College FAQ

Oklahoma's Promise pays the amount of regular tuition at public institutions and a portion of tuition at private institutions. If you are attending a public college or university and the amount shown on your bill is higher than the Oklahoma's Promise tuition rate, most likely the institution has combined tuition and fees on your bill. Oklahoma's Promise does not cover the fees. To be sure, it is best to speak with your financial aid or bursar’s office.

Yes. All OK Promise students enrolled in postsecondary education must complete the FAFSA each year. The information from the FAFSA will be used to determine whether or not your parent's federal adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds $100,000 (or your income if you are officially determined to be financially independent of your parents). For any year that the income exceeds $100,000, you will not be eligible to receive the program benefits. Any year that the student does not receive the award because their income exceeds the income limit will count toward the five-year period of scholarship eligibility. As you know, Oklahoma's Promise will only pay for a portion of your total college costs, and you will need additional money to help pay for your education. The FAFSA is the best place to start.

Oklahoma’s Promise students in college must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements set by the college to be eligible to receive federal financial aid. This requirement applies to all Oklahoma’s Promise students, whether or not they are currently receiving federal financial aid. The SAP requirements include minimum GPA standards and minimum standards for completing courses in which the student enrolls.

Oklahoma’s Promise students must also meet any other requirements for “good academic standing” established by the college in which they are enrolled.

The Oklahoma's Promise award is paid to the institution on behalf of the student. In order for the institution to get an accurate amount for your Oklahoma's Promise award, they must know the final number of hours you are enrolled in for the semester. They will bill the Oklahoma's Promise office sometime after the first drop/add period, which is usually about two weeks after the semester begins. Before they can determine your award, they must know that you are an Oklahoma's Promise student; if you have not told them, they may not know. If your award is not showing up on your account, please check with the appropriate office on campus (probably financial aid or the bursar) to make sure they know you are an Oklahoma's Promise student. Depending on the policy of the institution, the Oklahoma's Promise award may be applied as a credit to your account or you may be required to pay the amount up front and be reimbursed when the Oklahoma's Promise payment arrives. Check with your school about their account payment policies.

No. A student has three years from the time of high school graduation to start taking postsecondary courses. There are limited exceptions for students on active military duty.

1. Five-Year Limit: The student may receive awards for no more than five consecutive years after enrolling in postsecondary education. (There are limited exceptions for students on active military duty.)
2. Bachelor Degree Limit: Awards cannot be used for courses taken after completion of a bachelor's degree. The student's scholarship eligibility ends at the time the bachelor's degree is completed, whether or not the five-year limit has been reached.
3. 129-Semester-Credit-Hour Limit: OK Promise students graduating high school in 2018 and thereafter may not receive total award payments for more than 129 semester credit hours during their five years of scholarship eligibility, unless their degree program requires more hours*. The 129-credit-hour total is based on hours that are “paid” by OKPromise funds. Therefore, concurrent courses, AP credits, hours transferred in from out-of-state and remedial courses are not counted in this calculated total. Once the student reaches the 129-credit-hour limit, the student is no longer eligible for the scholarship, even if they have not completed their bachelor's degree (unless the degree requires more than 129 credit hours).

   *Only the required credit hours for a single degree will be considered. The 129-credit-hour limit will not be extended due to the student changing degree programs, seeking an additional major or minor, pursuing more than one bachelor's degree, etc.

No. In this situation, Oklahoma’s Promise will only pay up to the 129-credit-hour limit. The student would be responsible for the remainder.

No. Oklahoma’s Promise did not pay for the 12 hours of concurrent enrollment, so those hours would not be counted toward the 129-credit-hour limit.

A student can be married and receive Oklahoma's Promise. However, it will change the way you complete the FAFSA, which may or may not affect your eligibility regarding the second income limit. Please provide the Oklahoma's Promise office information about any name or address changes so that we have your most current contact information on file.

Yes. You should contact the financial aid office at each institution to let them know you are an Oklahoma’s Promise student. Each institution will bill for the courses you are taking from their respective school. Please keep in mind that this only applies to Oklahoma’s Promise and may not apply to other forms of financial aid. It is always important to visit with the financial aid office of your “home” institution. In some cases, the home institution will handle all of your financial aid including Oklahoma’s Promise.

Oklahoma's Promise students graduating high school in 2018 and thereafter may not receive total award payments for more than 129 semester credit hours during their five years of scholarship eligibility, unless their degree program requires more hours. The award will not pay for a double major or minor beyond the 129-credit-hour limit.

