Ohio University launches President's Opportunity Promise Award

Ohio University has announced the launch of the President’s Opportunity Promise Award, a new renewable scholarship that will begin in Fall 2024 for Pell-eligible first-year students with a minimum 3.0 high school GPA.

The award, which was announced by President Gonzalez during her Investiture Ceremony on Oct. 18., will increase higher education access for qualifying Pell-eligible students in Athens County, and all contiguous Ohio counties, to attend Ohio University tuition-free. The pilot program will cover the remaining costs of in-state tuition and mandatory fees after Pell and other gift aid are applied during a student’s four years at OHIO.

“I firmly believe that education is the pathway to opportunity,” President Gonzalez said. “This new scholarship program will provide increased access to an affordable, high-quality education to countless students in our region.”

Qualifying for the Presidential Opportunity Promise Award

A student who is an Ohio resident (defined by permanent address on application for admission) of Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Morgan, Perry, Vinton or Washington County and applying as a freshman applicant to the Athens campus for fall 2024 should follow these steps:

• Submit an application for admission and scholarships by the early action deadline of November 15, 2023. 
• Send a high school transcript showing that they have earned a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a strong college prep curriculum. (Test scores are optional!)
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and ensure their results are received by the first priority date of February 15, 2024. We will use these results to determine if the student is eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, which is required to receive the President’s Opportunity Promise Award.
• Confirm their intent to enroll by May 1, 2024, and enroll in fall 2024 as a full-time, first-year, degree-seeking student on the Athens campus.

Academic excellence and opportunity – combined.

The President’s Opportunity Promise Award builds upon the OHIO Admission Promise in Athens, as well as the OHIO Regional Promise, which offers Pell-eligible first-year students with a minimum 3.0 high school GPA an award to cover the remaining cost of tuition and mandatory fees to earn a degree at one of OHIO’s five regional campuses.

From Athens to Zanesville, and every campus in between, an excellent Ohio University experience is within reach.

OHIO, already among the best values in the state for higher education and a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) institution, offers academic options from associate to doctoral degrees across more than 250 programs in Athens and at the Chillicothe, Lancaster, Zanesville, Southern and Eastern campuses, as well as centers in Dublin and Cleveland.

To learn more about OHIO’s new President’s Opportunity Promise Award, visit ohio.edu/opportunity-promise.