Office of Student Financial Aid

Scholarship Application Purpose The purpose of the UMES Scholarship Award is to provide each recipient with the opportunity to obtain a four-year college education and graduate college debt free.

CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Currently enrolled. Student must have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current academic year and provided all required documentation to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Student cannot have university accounts with prior balance or that have been forwarded to a collection agency. Student cannot have a pending conduct case or be under a current conduct sanction. Student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher. Scholarships issued by the University will not be available for non-university related matters. Applicants must be US citizens or eligible non-citizens. *Please note: Applicants will only be eligible to receive one scholarship from Financial Aid per academic year.

SELECTION CRITERIA 1. 2. 3. 4.

COMPLETE APPLICATION STUDENT ESSAY LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ACADEMIC STANDING (MINIMUM REQUIRED CUMULATIVE GPA OF 2.50).

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A UMES SCHOLARSHIP AWARD, APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE AN APPLICATION AND RETURN IT TO UMES BY DECEMBER 15TH. THE APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE: 1. A COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM. ONLY COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS WILL BE CONSIDERED. 2. TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION WITH AT LEAST ONE FROM A P ROFESSOR OR SCHOOL OFFICIAL AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. 3. A COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS INCLUDING GPA. (DOES NOT HAVE TO BE OFFICIAL) 4. A ONE PAGE (BETWEEN 200 - 300 WORDS) STATEMENT STATING YOUR CAREER PURPOSE AND DESCRIBE HOW YOU PLAN TO USE YOUR UMES EDUCATION TO OBTAIN YOUR FUTURE CAREER. ALL FOUR OF THE ABOVE ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BEFORE THE APPLICATION WILL BE CONSIDERED.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION FORM THE APPLICATION FORM STARTING ON PAGE 3 IS A FILLABLE PDF FILE. FILL IT OUT COMPLETELY ELECTRONICALLY, THEN “SAVE A COPY”. NOTE THAT THE APPLICATION REQUIRES A SIGNATURE. YOU MAY PROVIDE AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE, OR PRINT OUT THE COMPLETED APPLICATION, SIGN IT AND EITHER SCAN IT AS A PDF OR MAIL IN THE PRINTED APPLICATION. FOR THE STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION AND CAREER GOALS, YOU MAY USE THE PAGE INCLUDED IN THIS APPLICATION FORM, OR ATTACH A SEPARATE PAGE. COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS SHOULD BE SENT AS A PDF FILE TO [email protected] P LEASE INCLUDE APPLICANT’S LAST NAME AS PART OF THE FILE NAME. EXAMPLE: JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION ALTERNATIVELY, COMPLETED PRINTED APPLICATIONS MAY BE MAILED TO: THE UMES SCHOLARSHIP P ROGRAM OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID SDC BLDG., SUITE 1100 P RINCESS ANNE, MD 21853

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SUBMISSION OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION SHOULD BE SENT AS PDF FILES (WITH THE NAME OF THE APPLICANT AS PART OF THE FILE NAME EXAMPLE: JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP LOR) DIRECTLY FROM THE AUTHOR TO FINANACIALAID@UMES. EDU ALTERNATIVELY, LETTERS CAN BE MAILED TO THE UMES SCHOLARSHIP P ROGRAM AT THE MAILING ADDRESS ABOVE. THE LETTER SHOULD INDICATE THE CAPACITY IN WHICH THE LETTER WRITER KNOWS THE APPLICANT, E.G. AS A STUDENT, EMPLOYEE, OR OTHER CAPACITY, AND WHY THEY FEEL THE APPLICANT WOULD BE A GOOD RECIPIENT OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS MAY BE DIRECTED TO [email protected] OR 410-651-6172.

