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Keene State· Renewal Rules

Keeping Keene State’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· CC

At a glance

Renewable tiers
8 of 9
One-time tiers
1
Tiers with published renewal terms
8
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Keene State's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • President's Award: Full-time enrollment
  • Dean's Award: Full-time enrollment
  • Enrichment Award: Full-time enrollment
  • Promise Award: Full-time enrollment
  • STEM Scholarship: 3.0 GPA
  • Talent Scholarships: See notes
  • Housing Scholarship: See notes
  • International Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • President's Award

    $5,500–$6,500 per year (NH) / $9,000 per year (out-of-state)

    Entry requirements: 3.5-4.0 high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the President's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • Dean's Award

    $4,500–$5,000 per year (NH) / $8,000–$8,500 per year (out-of-state)

    Entry requirements: 3.0-3.49 high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Dean's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • Enrichment Award

    $3,000 per year (NH) / $5,000–$7,500 per year (out-of-state)

    Entry requirements: 2.4-2.99 high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Enrichment Award is a cumulative 2.5; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • Promise Award

    $1,500 per year (NH) / $5,000 per year (out-of-state)

    Entry requirements: Below 2.4 high school GPA GPA

    To keep it: Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the Promise Award is a cumulative 2.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • STEM Scholarship

    $3,000 per year

    To keep it: Renewable for an additional three years if the student maintains a 3.0 GPA and remains enrolled in an eligible program.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • Talent Scholarships

    $1,000–$4,500 per year

    To keep it: Renewable for an additional three years provided the renewal criteria are met; renewable per departmental approval — typically students need to remain in the major and meet minimum GPA requirements.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • Housing Scholarship

    $500 per year (NH) / $2,500 per year (out-of-state)

    To keep it: Renewable each year. Stated as available to all new incoming students for the 2025-2026 academic year.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

  • International Scholarship

    Up to $7,000 per year

    To keep it: Renewal terms not stated on the page.

    Source: https://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/grants/merit/

How families lose this aid

  • Procrastinating on your application because the award is 'automatic.'

    Merit is automatic on GPA and needs no essay, but it is 'awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.' For tiers with a range (in-state President's/Dean's, out-of-state Dean's/Enrichment), applying late can land you at the lower end of the range or risk funds running out.

  • Treating the Talent or STEM scholarship as automatic like the GPA grid.

    STEM ($3,000) requires a declared science major, and Talent ($1,000–$4,500) requires an audition or a submission of work — these are not awarded purely on GPA the way the President's/Dean's/Enrichment/Promise grid is.

  • Confusing the Granite Guarantee with merit aid.

    The Granite Guarantee covers in-state tuition but is need-based: it requires being Pell Grant-eligible, a NH resident, and a first-time student, and renewal requires staying Pell-eligible and filing a renewal FAFSA by March 1. It is not a merit award.

  • Letting your GPA slip below the renewal floor.

    Renewal GPAs differ by award — President's and Dean's need a 3.0, Enrichment a 2.5, Promise a 2.0 — and a merit scholarship 'will not be renewed if funding is lost due to being placed on academic probation or in cases of required withdrawal or suspension.'

Renewal questions families ask

Do I have to apply separately for Keene State merit scholarships?
No — for the GPA-based awards (President's, Dean's, Enrichment, Promise). 'As a first-year or transfer student applicant, you are considered for all merit awards, and you don't have to submit an additional application or essay.' Talent scholarships are the exception: they require an audition or submission of work.
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship each year?
Renewal GPAs are President's and Dean's 3.0, Enrichment 2.5, and Promise 2.0. Awards renew for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if you pursue a double major), and you must stay enrolled full-time (12+ credits), make progress toward your degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing.

Rules that bite at Keene State

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from Keene State's own tier rules and not generic advice.

  • renewalPresident's Award: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable for up to eight semesters (up to 10 if pursuing a double major). The GPA renewal requirement for the President's Award is a cumulative 3.0; student must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more), make progress toward the degree, and remain in good disciplinary standing. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How Keene State compares across our verified dataset

  • 669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Keene State is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Keene State’s own published materials.

More on Keene State merit aid