The starting point
Frostburg awards its named Admissions Merit Scholarships (Purpose, Reach, Transfer, Associate) automatically from the admissions review with no extra application — but the dollar amounts aren't published, the out-of-state-only Reach award vanishes if your residency flips to in-state, and total aid from all sources (including private) is capped at the cost of attendance.
Selection beyond grades and scores. These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.
Awards to discuss
First 3 of 4 recorded awards, in chapter display order. This is a selection, not a ranking. Read the full chapter for all awards. Amounts retain the original units and conditions; confirm the entering year with the school.
Purpose Scholarship (freshman Admissions Merit)
Amount not published · Published award terms
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
GPA: Renewal cumulative GPA 3.0 (initial-award GPA/test cutoffs not published)
Eligibility: All residencies. No extra application required — offered from a thorough review of the admissions application, official transcripts, and residency materials. Full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate, first bachelor's degree.
Renewal: Renewal requires a cumulative FSU GPA of 3.0, 24 earned credits, and full-time fall & spring enrollment; freshman awards may be received for a maximum of 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters.
Other terms: Initial award amounts and GPA/test thresholds are not published on FSU's official pages; awards are determined by holistic admissions review. Renewal criteria are published (see excerpt).
https://www.frostburg.edu/admissions-and-cost/financial-aid/managing-your-aid/understanding-your-offer/renewal-criteria.php
Reach Scholarship (freshman Admissions Merit, out-of-state/regional)
Amount not published · Published award terms
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
GPA: Renewal cumulative GPA 2.8 (initial-award cutoffs not published)
Eligibility: Out-of-state or regional tuition residency only. No extra application required. Academic Common Market students and some VA benefits/Tuition Waivers convert residency to in-state and are therefore excluded from Reach eligibility.
Renewal: Renewal requires a cumulative FSU GPA of 2.8, 24 earned credits, and full-time fall & spring enrollment; max 8 consecutive fall/spring semesters. Award is CANCELED if the student's tuition residency changes to in-state.
Other terms: Out-of-state/regional-only award that effectively offsets non-resident tuition; it disappears the moment a student's residency becomes in-state. Combined with an Athletic Differential Waiver, the total cannot exceed the in-state vs. out-of-state (or in-state vs. regional) tuition difference.
https://www.frostburg.edu/admissions-and-cost/financial-aid/types-of-aid/scholarships.php
Associate Degree Scholars Program
$3,000 per academic year · Published award terms
Not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules.
GPA: Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
Eligibility: Entering transfer students who graduated from a Maryland community college or Potomac State College of West Virginia with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Arts in Teaching (certain AAS degrees may also qualify). Full-time enrollment. No extra application required.
Renewal: Applied toward total cost of education for up to four semesters provided the student maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and completes at least 24 credits per academic year.
Other terms: Distinct transfer-merit track with a published amount.
https://www.frostburg.edu/admissions-and-cost/undergraduate/apply/transfer-students/transfer-scholarships.php
Ask before you decide
- Which entering-year policy and residency category apply to us? What are the admission and scholarship deadlines?
- What grades and credits are required to renew, and for how many terms?
- How would other school awards or outside scholarships change the offer?
Recorded stacking policy: Total combined aid from ALL sources — federal, state, FSU, and private outside scholarships — cannot exceed the student's FSU cost of attendance. When the limit is exceeded, FSU reduces the least favorable funds first (usually loans, then FSU awards). Reach plus an Athletic Differential Waiver is separately capped at the resident/non-resident tuition difference.
Our unanswered questions / Family notes
