The Griffon Guarantee Scholarship is valid for up to eight (8) consecutive fall and spring semesters (6 consecutive semesters for transfer students) as long as you:

• Remain in good academic standing (2.0 cumulative GPA);
• Engage in full-time undergraduate study each semester (12 or more credit hours excluding CED and audited coursework); and
• Have not previously earned a bachelor’s degree. 

Automatic upgrades are a distinctive feature of our Griffon Guarantee Scholarship.  After successfully completing the required credit hours, you will earn a scholarship “upgrade” as set forth below. The “upgrades” are based on overall earned credit hours and calculated at the end of the summer term. For example, if you have 31 credits at the end of the summer term, you will receive a $1000 upgrade to the base scholarship. However, if you only have 28 total credits at that point, then you will need to wait one additional year until the following summer to receive an upgrade. 

Upgrades for Freshmen

Upgrade 1 – $1,000 at 30 credits.Applied once you have earned 30 overall credit hours by the end of the summer term after matriculation into Missouri Western.   

Upgrade 2 – $500 at 60 credits.Applied once you have earned 60 overall credit hours by the end of the summer term after matriculation into Missouri Western.   

Upgrade 3 – $500 at 90 credits.Applied once you have earned 90 overall credit hours by the end of the summer term after matriculation into Missouri Western.  

Upgrades for Transfer Students

At the completion of 60 credit hours (including work at Missouri Western), the award will increase by $500 per year, and at 90 credit hours it increases another $1,000. Transferring in 60 credit hours or more? You will still get the initial award plus a $500 increase at 90 credit hours! Students transferring in more than 90 credit hours are not eligible for a Griffon Guarantee upgrade.

The eligibility for Griffon Guarantee Scholarship upgrades will be determined annually at the conclusion of the summer term.  (The only exception to this rule is if you start studying at Missouri Western during the summer term. In such case, you will need to wait one year for the upgrade to apply.) If you do not meet the credit hour requirement at that time, you must wait one additional year to qualify for the scholarship upgrade. 

If you are transferring credits back to Missouri Western after participating in courses offered through another institution, the credits must be transferred to the University before the first day of Missouri Western’s fall semester to be included in the GGS upgrade calculation. 

Although the Griffon Guarantee requires a 2.0 GPA to retain the scholarship, it is important to remember that major and degree requirements often require a higher grade point average for admission into a degree program and/or for graduation. 

If you come to Missouri Western with college credit earned during high school (dual credit, Advanced Placement, etc.),  you will be awarded an initial scholarship based on merit. The number of college credits will not be taken into account. However, you can take advantage of all of the upgrades and may even be able to achieve a double upgrade award by obtaining significant college credits during high school.

By way of illustration, if you acquire 28 college credits in high school and then complete an additional 32 credits (60 overall credits) at Missouri Western by the end of the summer term after matriculation, then you will be eligible for a double upgrade award. So, if you received a $4,000 scholarship, then you will receive both the 30-credit upgrade ($1,000) and the 60-credit upgrade ($500) for the next year. This means that your second year would involve a $5,500 scholarship. The final $500 upgrade would then be awarded once you earn 90-credit hours. 

Missouri Western scholarships do not carry cash value. No portion may be disbursed to you in the form of cash or a credit balance check. As a result, the following limitations apply: 

Limited “stacking” of multiple Missouri Western and Foundation scholarships is permitted so long as a student’s total scholarships do not exceed full tuition, fees, and university housing each semester. Scholarships specifically allocated for the payment of book costs, Missouri Western operated study abroad programs, and conference travel expenses will be exempt from this policy.

All scholarships (including the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship) are awarded on an annual basis and applied in two equal installments, with one half applied during the fall semester and the other half applied during the spring semester. 

High school students with an A+ stamped transcript will receive a scholarship of between $500 and $850 per academic year. The A+ scholarship is stackable with the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship.

The Griffon Guarantee Scholarship is not available for use during the summer term and may not be applied toward summer term charges under any circumstances.

If you are scheduled to graduate at the conclusion of the fall semester, only one-half of your annual Griffon Guarantee Scholarship will be awarded. If you enroll in fewer than 12 credit hours during your final semester, the scholarship may be prorated based on the number of credit hours taken. For example, if you enroll in only 9 credits during the final semester, then you will only receive 75% of the amount scheduled to be awarded that semester (e.g. 75% of one-half of the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship). 

If you do not enroll at Missouri Western on a full-time basis (at least 12 hours) during the fall or spring semester, then you will forfeit your Griffon Guarantee Scholarship. However, it is important to note that you may (i) apply and receive approval for a temporary leave of absence, or (ii) participate in a university approved externship, internship, or student teaching program and may defer your Griffon Guarantee Scholarship for up to two semesters. In either case, you need to acquire advance approval from the Director of Financial Aid. 

With permission, you may pay to take course(s) at another institution as a visiting student. However, the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship only covers the tuition and fees for Missouri Western courses. The scholarship cannot be used for non-Missouri Western courses or programs. 

Also, remember that if you do not enroll at Missouri Western on a full-time basis (12-credits) during fall or spring, you will forfeit the scholarship unless the Director of Financial Aid has granted approval. If the Director grants approval, then you must complete a consortium agreement (see Financial Aid website). Course(s) taken at another college or university during the summer term do not require a consortium agreement unless the student also has credit hours at Missouri Western during that term.

Missouri Western scholarships will be prorated or cancelled if you completely withdraw and receive a refund in accordance with the University’s refund policy. 

Students transferring in 90+ credits are not eligible for the Transfer Griffon Guarantee Scholarship.

You are encouraged to submit a letter of appeal to the Executive Scholarship Committee if a documentable extenuating circumstance resulted in the loss of the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship. You may also appeal if you are unable to fulfill a requirement of the award (i.e. full-time or consecutive enrollment, etc.) 

In addition, all scholarship awards are based on the availability of funds, and may be adjusted accordingly if funds are not available. To date, Missouri Western has never failed to renew scholarships due to lack of availability of funds.  However, it reserves the right to make adjustments to the Griffon Guarantee Scholarship program.