USF award rules
Will the scholarship last four years at USF?
We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.
The short answer
7 of 7 published awards are listed as renewable.
The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.
What to do
Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.
See every award rule, common mistake, and source
At a glance
- Renewable tiers
- 7 of 7
- One-time tiers
- 0
- Tiers with published renewal terms
- 7
- Renewal risk profile
- moderate
Renewal risk profile
USF'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.
- USF Presidential Award (Florida Resident): Full-time enrollment
- USF Directors Award (Florida Resident): Full-time enrollment
- USF Scholars Gold Award (Florida Resident): Full-time enrollment
- Green & Gold Presidential Waiver (Non-Florida Resident): See notes
- Green & Gold Directors Waiver (Non-Florida Resident): See notes
- Green & Gold Scholars Waiver (Non-Florida Resident): See notes
- USF Tradition of Excellence National Merit / USF Golden Achievement (NMF): Full-time enrollment
Renewal terms by tier
USF Presidential Award (Florida Resident)
Up to $4,000 per year (approximately $16,000 over 4 years)To keep it: Renewable for up to 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years of coursework, or completion of bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admissions-scholarships/index.aspx
USF Directors Award (Florida Resident)
Not publicly disclosed in a per-year table; second-tier in-state awardTo keep it: 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/terms-and-conditions/2627-tc-fsa.aspx
USF Scholars Gold Award (Florida Resident)
Not publicly disclosed in a per-year table; third-tier in-state awardTo keep it: 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/terms-and-conditions/2627-tc-fsa.aspx
Green & Gold Presidential Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)
Up to $11,000 per year (approximately $44,000 over 4 years)To keep it: Out-of-state tuition waiver — must remain classified as a non-Florida resident to retain the waiver. If residency updates to Florida, the waiver is canceled and not replaced by an in-state award.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admissions-scholarships/nonflorida.aspx
Green & Gold Directors Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)
Up to $9,000 per year (approximately $36,000 over 4 years)To keep it: Out-of-state tuition waiver; must remain non-Florida resident to retain.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admissions-scholarships/nonflorida.aspx
Green & Gold Scholars Waiver (Non-Florida Resident)
Up to $5,000 per year (approximately $20,000 over 4 years)To keep it: Out-of-state tuition waiver; must remain non-Florida resident to retain.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/admissions-scholarships/nonflorida.aspx
USF Tradition of Excellence National Merit / USF Golden Achievement (NMF)
Full USF National Merit package (combines USF + NMSC funding; specific composition varies by Florida residency)To keep it: 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years.
Source: https://www.usf.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/terms-and-conditions/2627-tc-fsa.aspx
How families lose this aid
- National Merit Finalists not designating USF as first-choice institution to NMSC.
USF's National Merit package (Florida Benacquisto for Florida residents, USF Golden Achievement for non-residents) requires the finalist to designate USF as first-choice institution with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Missing this designation forfeits both the USF package and the $2,000 USF Passport Scholarship for study abroad.
Renewal questions families ask
- Is there a USF full ride?
- Yes — for National Merit Finalists. The Florida Benacquisto Scholarship (state-funded, for Florida-resident NMF) and the USF Golden Achievement Scholarship (for non-resident NMF) combine USF and NMSC funding into a full institutional COA package. Both also include a one-time $2,000 USF Passport Scholarship for a USF-sponsored study abroad semester.
Rules that bite at USF
The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from USF's own tier rules and not generic advice.
- renewalUSF Presidential Award (Florida Resident): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewable for up to 8 consecutive full-time fall/spring semesters within 4 years of coursework, or completion of bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
How USF compares across our verified dataset
- 667 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
USF 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.
- 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
USF is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.
Sources used on this page
Every renewal claim is checked against USF’s own published materials.
More on USF merit aid
- USF merit aid overviewFull tier ladder, named scholarships, departmental awards, and how families decide.
- USF scholarship stackingWhether outside awards land as upside or quietly displace institutional aid.
- Does USF displace outside scholarships?The dollar math on a $5,000 outside award, plus peer schools that handle it differently.