*NOTE THAT ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY DEC 15.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: What is the application deadline? A: December 15th is the deadline to receive a scholarship award for the Fall 2016 semester. Q: What is the difference between need based and merit based scholarships? A: The most common type of financial aid at independent schools is need-based financial aid. This type of aid is awarded to a family strictly based upon their financial need. Merit scholarships, on the other hand, are not dependent upon a family’s financial need. Merit scholarships are most commonly awarded one of two ways: a student’s connection with an affinity group or for a student’s academic, athletic, or artistic ability. Q: Would this scholarship be considered need based or merit based? A: Majority of scholarships through the Office of Student Financial Aid are need–based, which means that a student must have an adequate amount of need in order to accommodate the aid awarded. For instance, if a student’s need equals $10,000, they may receive no more than $10,000 in need-based aid, this includes all federal and state need-based grants and loans. Q: What constitutes a financial need? A: The federal Department of Education determines your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on information you provide on the FAFSA. Parent and student resources are considered the first source of funds to finance an education. ...Financial need is the difference between the cost of attendance (COA) and the (EFC) Cost of Attendance (Budget) $15,000 - EFC $5,000 = Need $10,000 Q: How many times can I be awarded a scholarship through the Office of Student Financial Aid? A: Based on limited funding, all applicants who meet the criteria will be eligible to receive one scholarship per academic year through the Office of Student Financial Aid, scholarship award amounts are based on awarding guidelines and available funding. Q: Am I eligible for a scholarship through the Office of Student Financial Aid if I have already or will be receiving scholarships from other UMES departments or outside organizations? A: Yes, as long as a student does not exceed the assigned budget or need for the academic year, s/he is eligible to receive a scholarship through the Office of Student Financial Aid along with other institution and outside scholarships. Q: How will I be notified that I’ve been awarded, and will I be notified if I do not receive the scholarship? A: Applicants will be notified via email whether they received or did not receive the scholarship award. Q: What effect will outside scholarships have on my financial aid package? A: If you have earned any outside scholarship funds, you are required to notify the financial aid office so the information can be used in calculating your award package. If a student has met 100% of his/her demonstrated need and subsequently receives an outside scholarship, one or more of his/her financial aid sources may be adjusted.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 15th Send application materials in pdf format to [email protected]. Alternatively, you can mail completed applications to The UMES Scholarship Program Office of Student Financial aid SDC Bldg., Suite 1100 Princess Anne, MD 21853 Questions about the application process may be directed to [email protected] or 410-651-6172.

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Office of Student Financial Aid

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

NAME: FIRST

LAST

DATE:

(Please Print) ID#:

MALE

FEMALE

ADDRESS:

PHONE:

-

-

CITY/STATE/ZIP/COUNTY: STUDENT EMAIL: ARE YOU A U.S. CITIZEN/? ELIGIBLE NON-CITIZEN

CLASSIFICATION:

YES

NO

FRESHMEN

MAJOR:

ARE YOU A MARYLAND RESIDENT?

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

CUM. CREDITS COMPLETED

What aid do you currently receive?

None

Scholarships

Loans

SENIOR

YES

NO

GRADUATE

CUM. GPA: UMES External Scholarship Scholarship

Grants

Please list the dollar amounts of any need based grants / scholarships / loan(s) you receive for the current academic year. Federal Pell Grant

$

Federal Stafford

$

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

$

Direct Subsidized Loan

$

Perkins Loan

$

Fee Waivers

$

Scholarship

State Grants

$ (Name of Scholarship)

(Type of Waiver)

$

Scholarship

$ (Name of Scholarship)

Federal Work-Study

$

$

Scholarship (Name of Scholarship)

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Student Statement Please describe your career purpose and describe how you plan to use your UMES education to obtain your future career. (BETWEEN 200 - 300 WORDS)

41 Page

I understand that decisions regarding Scholarships are processed on a case-by-case basis. If approved, I am expected to remain enrolled in the semester for which my Scholarship was approved. Additionally, I am expected to remain in good academic standing. My failure to do so could result in my forfeiture of the current and future Scholarship opportunities. I understand the completion of this application does not constitute an approval of a Scholarship.

Student’s Signature:

Date:

Referred by (if applicable):

For Office Use Only Approved By: Date:

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