Most scholarships have minimum criteria. The most common include a minimum grade point average (GPA), full-time enrollment, and the completion of a minimum number of total hours for the year.

Recipients are required to satisfy the eligibility criteria at both the time of recipient selection and throughout the duration of the award period. Recipients who do not satisfy the eligibility criteria for the duration of the award period may have their scholarship rescinded in the affected terms.

Grade Point Average (GPA), when stated as a minimum criterion for renewable scholarships, is reviewed annually following the conclusion of the spring term. Awarding units may elect to review GPA on a more frequent basis (e.g., following every fall/spring semester).

Good Standing must be maintained to remain eligible for most scholarships at UWM.

Full-time enrollment in fall/spring terms is defined as 12 or more credits for undergraduate/associate students. The definition for graduate students varies by school/college/program and student status (e.g., dissertator).

• Concurrent enrollment at another institution may not satisfy the full-time requirement for a UWM scholarship.
• Students in their final graduating semester may request permission from the awarding unit to enroll less than full-time. If approved, the scholarship amount may be prorated to reflect enrollment.

Part-time enrollment is defined as fewer than 12 credits for undergraduate/associate students. The definition for graduate students varies by school/college/program and student status (e.g., dissertator).

Official enrollment for each term occurs at 11:59 PM on the tenth day of classes (“census date”). Students who do not satisfy enrollment requirements as of the census date may have their scholarships rescinded. If it becomes necessary for a scholarship recipient to drop below full-time status or fully withdraw after the census date, the scholarship may be rescinded. Please see the Rescission/Cancellation policy for additional information.

Having a scholarship rescinded due to not satisfying enrollment requirements constitutes a break in continuous scholarship eligibility; the current and all subsequent terms of the affected scholarship(s) will be cancelled and ineligible for reinstatement.

Having a scholarship be rescinded or cancelled means the student may not receive the scholarship in future terms and is ineligible for renewal.

Recipients who neglect to satisfy the eligibility/enrollment requirements prior to the 60% point in the term and as a result have their scholarship rescinded/cancelled will be required to return the scholarship dollars to UWM for that term, regardless of when the rescission/cancellation occurs.

Recipients who first neglect to satisfy the eligibility/enrollment requirements after the 60% point in the term and as a result have their scholarship rescinded/cancelled may be permitted, at the sole discretion of the awarding unit, to retain the scholarship dollars for that term.

Having a scholarship rescinded constitutes a break in continuous scholarship eligibility; the current and all subsequent terms of the affected scholarship(s) will be cancelled and ineligible for reinstatement.

For scholarship purposes, “having need” is a general concept that is answered as “yes” or “no” based on the results of the FAFSA or UWM’s non-FAFSA Need Worksheet.

For domestic students, UWM determines whether an applicant has financial need at the time of scholarship awarding based on results from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For international, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and other ineligible non-citizen students, applicants may complete and submit UWM’s non-FAFSA Need Worksheet when they submit the Panther Scholarship Portal General Application.

All scholarship offers are subject to available funding; offer values may vary due to the amount of funding or the number of eligible applicants.

Scholarships may be taxable as determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).