CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – State Treasurer Larry Pack, who serves as Chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, today announced that more than 20,000 students have applied for full funding of the Hope Scholarship Program for the 2026-2027 academic year. This milestone comes after Treasurer Pack announced in March that all West Virginia children in grades K-12 are now eligible to apply for the program.
“With more than 20,000 applications in our system, we have already surpassed the 15,000 students who were approved for full funding of the Hope Scholarship in the 2025-2026 school year. It is clear parents are taking advantage of additional options within our education system to find the best fit for their child’s unique needs,” Treasurer Pack said. “It’s exciting to see the exponential growth year after year with more families taking advantage of the Hope Scholarship Program. I would like to thank my team for working tirelessly to process these applications as we continue to receive more in the coming weeks.”
Of the 20,000 applications, more than 11,800 are returning Hope Scholarship recipients who submitted their Continuing Participation Confirmations. More than 8,100 are new students who applied for the program.
Existing private school and traditional homeschool students who have not previously been eligible for the Hope Scholarship Program are now eligible to apply to participate in the State’s Education Savings Account program that provides funding to students exercising school choice in lieu of attending public school full-time.
The application deadline for new students to receive full funding for the Hope Scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year is June 15. Applications are available online at www.HopeScholarshipWV.gov.
A student application submitted within the following dates will receive the associated level of Hope Scholarship funding:
- March 2-June 15: 100% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
- June 16-Sept. 15: 75% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
- Sept. 16-Nov. 30: 50% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
- Dec. 1-Feb. 28: 25% of Hope Scholarship annual award amount.
Current Hope Scholarship students who wish to renew their participation in the program during the 2026-2027 school year have until June 15 to submit their Continuing Participation Confirmations.
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 2026-2027 school year $5,435.62. Scholarship funds will now be distributed on a quarterly basis.
For more information on the Hope Scholarship, visit www.HopeScholarshipWV.gov.
