Freshmen Scholarships

Below you will find enrollment and renewal requirements for first-year scholarships.  To learn about scholarship criteria for incoming first-year students, visit our First-Year Scholarship Opportunities page.

Emerald Scholarship

• Award: amounts vary
• Requires full-time enrollment (at least 12 credits per semester)
• Must maintain a cumulative EMU GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Eastern Michigan University
• Renewable for three additional consecutive years
• Eligible students must be traditional (under the age of 21) first year students

Eagle Guarantee

Available to incoming first-year students
• Award: Tuition minus federal aid
• Requires 15 credit hours of enrollment each fall/winter semester
• Must maintain a cumulative EMU GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Eastern Michigan University
• Must demonstrate a family AGI (parent(s) + student) of < $60,000 as determined by the FAFSA each year
• Must file FAFSA each year by April 1
• Renewable for three additional consecutive years
• Specific details are provided in a welcome letter mailed to all recipients prior to their first semester at EMU.

Education First Opportunity Scholarship (EFOS)

Awarded to students admitted prior to Fall 2023
• Award: Tuition minus federal aid
• Requires 12 or 15 credits hours of enrollment each fall/winter semester (see last bullet)
• Must maintain a cumulative EMU GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Eastern Michigan University
• Must demonstrate federal Pell grant eligibility as determined by the FAFSA each year
• Must file FAFSA each year by April 1
• Renewable for three additional consecutive years
• Specific details, including enrollment requirements, are provided in a welcome letter mailed to all recipients prior to their first semester at EMU.

4WARD Graduation Scholarship

Available to incoming first-year students admitted Fall 2019 or later
• Award: Tuition only, years 3 and 4 
• Requires full-time enrollment (at least 12 credits per semester) Students must complete 30 credits per academic year
• Must maintain a cumulative EMU GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Eastern Michigan University
• Must live in an on-campus community for all four years
• Renewable for three additional consecutive years
• Students must Opt-In to participate and sign a 4WARD Term and Conditions Agreement

Presidential Scholarship (PRES)

• Award: Full tuition and Room & Board
• Requires 15 credit hours of enrollment each fall/winter semester
• Must maintain a cumulative EMU GPA of 3.3 or higher
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Eastern Michigan University
• Must live in an on-campus community for all four years
• Renewable for three additional consecutive years
• Terms and Conditions are outlined in a welcome letter mailed to all recipients prior to their first semester at EMU and recipients are required to sign a scholarship agreement.

Scholarship Policies and Disclosures

*Students are not able to receive more than one scholarship listed above.
*Renewal eligibility for each additional year is determined at the conclusion of the winter semester.
*Students are only eligible for these scholarships during the fall and winter semesters as an undergraduate student pursuing their first Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University.
*Residence hall awards require 12 credits of enrollment each semester and a cumulative EMU GPA of 2.75 or higher. Residence hall awards apply to traditional residence halls only. Brown/Munson, Cornell, Westview, and 601 West Forest are not traditional residence halls and are not eligible to use this funding.
*Annual award amounts must be split between the fall and winter semesters. The full annual award amount cannot be received in one semester.
*Eastern Michigan University must be the first institution attended following high school graduation.

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