refundable $300 enrollment fee.
Your total combined financial aid including these awards and all of your other aid from all sources (government, TU, and private) can't exceed your TU Cost of Attendance budget. If your total aid exceeds this limit, we must usually reduce your loans, these awards, and/or other aid until your total aid falls within this limit. Your other aid programs may have similar or additional total aid restrictions. For more information, see Award Changes and Reductions.
You can only use these funds toward enrollment at TU for your first bachelor’s degree (including approved study abroad/away programs if you remain officially enrolled at TU).
If your tuition rate changes from out-of-state to in-state, International and Tiger Scholarships will be canceled and Provost Scholarships will be reduced or canceled. (Out-of-state students with University System of Maryland employee tuition waivers will be changed to in-state tuition rates and scholarships will be adjusted.)
Fall aid offers are only valid if you enroll for that fall term. If you defer your enrollment to a later term, your aid offers will be canceled. If you reapply for admission for next fall, you may compete with other applicants for new scholarship offers.
Renewal Conditions
Freshman awards may be received for a maximum of 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters. For the maximum semesters for transfer student scholarships, see your scholarship letter.
- You must enroll full-time (at least 12 units) for every consecutive fall and spring semester.
- You must earn a minimum of 24 units during the standard academic year (Fall + Winter + Minimester + Spring).* To complete your degree in four years, you
should earn at least 30 units per academic year.
*Spring admits are only required to earn 12 units during their first academic year, which includes that winter minimester and spring semester.
Earned units are defined by TU’s academic policies, include courses with passing grades (A, B, C, D, CRD, PS, S), and exclude failed, incomplete, audited, dropped, or withdrawn courses. For repeated courses, we include the earned units on your record as of your evaluation date. - You must maintain the cumulative TU GPAs and other requirements listed above.
Renewal Review
We review renewal conditions twice per year in January and June based on your academic record at that time. If you fail to meet any of the Renewal Conditions above, your award will be canceled unless you meet the automatic probation criteria outlined below.
The Financial Aid Office also reserves the right to waive cancellation or probation based on unique circumstances.
You are eligible for automatic probation without an appeal, if you meet the criteria below.
GPA – Automatic Probation Criteria
At the end of the fall term, we will grant automatic spring probation to first semester fall freshman who violated their fall GPA requirements.
GPA - Probation Requirements
If your award is placed on spring GPA probation, you must meet your GPA requirement by the end of that spring semester and all remaining fall and spring semesters, or your scholarship will be canceled for all future semesters.
Earned Unit – Automatic Probation Criteria
- At the end of the spring term, all fall-spring scholarship recipients are eligible for automatic probation if that was the first time that you violated the 24 unit requirement, and you earned at least 12 fall units or at least 12 winter and spring units during that academic year, and you met your GPA and other requirements.
- At the end for the spring term, students who were admitted that spring are also eligible for automatic probation if they met their GPA and other requirements but earned less than 12 winter and spring units.
Earned Unit - Probation Requirements
Once your award is placed on Earned Unit - Probation, if you ever violate your GPA requirement, earn less than 12 units again for any fall semester, or earn less than 24 units per academic year (Fall +Winter Minimester +Spring), your award will be canceled for all future semesters.
Cancellation Appeals
If your scholarship is canceled for any reason, you may appeal if you have extenuating circumstances or have met the GPA and earned unit requirements based on grade changes, additional grades or earned units from summer classes at the end of the academic year.
To appeal, send an email from your TU email account to the Scholarship Appeals Committee at scholarship AT_TOWSON. Explain your circumstances and attach any relevant documentation.
If your appeal is approved, the TU Scholarship Unit will define your scholarship requirements in your approval email.
Appeal Deadlines
Submit your appeal by the semester deadlines listed in your cancellation notice.
2021 Exceptions
We also granted automatic Fall 2021 probation to all Spring 2021 admits who violated their Spring 2021 GPA requirements.