Transcript GEAR UP Virginia Scholarship and Achievement Grant Award

GEAR UP VIRGINIA
Scholarship and Achievement Grant
Award Application Process
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for consideration for a GEAR UP
Scholarship or Achievement Grant, a student must:
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Have been a member of the original 7th grade GEAR UP class
in 2006-07.
Have a signed student information release form on file at
SCHEV.
Be an active participant in GEAR UP-endorsed activities.
Graduate with a high school diploma from a participating
GEAR UP high school by August 31, 2012.
Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above by
the end of first semester of their senior year and maintain a
2.0 or above through graduation.
Eligibility Requirements
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Submit all application materials by March 31, 2012.
Be accepted and enrolled at least half-time in a degree,
diploma, or certificate program at an eligible institution by the
beginning of the fall 2013 term.
Successfully complete a Free Application for Federal Student
Aid.
Be eligible for the Pell grant as determined by the U.S.
Department of Education and be awarded a Pell grant.*
* Pell grant eligibility is not a requirement to be considered for
the Achievement Grant; however, financial need will be
considered when determining recipients.
Eligible Institutions
An eligible institution is one that:
 Is physically located in the state of Virginia.
 Participates in federal Title IV student aid
programs, including the Pell grant.
 Agrees to participate in the GEAR UP Virginia
Scholarship program (including Achievement Grant).
Eligible Institutions
Two Exceptions:
1. Students may be eligible to receive a scholarship or grant at
an institution located in a state that borders Virginia:
Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington,
DC, or West Virginia. These institutions must otherwise meet
the eligibility requirements.
2. Students interested in a program not offered at a public
Virginia institution may be eligible to receive a scholarship or
grant at an institution that is not located in Virginia if the
school participates in the Academic Common Market (ACM)
program and otherwise meets the eligibility requirements.
Students must apply and be approved to participate in the
ACM program in order to be considered for a
scholarship/grant. Visit www.schev.edu > Financial Aid >
Academic Common Market for more information.
Application Availability & Deadline
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Application packets will be available to students on
January 2, 2012.
Packets will be mailed to GEAR UP schools in
December. Students should be able to pick up a
packet from their GEAR UP coordinator and/or
school counselor.
A PDF of the packet will also be available on the
GEAR UP website at www.gearupva.com.
All application materials must be postmarked or
faxed by March 31, 2012. Faxed transcripts will
not be accepted.
This is the front
page of the award
application packet.
Required Application Materials
Award Application
 Student Aid Report (SAR)
 Official Transcript with Mid-Year Grades
 Resume
 Recommendation Form
 Essay
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Award Application
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Four sections: Biographical information,
Postsecondary Plan, FERPA Information Release,
Certification and Signature.
Students must provide an accurate email address.
Email is GEAR UP’s primary form of communication.
A parent or legal guardian’s signature is also
required if the student is under the age of 18.
Award Application
FERPA Information Release
 FERPA allows students to give permission to others to
obtain information regarding GEAR UP.
 Students are not required to give others permission.
 Usually include parents, guardians, older siblings.
 Should not list their own name.
 Must provide all information requested for each
person listed (name, relationship, last 4 of SSN).
 Only the student and those listed can receive
information if they contact GEAR UP.
Student Aid Report (SAR)
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The SAR summarizes all information provided on the
FAFSA. Usually ranges from 5 to 10 pages.
FAFSA is available on January 1, 2012.
Students must submit entire SAR with calculated
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by the application
deadline. Submitting a SAR without EFC is an
incomplete application.
It takes approximately 3 to 5 days to receive the SAR
via email (recommended) and 7 to 10 days via regular
mail. Students should be mindful of these processing
times.
Students must provide a valid email address to receive
SAR via email.
Student Aid Report (SAR)
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FAFSA confirmation pages and summaries will not
be accepted.
Common mistakes made on FAFSA:
 Student’s
name does not match their SSN.
 Incorrect SSN or date of birth.
 Incorrect/or no income information for students/parents.
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Mistakes will delay the processing of the FAFSA,
which will also delay the calculation the student’s
EFC. The EFC is used to determine financial need.
Students should read SAR comments page before
submitting to GEAR UP.
Official Transcript
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Transcripts must include all first semester grades
and cumulative grade point average from student’s
senior year.
Official transcripts must remain sealed by the
school. Transcripts received with broken seals will
not be accepted.
Emailed or faxed transcripts are considered
unofficial and will not be accepted.
Official Transcript
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Students can either have their official transcript
mailed from their school directly to the GEAR UP
office (recommended) or include the sealed
envelope with other mailed application materials.
A GEAR UP transcript request form will be included
in the award application packet. Students can use
this form or the request form provided by their
school.
Resume
Include the following:
 Name
 Objective – include educational and career goals.
 Education
 Work experience
 Academic Achievements
 Activities – do not include GEAR UP activities.
 Skills
Recommendation Form
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Recommendation forms must be completed by a
school official (e.g. principal, teacher, school
counselor).
Cannot be completed by a school official who also
works with GEAR UP.
Can be submitted by recommender or student.
Committee may contact recommenders.
Essay
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Essay Topic: Tell us how one GEAR UP activity
influenced your decision to continue your education.
Essays should be at least 250 words, doublespaced if typed.
Typed essays are preferred, but not required.
Follow standard writing guidelines.
Include name on essay.
What Happens Next?
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Assuming that all application materials arrive on
time, the scholarship committee will review
applications to determine which students are
eligible for a Scholarship or Achievement Grant.
Letters will be mailed to all applicants.
Selected candidates will receive a letter with
further institutions.
Students not selected will receive a letter explaining
the reason.
Selected Candidates
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Candidates will be required to submit their college
acceptance letter or something comparable showing
that they have been admitted into a program and
start date.
They will also need to request a final official
transcript to be mailed to GEAR UP. This is needed
to verify graduation and final GPA.
Helpful Websites
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GEAR UP Virginia – www.gearupva.com
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) –
www.fafsa.ed.gov
 Use
this site to complete FAFSA and find out which
schools participate in Federal Title IV aid programs.
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Federal Student Financial Aid PIN –
www.pin.ed.gov
Student Aid on the Web (Getting Money for
College > Who Gets Aid) – www.studentaid.ed.gov
Additional GU Award Resources
Available at www.gearupva.com.
Contact Information
Tierney McAuley, GEAR UP Scholarship Administrator
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
101 N. 14th Street
James Monroe Building, 10th Fl.
Richmond, VA 23219
Ph: (804) 225-2600
Fax: (804) 225-2604
Email: [email protected] or
[email protected]