WV Americorps Tuition Waiver

• Students must complete a term of service in West Virginia through the AmeriCorps State, National, VISTA, or Senior Corps program
• Students who have successfully completed 600 hours of service within a term or combined multiple terms to reach 600 hours are eligible for a one-semester waiver
• Students who have successfully completed 1,200 hours of service within a term or combined multiple terms are eligible for a two-semester waiver
• The hours of service used to qualify for these funds may not be used again to qualify for another offer
• The terms of service may be completed while the student is enrolled or between semesters of enrollment

The value of the waiver for each student equals their University tuition and University fees minus the value of federal, state, and institutional gift aid (grants, institutional scholarships, other waivers, etc.). The AmeriCorps Waiver is a “last dollar in” program, meaning that it applies after other gift aid.

Please note the AmeriCorps Tuition Waiver does not cover College tuition.

Students That volunteered in the State of WV can apply by submitting an online request to financialaid@bluefieldstate.edu and include the following information:

• A copy of the student’s acceptance of the Segal Education Award is available via their MyAmeriCorps Portal (required)

and ONE of the following

• AmeriCorps VISTA Certification of Service Letter available via their MyAmeriCorps Portal (once logged in, click on the “My Service Letter” on the left menu, enter the applicable service term, address where the verification is being sent, and print)
• A completed AmeriCorps State Tuition Waiver Certification Form verifying service type (State, National, Senior Corps), length of service (weeks), and service state. This form can be requested from the service site.

Enrollment Requirement

Students must be enrolled at least Part-time (6 credit hours) to receive the AmeriCorps Waiver.

Usage Requirements

Students are limited to 8 semesters of combined usage at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The waiver must be used within 7 years of completion of their AmeriCorps term of service.

Additional Requirements

• Students must accept the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
• Students must submit a valid Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the aid year the waiver is requested and accept all state and federal aid, aside from student loans or Federal Work-Study offers
• Students must meet satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility
• This waiver is considered a BSU institutional scholarship, Students must meet the other conditions for the waiver. Students enrolled less than half-time are not eligible for this waiver at any BSU campus.

For more information and additional West Virginia AmeriCorps Tuition Waiver FAQs, please visit the Resources for AmeriCorps Members webpage on the Volunteer WV website. The “AmeriCorps Tuition Waiver FAQs” document can be found under the AmeriCorps Member Resources section.

I submitted my FAFSA, but I have some unsatisfied requirements. Can I still receive a waiver?

No. If you have not completed all requirements needed for federal financial aid consideration – such as submitting documents for verification – you also will not eligible for consideration for the waiver.

Can I use hours of service I have already submitted for waiver eligibility for future waivers?

No. The semesters of waiver eligibility are based on hours of service completed. If you have completed 600 hours of service and turned them in for a one-semester waiver, the eligibility for those hours have now been used through that one-semester waiver. More hours of service would need completed to earn more waivers for future semesters.

How can I estimate the amount of waiver I could receive?

In the Financial Aid Information within the student’s MyBSU Account, take the University Tuition and Fees only from the cost of attendance and subtract all federal, state, and institutional gift aid (grants, institutional scholarships, and waivers the student is receiving). The remaining amount should be a good estimate of eligibility. This can be impacted if other gift aid is added to your account.

Please note that AmeriCorps waivers do not cover full College Tuition. To review the details of your University Tuition & Fees, College Tuition, and more, please log into BSU MyAccount by clicking the “PAY YOUR BILL HERE” button in the MyBSU Account and select Account Activity under the My Account tab. Click on the arrow to the left of the semester you would like to view to see the breakdown of tuition and fees on the student’s account.