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Radford· Renewal Rules

Keeping Radford’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 20268 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers
5 of 5
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
5
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Radford'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.

  • Radford Excellence Scholarship: 2.5 GPA
  • Wayfinder Scholarship: 2.5 GPA
  • Compass Scholarship: 2.5 GPA
  • Transfer Excellence Scholarship: 2.8 GPA
  • Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • Radford Excellence Scholarship

    Up to $4,000 (in-state) / Up to $8,000 (out-of-state)

    To keep it: Up to eight consecutive semesters. After the first academic year, and each semester thereafter, must achieve a cumulative 2.5 GPA (4.0 scale) and remain in good judicial standing. Must complete at least 12 credit hours each semester or the scholarship is revoked.

    Source: https://www.radford.edu/financial-aid/aid-types.html

  • Wayfinder Scholarship

    $1,000-$2,000 (in-state) / Up to $8,000 (out-of-state)

    To keep it: New freshmen: up to eight consecutive semesters. Transfers: up to four consecutive semesters. After year one and each semester thereafter, cumulative 2.5 GPA and good judicial standing required; must complete 12+ credits/semester or scholarship revoked.

    Source: https://www.radford.edu/financial-aid/aid-types.html

  • Compass Scholarship

    Up to $1,000 (in-state) / Up to $7,000 (out-of-state)

    To keep it: New freshmen: up to eight consecutive semesters. Transfers: up to four. Cumulative 2.5 GPA and good judicial standing after year one; 12+ credits/semester or revoked.

    Source: https://www.radford.edu/financial-aid/aid-types.html

  • Transfer Excellence Scholarship

    $1,000-$2,000 (in-state) / $7,000-$10,000 (out-of-state)

    To keep it: Up to four consecutive semesters. After year one and each semester thereafter, cumulative 2.8 GPA and good judicial standing required; 12+ credits/semester or revoked.

    Source: https://www.radford.edu/financial-aid/aid-types.html

  • Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

    $3,000 (in-state)

    To keep it: Up to four consecutive semesters if renewal criteria are met.

    Source: https://www.radford.edu/financial-aid/aid-types.html

How families lose this aid

  • Treating the 'up to' amount as a guaranteed award.

    All freshman tiers are stated as 'up to' a ceiling (or a range), with no published GPA/test grid — the actual amount is determined by the university.

  • Dropping below full-time.

    Students who fall below 12 credit hours at any time will have their scholarship revoked.

  • Ignoring the renewal GPA cliff.

    Renewal requires a cumulative 2.5 GPA (2.8 for Transfer Excellence) and good judicial standing after the first year and each semester thereafter.

Renewal questions families ask

What is the renewal GPA?
A cumulative 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (2.8 for the Transfer Excellence Scholarship), plus good judicial standing, checked after the first academic year and each semester thereafter.

How Radford compares across our verified dataset

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

    Radford 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 Radford’s own published materials.

More on Radford merit aid