Frequently Asked Questions

The Renaissance Scholarship is a renewable award of up to $5,000 per year, based on the scholar’s unmet need for each school year. Awarded funds will not exceed $20,000 over four years for students going into their first year of college and $10,000 over two years for transfer students. If a scholar receives a full ride scholarship or has less than $5,000 per year of unmet need, the Renaissance award could be reduced or rescinded. Funds will be divided equally over each academic term (excluding summer term) and will be disbursed at the beginning of the year. The Renaissance Scholarship is phasing in a new way of funding scholarships and so your process may be different from another scholar’s, based on when you were selected as a Renaissance Scholar.For students awarded in 2025 and after:The scholarship funds are disbursed directly to the college and can only be applied to direct costs, such as tuition, fees, and on-campus housing/meal plans at a student's college. This means your scholarship cannot be used for indirect costs (expenses not charged to the college) such as off-campus housing, books and supplies, or transportation.For students awarded in 2024 and before:The scholarship funds are disbursed directly to the college and can be applied to most charges that fall under the cost of attendance. Each college calculates the cost of attendance differently, so it’s important to review with your college. In most cases, the cost of attendance will include tuition and fees, housing (dorms or off-campus), meal plans, books and supplies, and transportation.

The Renaissance Scholar Program relies on each individual college to determine a student’s unmet need. It is important that students understand their school’s financial aid policies about outside scholarships to anticipate how much funding they will receive. The Renaissance Scholarship is phasing in a new way of funding scholarships, so your process may be different from another scholar’s, based on when you were selected as a Renaissance Scholar. For students awarded in 2025 and after:The scholarship funds are disbursed directly to the college and can only be applied to direct costs, such as tuition, fees, and on-campus housing/meal plans at a student's college. This means your scholarship cannot be used for indirect costs (expenses not charged to the college) such as off-campus housing, books and supplies, or transportation.For students awarded in 2024 and before:The scholarship funds are disbursed directly to the college and can be applied to most charges that fall under the cost of attendance. Each college calculates the cost of attendance differently, so it’s important to review with your college. In most cases, the cost of attendance will include tuition and fees, housing (dorms or off-campus), meal plans, books and supplies, and transportation.

Yes. All scholars in college must: Be enrolled full-time at a 4-year university Maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA Remain in regular communication with RSP staff, sending financial information and transcripts each term as requested 4. Continue to have unmet financial need If scholars do not meet any of these renewal requirements at any point in their college career, they are responsible for reaching out to Renaissance staff immediately to plan to get back on track.

This depends on your enrollment situation. Some colleges have programs that cover tuition for Pell-eligible students. If your tuition and fees are covered through grant aid (though federal, state, your institution, and/or other scholarships), but you still have unmet need for other direct costs such as on-campus housing, the Renaissance Scholarship can be applied to those costs. However, if you move off-campus, the scholarship cannot be used to fund off-campus housing.

No. Students who have 100% of their financial need met by other scholarships, their institution, or a combination of the two, are not eligible to receive the Renaissance award.