Michigan Achievement Scholarship: Your Guide to Earning a Degree or Certificate

The State of Michigan offers the Michigan Achievement Scholarship for eligible undergraduates, aiming to make higher education and career training more accessible and affordable for its residents. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, including its requirements, benefits, and how to apply.

What is the Michigan Achievement Scholarship?

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship is a financial aid program designed to help Michigan students pursue higher education or career training. It encompasses several pathways, including support for community college, career training programs, and four-year universities. The scholarship aims to reduce the financial burden on students and families, enabling them to achieve their educational and career goals.

Michigan Achievement Scholarship Programs

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship extends its support to all Michigan high school seniors regardless of their educational path, offering financial assistance for community college, career training, or university.

Community College Guarantee: Through the Community College Guarantee, which falls under the umbrella of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, students could get a tuition-free associate degree. They could also later transfer to a four-year university and work toward a bachelor’s degree.
Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship: Through the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship, students could qualify for up to $4,000 for a career training program. To learn more about this program, visit michigan.gov/careertraining. Yes, through the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship at an eligible career training program.
Michigan Achievement Scholarship (University): Through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, students could receive up to $27,500 toward their bachelor’s degree at a four-year public or private university. The award maximum is $5,500 each academic year and is renewable for up to five years. You must be enrolled full time (12 or more credit hours) to receive the award.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, students must meet certain criteria. These requirements ensure that the scholarship benefits those who demonstrate financial need and are committed to pursuing their education or training in Michigan.

General Requirements

Residency: For new students in the 2025-26 academic year, you must be a Michigan resident since July 1, 2024. If you are a dependent student, your parent(s) must also be a Michigan resident since July 1, 2024.
Graduation: Students who graduate from high school in Michigan with a diploma, certificate of completion, or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after may be eligible regardless of age. There is no age requirement as long as you are a graduate from a Michigan high school with a diploma, certificate of completion, or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after.
Enrollment Timeline: Students must enroll at an eligible institution within 15 months of high school graduation or earning a high school equivalency certificate.

Financial Requirements

FAFSA Completion: Students must complete the current year Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered. Simply complete the FAFSA and once it is received by MI Student Aid, we will determine a students eligibility. No, we strongly encourage everyone to complete the FAFSA to determine eligibility for Michigan Achievement Scholarship.
Student Aid Index (SAI): File the annual FAFSA by the state deadline and demonstrate financial need with a FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI) of 30,000 or less. SAI is available on the FAFSA Submission Summary. This can be found by logging into studentaid.gov, select the processed FAFSA submission, choose “View FAFSA Submission Summary”, lastly select the “Eligibility Overview” tab.

Academic Requirements

GPA: To receive the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, there is no GPA requirement.
Enrollment Status: You must be enrolled full time (12 or more credit hours) to receive the award.

Additional Considerations

Online High Schools: Online high school experiences resulting in a diploma or high school equivalency are accepted only if they are based in Michigan. Several popular online schools, such as Penn Foster are not considered as eligible Michigan Institutions for Michigan Achievement Scholarship programs. Be sure to confirm with your college or university that your online school will be accepted.
Home-Schooled Students: Home-schooled students may be eligible if the institution accepts the home-school documents as proof of Michigan high school completion in 2023 or after.
Dual Enrollment/Early Middle College: Dual Enrolled or Early Middle College students must graduate from a high school in Michigan with a diploma, certificate of completion, or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after, before they can be considered eligible for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship/Community College Guarantee.

How to Apply

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship does not have a separate application. The key to unlocking the Michigan Achievement Scholarship? Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students must have a complete and verified (if applicable) FAFSA to be eligible for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship or the Michigan Achievement Scholarship Community College Guarantee.

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Complete the FAFSA: The first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for federal, state, and college-based financial aid.
Indicate College Choice: After you file the annual FAFSA, indicate you will attend WSU in the State Student Portal.
Check Eligibility: Students can check their eligibility online through the MiSSG student portal.

Scholarship Details

Understanding the specifics of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship can help students maximize its benefits and plan their education accordingly.

Award Amount and Duration

The award maximum is $5,500 each academic year and is renewable for up to five years.
Students may be eligible to receive Michigan Achievement Scholarship for up to five consecutive years total, with no more than three years at a Michigan community college and tribal college.
Through the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship, students could qualify for up to $4,000 for a career training program.
Through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, students could receive up to $27,500 toward their bachelor’s degree at a four-year public or private university.

Transfer Students

Transfer students will be reviewed for an award if you meet the FAFSA and state residency requirements.
You must have graduated from high school in Michigan with a diploma or a certificate of completion or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after and enroll in college within 15 months.
Yes, students may transfer from a Community College to a University.

Additional Opportunities

Students may be eligible to receive both Tuition Incentive Program and Michigan Achievement Scholarship at the same time up to the allowable expenses.
Students can earn more than one Associate Degree or Certificate.

Maintaining Eligibility

To retain eligibility:

Meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
Continue to file the annual FAFSA.

Award Usage

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship will be applied to tuition & fees up to the lowest rate charged WSU undergraduates.

Special Circumstances

If your family has special circumstances that do not accurately reflect the current financial situation of your family, then you should reach out to your college’s financial aid office to discuss the possibility of a re-evaluation. Please note that the timeline for this process can vary by institution.

Additional Information

FAFSA Submission Summary: Also, students can check the FAFSA Submission Summary at studentaid.gov.
No Deadline: There is no deadline.
Continued Eligibility: Yes! If the student is within their time limit to receive the scholarship and meet the additional scholarship requirements, the student is still eligible.
Participating Institutions: No, students must attend a Michigan participating institution.

Awareness and Outreach

In collaboration with the state, DistrictWON is working to promote awareness of this exceptional opportunity. Our strategy includes the creation of a digital toolkit community engagement hub, featuring PA announcements, social media content, PowerPoint presentations and other important information. Additionally, we are committed to sustaining monthly communications aimed at fostering widespread awareness of the program.

To streamline our outreach process, we seek your assistance in identifying key Points of Contact (POCs) at your school who are adept at social media engagement and can effectively distribute materials/communications to students and families. By including them in our outreach efforts, we aim to maximize the reach and impact of this campaign. Please add any key individuals by using the form below.

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