Frequently Asked Questions

Once you are a college student, you will need to complete the following requirements to maintain your eligibility for your 21st Century Scholars award:

• File FAFSA each year (by April 15 for Purdue's priority filing date)
• Complete at least 30 credit hours per academic year
• Earn Satisfactory Academic Progress, which at Purdue means you need to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher as well as pass and complete at least 67% of courses attempted

You should continue to use ScholarTrack as a way to monitor your progress with completing 21st Century Scholarship requirements.  First, you will need to upgrade your high school account into a college account: log into ScholarTrack, click "My Account", then select "Upgrade My Account".

Unfortunately, no. In order to be eligible, you must be a first-time, full-time freshmen starting in the fall.

Unfortunately, Purdue Promise does not serve transfer students at this time. 

The credit bank keeps track of all college credit hours earned in excess of 30.  If you brought with you AP, IB, and/or dual credits from high school, those credits will be logged in your ScholarTrack credit bank.  As a current student, if you earn more than 30 credit hours in the academic year (including summer courses), those surplus credits will also be in your ScholarTrack credit bank.  You can use these accrued credit hours in the future if at any time during your college career you are in need of additional credit hours to meet your 30 per year credit completion requirement.  You are able to access and review your credit bank information on ScholarTrack. 

You should double-check your ScholarTrack credit bank to see if you have any credit hours reported that can help you fill in the gap.  If you still do not have enough credit hours, you should talk to your academic advisor about taking summer classes to help you earn more credit hours.  If summer credits and your credit bank are still not enough and you have extenuating circumstances that prevented you from being able to meet your credit completion requirements, you will need to work with the 21st Century Scholar Support Program to file a 21st Century Scholarship state appeal for unmet credit completion requirements.

Yes; as long as this is a Purdue-affiliated exchange study abroad program, you may use your 21st Century Scholars award. Other types of study abroad trips - including direct enroll and co-sponsored trips - cannot use their 21st Century Scholars award to assist with covering expenses.  Purdue Study Abroad Office can help 21st Century Scholars narrow their search to exchange programs and can assist scholars with finding other financial aid to help cover the costs of their study abroad trip.

Internships and co-ops impact your scholarship status differently. 21st Century Scholars may take an internship only if the internship is required for their major.  If a student takes any other internship that is not a part of their degree program requirements, they will have to file a state appeal through ScholarTrack to explain why they took a semester off.  Appeals are not guaranteed approval.  On the other hand, if a 21st Century Scholar would like to participate in a co-op, this will not impact their scholarship. 21st Century Scholars are auto-approved by the state to take advantage of opportunities to participate in a co-op. Students who notice any errors in their 21st Century Scholars award after returning from a co-op or approved internship should reach out to the 21st Century Scholar Support Program for assistance.

21st Century Scholars awards cover only the cost of tuition for undergraduate students who do not have a bachelor's degree. If a student enters a graduate program or becomes a professional student, they will no longer be eligible to use their 21st Century Scholars award. Pharmacy students qualify for partial use of 21st Century Scholars awards toward tuition, though it will not cover the full cost of tuition and fees. Students pursuing graduate studies or professional program completion should consider exploring additional financial aid options to cover their full financial need. It is important to discuss your plans for professional and graduate programs with the 21st Century Scholar Support Program as well as with your academic advisor.

You can find out who your academic advisor is through myPurdue and through BoilerConnect.  

The Division of Financial Aid (DFA) has detailed instructions on how to confirm your enrollment on their website. Remember, if you don't confirm your enrollment by the stated deadline each semester, you will be dropped from your classes.

Purdue has a detailed  textbook searching site that allows you to search for the textbooks you need for each class that you are registered for.

Your academic advisor is the best person to talk to about registration, time tickets for when you register, and scheduling questions.  Current students may also review the Office of the Registrar website for support with registration and course enrollment.

You can view your final grades in your myPurdue.  Work with your academic advisor and use your myPurduePlan tools to track your progress and to prepare for what you need for your degree attainment.

A hold is the University's way of saying that they need you to do something. Some holds don't have negative consequences, while some can prohibit you from registering, graduating, and receiving copies of your transcripts. For more information, visit the Office of the Registrar's webpage about holds.

To determine if you have a hold:

1. Log in to myPurdue.
2. Select the Financial tab.
3. Choose "Do I have any Holds?" in the Quick Links menu on the left side.
4. Select the appropriate academic year from the drop-down menu; submit.
5. Any current holds will be listed and must be cleared to avoid financial aid or academic delays.

Please discuss questions or concerns related to any of the below topics with the 21st Century Scholar Support Program:

• Academic Probation
• Academic Drop
• Readmission
• Withdrawal
• Transferring Credit
• CODO
• SAP: GPA and PACE
• Repeat Coursework

You'll need to look at your financial aid package to see what types of aid you received. You can view your aid package through your myPurdue.

1. Log in to myPurdue.
2. Select the Financial tab.
3. Choose Award for Aid Year in the Quick Links menu on the left side.
4. Select the appropriate academic year from the drop-down menu; submit.
5. Select the Award Overview tab.

The Office of the Bursar has instructions on how to view and pay your bill.

The Office of the Bursar has instructions on how to set up direct deposit. We strongly encourage students to sign up for direct deposit to ensure that if they receive a refund check, they receive their funds as quickly and securely as possible.

To read financial aid messages:

1. Log in to myPurdue.
2. Select the Financial tab.
3. Click Important Messages in the Quick Links menu on the left side.
4. Follow any instructions listed in the message or reference the information provided.

Visit the Division of Financial Aid's myPurdue Help Page if you have questions about:

• Accepting or declining financial aid awards
• Viewing financial aid requirements
• Reporting private scholarships
• Your Academic Progress status

You will be able to review detailed instructions for how to handle the issues mentioned above.

Students may apply for summer financial aid on myPurdue.  More information on when the application opens and when summer aid decisions are made can be found on the Division of Financial Aid's Summer Aid website.  We recommend for most scholars to not use their 21st Century Scholars award on summer courses since summer use of 21st Century Scholars award will decrease what a student can use during the academic year on their tuition, and 21st Century Scholars may qualify for other forms of aid to complete summer courses at Purdue. Talk to the 21st Century Scholar Support Program if you have questions about summer financial aid.  

Students with demonstrated financial need may be eligible for other federal, state, and/or institutional aid to help students afford other expenses related to their college experience.  All 21st Century Scholars will need to complete the FAFSA before the Purdue priority deadline (which tends to be earlier than the state deadline) each year to maximize their potential options for financial aid eligibility. In some cases, 21st Century Scholars may be eligible for a combination of subsidized and/or unsubsidized student loans as well as Federal Work Study to assist with college expenses.  Learn more about different types of financial aid.

Living off-campus does not impact your eligibility for 21st Century Scholarship; you are permitted to live off-campus and use your 21st Century Scholarship.  It is important to consider affordable options for off-campus housing so that you are living comfortably and within your means.  Contact the Office for Off-campus Housing  for support with your off-campus housing budget plan and search.