Oklahoma's Promise encourages students to enroll full-time in order to graduate on time. However, it is not required. You can still receive your Oklahoma's Promise scholarship if you are enrolled part-time (but your five-year period of scholarship eligibility will not be extended). You must be very careful about dropping any courses because this may cause you not to meet your institution's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. If you fail to meet the SAP standards, you can lose your eligibility for the Oklahoma's Promise award. Also, Oklahoma's Promise students graduating high school in 2018 and thereafter may not receive total award payments for more than 129 semester credit hours during their five years of scholarship eligibility, unless their degree program requires more hours. Be sure to take this into consideration when transferring, changing majors or dropping classes. Any dropped classes that have been paid for by Oklahoma's Promise will count toward the 129-credit-hour limit.

Yes. If you lose your eligibility for federal financial aid, you will also lose your eligibility for the Oklahoma’s Promise award. Oklahoma’s Promise students in college must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements set by the college to be eligible to receive federal financial aid. This requirement applies to all Oklahoma’s Promise students, whether or not they are currently receiving federal financial aid. The SAP requirements include minimum GPA standards and minimum standards for completing courses in which the student enrolls.

Oklahoma's Promise students graduating high school in 2018 and thereafter may not receive total award payments for more than 129 semester credit hours during their five years of scholarship eligibility, unless their degree program requires more hours. Be sure to take this into consideration when transferring, changing majors or dropping classes.

Yes. Any Oklahoma's Promise student who is suspended from a college for more than one semester for conduct reasons will lose the scholarship permanently. Any person incarcerated in a state, federal or private correctional facility is not eligible to receive program benefits.

Also, Oklahoma's Promise students are required to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is used to determine whether the federal adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000. For any year that the income exceeds $100,000, the student is not eligible to receive the program benefit. Any year that the student does not receive the award because their income exceeds the income limit will count toward the five-year period of scholarship eligibility.

You should contact the financial aid office at the institution to which you are transferring (in the scenario above, Oklahoma College "B") and let them know you will be attending their school and that you are an Oklahoma's Promise student. Unless you are having problems, it is not necessary to contact the State Regents’ Oklahoma's Promise office in this situation. We will find out where you are attending when the college sends us a bill for your tuition.

Yes. Though you cannot receive the Oklahoma's Promise award for courses taken at an out-of-state college, you can receive the award if you later return to Oklahoma for college. However, your five years of eligibility will begin with your first semester of postsecondary education whether you receive Oklahoma's Promise or not. For example, if you start at an out-of-state university the fall semester following high school graduation, your five years begins then. If you stay there for a year and come back to Oklahoma the next fall, you will have only four years left of Oklahoma's Promise eligibility, or until the completion of your bachelor's degree, whichever comes first. If all of your out-of-state credits transfer back to your Oklahoma college, you should still have time to complete your degree. When you transfer back to Oklahoma, you will need to notify the financial aid or scholarship office at the college you plan to attend that you are an Oklahoma's Promise student, and send a copy of your transcript to the Oklahoma's Promise office.

Yes. Although we encourage you to stay in school and complete your degree, we realize that sometimes there are unavoidable interruptions. Once you start postsecondary education (any education after high school), your five-year period of scholarship eligibility begins. The year that you do not attend will count against your five years of scholarship eligibility; however, you can use Oklahoma's Promise again until your eligibility expires. Please contact the Oklahoma's Promise office for an exact date of eligibility expiration if you are unsure. (Limited exceptions to the five-year limit can be considered only if the interruption is due to certain hardship circumstances such as illness, injury, military service or other extraordinary situations. Please contact the Oklahoma's Promise office for more details. In no circumstances may an Oklahoma's Promise student receive benefits beyond a cumulative time period of five years.)

Yes, the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship is available for summer semesters, except for the first summer college semester immediately following your high school graduation. Since official Oklahoma's Promise eligibility is not determined until high school graduation, we are not able to process scholarships for the first summer semester. The first scholarships will be available for the fall semester. However, once you are officially verified in our system, you may use the Oklahoma's Promise scholarship in summer semesters and/or intersession terms of later years.

No, Oklahoma's Promise is only available until you earn your bachelor’s degree or for five years, whichever comes first. Oklahoma's Promise is not available for graduate school tuition if you have already completed your bachelor’s degree.

If your university allows you to enroll in graduate-level courses prior to your completion of a baccalaureate degree, you can use Oklahoma's Promise to help pay for the tuition. However, Oklahoma's Promise will only pay at the undergraduate tuition rate; it will not pay at the graduate-level tuition rate. In addition, please review “What are the limits of receiving the scholarship?” to be sure your eligibility has not expired due to reaching another limit, such as the 129-credit-hour limit.