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Families in West Virginia hoping to apply for a Hope Scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year can now do so, the state treasurer’s office said. (Sinclair Broadcast Group)
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WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — Families in West Virginia hoping to apply for a Hope Scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year can now do so, the state treasurer’s office said.
The scholarship, established in 2021, is a savings program giving parents and students their share of the state's education funding which may be used for a learning experience that works best for them. Parents can spend nearly $5,000 per student in public money and apply that to private, charter, parochial, virtual or home schooling.
Applications are available online by clicking here.
A student application submitted within the following dates will receive the associated level of Hope Scholarship funding:
The Hope Scholarship award amount varies each school year depending on the amount of state aid funding per pupil provided to county boards of education for public school students. The scholarship amount for the 2025-26 school year is $5,267.38, a news release from West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack’s office said.
Current Hope Scholarship students who wish to renew their participation in the program during the 2025-26 school year have until June 15 to submit their renewal.
Pack said program participation grew from 2,333 students during the 2022-23 school year to 5,443 students during the 2023-24 school year, and now over 10,000 students in the current school year.
To qualify for the Hope Scholarship, a student must be a West Virginia resident and be either:
The Hope Scholarship will open to all school-age children residing in West Virginia beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.
In addition to filling out the application, state law also requires participating families to fill out a notice of intent to participate in the program with their local county superintendent. A sample template for that notice as well as Frequently Asked Questions regarding the notice are also available online at the program’s website.
Families are reminded to notify the Hope Scholarship Board via email at hopescholarshipwv@wvsto.gov if they are awarded the Hope Scholarship for 2025-26 but ultimately decide to remain in public school.
