Some students have trouble maintaining scholarships
After waking up at four every morning to go to work, Brandon DeChane found it hard to focus on his classes.
That was his first semester. Now, the Marysville freshman freshman finds himself at high risk of losing his academic scholarship after being placed on probation at the end of first semester. He plans on attending community college next year to make up for the loss of financial help.
“It affected my grades because I was tired a lot,” DeChane said. “It was hard to wake up at 4 and then go to class after.”
About 85 percent of scholarship recipients retain their scholarship each year. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid sees a high renewal rate on scholarships.
Academic scholarships require students to take 30 credit hours a year and retain a grade point average of 3.25. The most common reason for students losing scholarships is not maintaining their grade point average.
“We noticed a majority of the students who have trouble, have trouble their first year. Usually the first year in college is a tough transition for students. It’s a big change,” said the director of scholarships and financial aid Kirk Yats. “We found that students struggle with the change of expectations in high school to the expectations from professors here.”
Yats advises students to monitor their progress throughout the semesters. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid does not evaluate a student's GPA until the end of the year, so if the scholarship is at risk after the first semester, working to obtain the grades needed to bring the grade point up to par is suggested.
Howell senior Josh Harrison started to attend SI sessions for classes once he realized that due to failing two classes first semester, he was going to lose his scholarship for the following year.
“I wasn't motivated, and I was adjusting to a life change of coming from a home with a lot of rules to a place that I could do whatever whenever. I couldn't properly balance school and my social life,” Harrison said. “I'm doing much better this semester after having a few months to find how to manage my time better. I plan on finding additional scholarships to make up for the cost if I lose it.”
After their first semester, if a student’s grade point is lower than their scholarship requirement, a success coach will contact them. If the student’s first semester grade point is too low to bring it up to the requirement, Yats recommends talking to an adviser and beginning to search for additional scholarship opportunities.
“The key is to get them in early or make them aware early that they have renewal requirements that they have to hit, or else they won’t keep their scholarship,” he said.
Central Michigan University gives out more than $16 million in total scholarships, including merit scholarships, institutional scholarships and annual scholarships. Yats said it’s “very possible” to earn enough additional scholarships after losing an academic one.
Registering for FAFSA is the first step to potentially make up for a lost scholarship, he said. Checking with departments, parents' employers and local businesses for additional scholarships is also an option.
Students also have the opportunity to appeal to keep their scholarship. The chances of being approved is “high if providing a documentation” of a reason for the low grade point, like health issues and family or roommate issues.
“We are typically quite lenient in approving those appeals, especially if their grade point is in the range that they can make it up in the next semester or year,” Yats said. “We usually need proof of that, and we do the best we can to renew that scholarship.”
Attending a community college for a few years or taking out loans is another option if students are unable to make up for their lost scholarship. Freshman can borrow $5,000 in loans, Yats said.
However, he warns that overborrowing could be problematic because the office doesn't want students to be in heavy debt upon graduation.
“We always warn to borrow maybe a little less than they need. However, in some cases, borrowing loans could be one option to pay the financial costs,” Yats said. “Students borrowing a small amount of money is a good thing for students to help build credit. Create a budget and sit down and figure out what you really need.”
