Our merit scholarships are:
- Automatic. When you apply for admission, we check your academic record for scholarship eligibility. It's that simple. No separate application. No recommendations or essays.
- Non-competitive. That means if your GPA/test score quialifies, you get the scholarship. You're not competing against other applicants.
- Renewable. These scholarships renew past your freshman year, as long as you maintain certain requirements.
Pathways to Academic Student Success for Biology Majors (PASS)
PASS is a scholarship program funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for academically promising students majoring in Biology at WVU Potomac State College with demonstrated unmet financial need.
Climb Higher Scholarships
Scholarship amounts vary based on the degree you are pursuing (associate or bachelor's) and whether you are a West Virginia resident (in-state) , non-resident (out-of-state) or a non-resident living in one of the designated Metro counties .
Metro fees are available to residents of:
- Maryland: Allegany and Garrett Counties
- Pennsylvania: Bedford, Fayette and Somerset Counties
- Virginia: Frederick County and City of Winchester
Associate Degree
 Climb Higher Scholarship |
Resident | Non-Resident | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (3.8+ and ACT ≥30 or SAT≥1360) | $2,500 | $7,500 | $4,000 |
| Level 2 (3.8+) | $1,750 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| Level 3 (3.5-3.79) | $1,200 | $5,000 | $2,000 |
| Level 4 (3.0-3.49) | $750 | $3,500 | $1,200 |
Bachelor's Degree
|
Climb Higher Scholarship
|
Resident | Non-Resident | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (3.8+ and ACT ≥30 or SAT≥1360) | $3,000 | $8,500 | $5,000 |
| Level 2 (3.8+) | $2,000 | $7,000 | $3,500 |
| Level 3 (3.5-3.79) | $1,500 | $5,500 | $2,500 |
| Level 4 (3.0-3.49) | $1,000 | $4,000 | $1,500 |
Our admissions application and merit awarding both include a no-harm policy – students
will not be penalized whether applying with scores or not. To be considered
for WVU scholarships, students must be admitted by January 2 for spring 2025 and by August 1 for fall 2025. Students who meet
the admission deadline will be considered for scholarships (or increases to scholarships,
if applicable) based on submission of new high school transcripts or ACT/SAT
scores if the information is updated on their WVU student record by the deadline date.
First-time Freshmen admitted students will need to submit the GPA form before the deadline date if their GPA has increased and they are requesting a reevaluation for merit.
And don’t forget to file the
FAFSA form for the 2025-2026 academic cycle. You may qualify for additional
need-based aid and institutional awards.
If you change campuses to WVU Morgantown or WVU Beckley when you leave Potomac State, your scholarship will go with you as long as you’ve met renewal criteria.
Eligibility
Please be aware that incoming students majoring in online programs of study are not eligible for institutional scholarships. Students beginning in on-campus majors will lose their institutional scholarship eligibility if they switch to an online program of study at any point.
Non-resident students receiving this level of scholarship who change to in-state tuition rates through programs such as Ohio Tuition Reciprocity or National Guard assessment (or who change to in-state tuition rates through any other program) will have this scholarship removed from their financial aid offer. Students will not be awarded a replacement scholarship. If a student changes back to non-resident tuition rates, the Climb Higher will not be reinstated.
