More than 3,200 PROMISE scholars eligible to begin college this fall in West Virginia

Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission today announced that more than 3,200 students who graduated from high school this year have been awarded PROMISE Scholarships, annual awards of up to $4,750 they can use beginning this fall toward tuition and fees at colleges and universities in West Virginia. Additional PROMISE Scholarships will be awarded as eligible students are identified through June 2015 ACT and SAT testing scores.

“Again this year, the PROMISE Scholarship is making college more accessible and affordable for thousands of West Virginia students,” said Paul Hill, the Commission’s Chancellor. “Through this merit-based program, along with need-based state grants that can be combined with PROMISE, West Virginia is one of the top financial aid-providing states in the nation. These investments showcase our state’s commitment to advancing higher education opportunities for our students.”

The PROMISE Scholarship Program has awarded more than $400 million to more than 35,000 West Virginia students from all 55 counties since awards first began in 2002. More than 86 percent of PROMISE recipients in 2012 attended public four-year institutions in West Virginia. Since 2010, eligible students have received the block award amount of up to $4,750 or full tuition and fees, whichever is less. The academic criteria for PROMISE have remained the same since 2007.

Research shows that receiving PROMISE increases a student’s likelihood of completing college. In addition, PROMISE graduates stay in the state for their careers at higher rates than overall graduates – with one study finding 80 percent of PROMISE scholars who graduated in 2003-04 working in the state in 2012.

For more information on the PROMISE Scholarship Program, visit the state’s free college-planning resource, the College Foundation of West Virginia, at www.cfwv.com/PROMISE.

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