The Nebraska Promise

The Nebraska Promise is available to new, returning, full-time first-time, undergraduate Nebraska resident students with a family income of $65,000 or less and/or are Pell Grant eligible for up to 30 credit hours of free tuition over an academic year. 

Eligible students must:

• Be residents of Nebraska.
• Be full-time undergraduates obtaining their first bachelor's degree.
• Maintain a 2.5 GPA.
• Qualify for the Federal Pell Grant or have a household income of $65,000 or less.

Nebraska Promise is a guarantee of funding to cover the cost of undergraduate tuition up to 15 credit hours per semester at one of the four university of Nebraska campuses (UNK, UNL, UNMC and UNO, and the two-year technical college, NCTA).

Apply for Nebraska Promise

To apply for Nebraska Promise, apply for admission to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, or at one of the other University of Nebraska Institutions. Then file your FAFSA Form by the priority deadline of each academic year that you are attending the university.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will receive your financial aid award letter and a notification stating that you qualify for the Nebraska Promise for the upcoming year. The Nebraska Promise is a program, not a scholarship, meaning you would not see an award within your financial aid package labeled as the Nebraska Promise.

You will see a variety of funding sources that will cover the cost of your tuition up to 15 credit hours. Some of those funding sources you may see on your award letter that fulfill the Nebraska Promise can include Federal Pell Grant, opportunity grants, academic scholarships, and military tuition waivers.