Requirements for receipt of Tulane merit scholarship are below. In cases where continuation requirements are not met, in some cases conditional probationary opportunities are offered (see the "Conditional Merit Scholarship" section below). In cases where a conditional probationary opportunity is not available, a student may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee (see the "Appeal Procedure for Loss of Tulane Merit Scholarship" section below).
Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Averages Required for Merit Scholarship Retention
3.000 - Stamps Tulane Scholarship
3.000 - Deans Honors Scholarship
3.000 - Paul Tulane Award
3.000 - Valedictorian Scholarship (although please note this is no longer being awarded to incoming students after fall 2018)
2.700 - All Other Merit Scholarship
General Renewal Conditions
The scholarship offered an entering freshman is guaranteed at the same amount awarded to the student as an entering freshman for four years of undergraduate study (or five years, in the case of students pursuing the five-year accredited professional program track in Architecture) provided the student maintains the at least the minimum cumulative grade point average required and continuous full-time enrollment. Any "incomplete" grades must be resolved before eligibility for continuation of the scholarship can be determined. Students suspended from the university for honor or disciplinary violations will forfeit all remaining portions of any university merit scholarship they have been offered. The scholarship is not applicable to summer semesters and is not applicable for students who are not charged full-time undergraduate division tuition at the standard rate.
The scholarship is not applicable to summer semesters and is not applicable for students who are not charged full-time undergraduate division tuition at the standard rate.
Seniors in their last semester before graduation who are not required to take a full load in order to graduate (and of course who are being charged undergraduate tuition at the standard full-time undergraduate division rate) may still receive a portion of the tuition scholarship, but the amount will be adjusted on a pro-rated basis by the reduction in undergraduate tuition from the full-time rate.
The scholarship for other students who enroll in or drop to less than full-time will be reduced proportionally to the reduction in tuition (if any) from the standard full-time rate and then the scholarship will be cancelled; scholarship renewal guidelines require that students maintain continuous full-time enrollment.
Students who take an approved leave of absence may regain their scholarship upon their return provided they continue to meet all academic, enrollment, and housing conditions and submit documentation verifying the approved leave of absence. Acceptable documentation is either a copy of their college's approved leave of absence form or a letter from their academic dean's office confirming the terms and length of the student's approved leave of absence.
The Tulane Financial Aid Office will often attempt to automatically adjust a student's institutional satisfactory academic progress status when grades are changed or finally reported; however, re-evaluation adjustments may not always occur automatically, and therefore students should make a special request to the Tulane Financial Aid Office for a re-evaluation of their scholarship retention eligibility when there is a change or submission of grades. In such cases, grades must be reflected on Tulane's student records system prior to a review of a student's status. For any grade change (for example, a prior grade of "I" incomplete or “XX” ungraded that has now been assigned a traditional letter grade), a student is responsible for notifying the Tulane Financial Aid Office of such a change and requesting a review of their scholarship eligibility evaluation. Note that such a review is not considered an appeal, and may not always result in eligibility for scholarship (for example, if a processing deadline has passed, or if other requirements are not met).
Conditional Merit Scholarship
A student initially failing to meet the minimum academic standards required for retention of their merit scholarship may apply for a conditional probationary semester to continue to receive their merit scholarship and will receive notification of such from the Tulane University Office of Financial Aid. Lists of students who are eligible to apply for a conditional semester will be sent to Academic Advising and may be sent to the Deans of the undergraduate divisions.
Note: A student loses the opportunity to receive or apply for a conditional probationary semester if the semester is not completed within two academic years after the student first fails the specific academic standards for retention of their specific merit scholarship, or the student’s latest approved conditional probationary semester, whichever is last.
To apply for approval of a probationary semester, the student must, before or during the semester for which conditional probationary approval is sought, PRIOR TO the “Last Day to Drop” for that semester (as defined and published y the University’s Registrar’s Office), meet with the designated individual at the Tulane Academic Advising Office to establish an academic plan and/or strategy for academic improvement. If the application is approved, and the student is otherwise eligible, the student will receive merit scholarship for the probationary semester.
Continuation merit scholarship receipt beyond an approved conditional probationary semester requires the successful completion of the following conditions:
- At the conclusion of the conditional probationary semester, the student’s official academic records must reflect that the student started and successfully completed a full-load of coursework (defined as enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours) during that semester AND
- At the conclusion of the conditional probationary semester, the student’s official academic records must reflect that the student obtained at least the minimum grade point average (GPA) required for the merit scholarship during that semester and/or achieved a minimum cumulative GPA that meets or exceeds the specific minimum standard required for merit scholarship retention. Example: If the merit scholarship’s minimum GPA requirement is 2.70, then at the end of the conditional probationary semester a student must have successfully completed a full-time level of coursework earning a GPA of 2.70 or higher during that semester and/or bring their cumulative GPA to 2.70 or higher AND
- If the cumulative GPA is not at least the minimum standard required for merit scholarship retention, the student has successfully applied for (see description earlier in this section) and received approval for another probationary semester of scholarship. The student must once again meet all of the aforementioned conditions of a “conditional probationary” semester during the subsequent semester (and all further subsequent semesters) until ultimately graduating and/or achieving a cumulative GPA that meets or exceeds the scholarship’s minimum academic standards.
If all of the above conditions are successfully met, then the student will receive, as long as they are otherwise eligible, their merit scholarship for the subsequent fall or spring semester following the conditional probationary semester.
Scholarship will be canceled and NOT credited for students failing to meet the specified conditions at the conclusion of their conditional probationary semester and those students will lose their merit scholarship for all subsequent semesters of Tulane enrollment.
Students who lose their merit scholarship are allowed to appeal the loss of their scholarship by filing an appeal which includes providing all applicable documentation to fully explain their situation and justifying why an appeal is warranted.
Students will be informed by e-mail and/or mail of a decision to cancel spring scholarship.
Appeal Procedure for Loss of Tulane Merit Scholarship
Students failing to meet the conditions of their conditional probationary semester and therefore wishing to appeal the loss of their merit scholarship must submit a written request including their name, Tulane ID, the title of their scholarship, and reasons for the appeal.
Generally, a successful appeal will include supporting documentation from a professional showing that the student's academic performance during the conditional probationary semester was affected by a serious physical and/or mental condition. Documentation from the Student Health Center or from a private physician (channeled through University Health Services) must attest that the physical or mental problems were beyond the student's control, that the student has made significant progress in addressing their problems, and that the student can be reasonably expected to achieve the required academic standing if another semester of scholarship is granted. Appeals must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office no later than 30 days after the end of the conditional probationary semester.
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee chairperson will review the appeals and may request additional information if necessary before presenting the appeal to the committee. The appeal will then be reviewed by the entire committee. The committee's decision is final with no additional appeal possible. Students will receive a written response within two weeks from the date the appeal is reviewed.
