DESPERATELY NEED SOMEONE TO HELP ME INTERPRET THIS!!!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 10:29pm

Okay, I am going to call the financial aid office ASAP on Monday morning, since that's when it reopens, but I desperately need your guys help in interpreting something, or I'm going to be a wreck all weekend.

I'm going to be a sophomore at Boston University this coming fall. Freshman year went really rocky. My GPAs were:

Fall 05: 2.43
Spring 06: 2.25

So, I have a CUMULATIVE GPA of 2.34. Now, I'm also receiving BU Need Based Grants of about $25,000. I'm not sure if I'm eligible for renewal, as the BU website is unclear. Here is the description of the grant I received:

Boston University Grant
Boston University gift aid provided to students who meet all eligibility criteria for need-based financial aid. Renewal criteria: students must satisfactorily complete at least 12 credits each semester, achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.30 for the prior academic year, and meet all other eligibility criteria.

Boston University Grant may be replaced at any time by University funds from endowed sources to meet fund restriction requirements.

Does minimum GPA for the prior academic year also mean cumulative GPA? Because I was looking at other descriptions of various forms of aid:


Projected State Scholarship

An award from your state of residence. Any amount indicated on an initial Financial Aid Award notification is estimated on the basis of information on the FAFSA and PROFILE. STATE GRANTS WHICH YOU DO NOT RECEIVE, BUT FOR WHICH YOU ARE ELIGIBLE, WILL NOT BE REPLACED WITH BOSTON UNIVERSITY GRANT. If your State grant is greater than estimated, your Boston University grant will be reduced; if the amount received is less, your Boston University grant will be increased. Renewal criteria: students who have completed fewer than two years at Boston University must have completed a minimum of 12 credits each semester with a CUMULATIVE grade point average of at least 1.70 the prior academic year. Students who have completed at least two years at Boston University must complete at least 12 credits each semester and have a minimum CUMULATIVE grade point average of 2.0.

Now, my main concern is...why in the second description, they would stress and include the word CUMULATIVE (before prior academic year), but not in the first one? I don't understand. Yes, I got a 2.25 for the spring semester, but OVERALL my GPA is ABOVE the minimum. This is confusing. HELP!

P.S. I would've posted this on the student board, but that doesn't get as many responses as here, and maybe someone here knows better.

Updated On: 6/30/06 at 10:29 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 10:31pm

Might I add that the website says that I haven't been awarded financial aid for the 2006/2007 year...however I don't know if this is because they haven't confirmed things yet.

Also, last time when I called the financial aid office, they said I made it...I'm wondering why the hell anything would change.


EDIT: Prior academic year GPA = Cumulative GPA JUST FOR FRESHMAN YEAR? Just because I only have 1 year of college?

Updated On: 6/30/06 at 10:31 PM

[meagan9848]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:29am

You should be fine...is the information on the website current? Northeastern's financial aid website is definitely not current...my info hasn't been updated since December.

That's generous that they'll renew it with a 2.3. We need a 2.75 to renew ours.

Updated On: 7/1/06 at 12:29 AM

[meagan9848]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:34am

Also, in the second dresciption, they emphasize cumulative because in the line prior, they were talking about a GPA for one year only...which is the same thing as a cumulative GPA for a returning sophomore. I'm guessing they didn't want returning upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) thinking they only needed to worry about their GPA for the previous year...

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:36am

Well ok, the thing is "minimum 2.3 GPA during the academic year"...on another thing it says "achieve a 2.3 GPA for the same period" (meaning academic year). I'm wondering since that I got below a 2.3 for the spring semester, that screwed up my chances since I went below the minimum...but the thing is, I went below the minimum for a semester...not the year!

I don't understand if it means at no time can you go below the minimum...because it says DURING the year...but in the other description it says FOR the year.

Updated On: 7/1/06 at 12:36 AM

[meagan9848]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 1:11am

It's almost always cumulative. Also, I don't know what the procedures are at BU, but at Northeastern, we have 1 semester of academic probation before the scholarship is *actually* taken away from us to get our GPA up, should it fall below a 2.75.

...but that shouldn't matter. You have a 2.3.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 10:13am

Cumulative for one year? Is that how you would interpret the wording?

[duroc]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 10:35am

I agree with Meagan - it says you need a minimum gpa of 2.3 for the year to keep the scholarship. Your cumulative is still above the minimum.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:46pm

Yeah, but what I'm saying is...when they say you need a minimum GPA for the year...does that mean at any point it cannot fall below a 2.3? Which it did in the Spring 06 semester.

I'm sorry, I know you guys cant really answer these questions...I'm a basket case now. The website said I didn't get any financial aid for the year, but I don't understand why I wasn't eligible for renewal, or they haven't updated it yet.

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:52pm

If this isn't student board material.....

[duroc]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 1:13pm

I interpret cumulative to mean over the course of the whole year. Even though your gpa dropped below the minimum for 1 semester, you should still be eligable for the scholarship. If it's saying you're not eligable (or that you did not recieve it) on the website, you should probably call your school.

[meagan9848]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 10:13pm

Cumulative means the exact opposate of how you're interpreting it, Millie. If they wanted to require you to keep a 2.3 each semester, it should read "the student's SEMESTER GPA must not fall below a 2.3 during any academic period."

...or something along those lines.

They probably just haven't done the website yet...