Description:
The
Lotus Scholarship (the Scholarship) is awarded to students who achieve high
academic standards and demonstrate a financial need in order to attend
University of the West (UWest). The Scholarship was established in 2012 and has
so far been awarded to more than 150 students. UWest is home of the Lotus
Scholarship – are you the next Lotus Scholarship award recipient?
Lotus Scholarship (the Scholarship) is awarded to students who achieve high
academic standards and demonstrate a financial need in order to attend
University of the West (UWest). The Scholarship was established in 2012 and has
so far been awarded to more than 150 students. UWest is home of the Lotus
Scholarship – are you the next Lotus Scholarship award recipient?
For
the 2016-2017 academic year, UW
the 2016-2017 academic year, UW
est has set aside funds to continue providing
the Lotus Scholarships for new students entering the university, as well as for
students seeking to renew their scholarships. New applicants must meet the
scholarship eligibility requirements and matriculate into UWest in the
2016-2017 academic year (see last page for students beginning Spring 2016).
Returning applicants must meet the Lotus Scholarship criteria in order to
qualify for a renewal.
- Lotus
Gold Scholarship – up to $10,000 - Lotus
Silver Scholarship – up to $5,000
UWest
anticipates awarding a large number of Lotus Scholarships for the 2016-2017
academic year. The Scholarship awards up to $5,000 or up to $10,000 annually
to each successful applicant to apply toward his or her tuition, mandatory
fees, room and board, and other expenses required for attendance at UWest.
anticipates awarding a large number of Lotus Scholarships for the 2016-2017
academic year. The Scholarship awards up to $5,000 or up to $10,000 annually
to each successful applicant to apply toward his or her tuition, mandatory
fees, room and board, and other expenses required for attendance at UWest.
Term
of Scholarship:
of Scholarship:
The
Scholarship is initially awarded for one academic year beginning in
Fall semester. Renewal of the Scholarship is possible, but not
guaranteed, depending on the student’s performance and funding availability.
Scholarship is initially awarded for one academic year beginning in
Fall semester. Renewal of the Scholarship is possible, but not
guaranteed, depending on the student’s performance and funding availability.
- The
maximum term of the Scholarship support is four years (or
eight semesters) for four-year undergraduate students, and two
to three years (or four to six semesters) for undergraduate
transfer students and students entering UWest’s master’s degree programs.
Scholarship
Disbursement:
Disbursement:
Disbursement
of the Scholarship award is made in two installments, the first in Fall
semester and the second in Spring semester. The funds will be applied
directly to the student’s account. The Bursar’s Office will issue a
stipend check if a student has a credit balance in his or her student
account after the add/drop date of each semester.
of the Scholarship award is made in two installments, the first in Fall
semester and the second in Spring semester. The funds will be applied
directly to the student’s account. The Bursar’s Office will issue a
stipend check if a student has a credit balance in his or her student
account after the add/drop date of each semester.
Eligibility:
- The
Scholarship is available to new students seeking either bachelor’s
degrees or master’s degrees at UWest. Doctoral degree students,
ESL students, or students seeking certificates only are not eligible for
this scholarship.
Previous
recipients
of the Scholarship who meet the maintaining requirements (see Maintaining
Scholarship section below) are also eligible to reapply.
recipients
of the Scholarship who meet the maintaining requirements (see Maintaining
Scholarship section below) are also eligible to reapply.
- Minimum
GPA:
|
Undergraduate
|
Graduate
|
|
|
Lotus
Gold Scholarship (up to $10,000): |
3.0
|
3.25
|
|
Lotus
Silver Scholarship(up to $5,000): |
2.75
|
3.0
|
- Financial
Need:
A student’s financial need may be taken into consideration during the
applicant review process. - Domestic
students:
Domestic applicants will be required to submit a FAFSA application
or provide a copy of their, or their parent(s)’/guardian(s)’, most recent
available tax return as part of the Lotus Scholarship application. An
applicant may opt to make a
statement of financial hardship in a separate letter as part of
the Lotus Scholarship application. Other documents the university may
request are copies of relevant tax returns or other taxation records,
letters establishing a student’s status for receiving public benefits, or other similar
documentation. All financial documentation will be held in strict
confidence. - International
students:
International applicants must submit a UWest International Student
Supplemental Application for Financial Aid. Students may be asked to
provide financial documentation in addition to their, or their sponsor’s,
finances as reported to SEVIS
during the visa application process.
- International
students must meet the minimum UWest admission requirements for English proficiency.
- To
qualify for the Scholarship a student must be enrolled full-time at UWest.
Full-time enrollment for undergraduate students is defined as registering
for, and successfully completing, a minimum of 12 units each semester (24
units per academic year). Full-time enrollment for graduate students is
defined as registering for, and successfully completing, a minimum of 9
units each semester (18 units per academic year). Students must be
pre-registered at the full-time credit level before the Scholarship funds
can be made available to them. Exceptions to this full-time enrollment
rule may be made through an appeal process for students who are in their
final semester or who encounter extenuating circumstances.
Non-full-time students will receive a prorated amount of the Scholarship
based on the actual number of units for which they are registered.
Maintaining
Scholarship:
Scholarship:
To
maintain the Scholarship while at UWest, students must fulfill the following
requirements:
maintain the Scholarship while at UWest, students must fulfill the following
requirements:
- Minimum
maintaining GPA:
|
Undergraduate
|
Graduate
|
|
|
Lotus
Gold Scholarship (up to $10,000): |
3.25
|
3.5
|
|
Lotus
Silver Scholarship(up to $5,000): |
3.0
|
3.25
|
- Do
not have (I) “Incomplete” on the transcript. Students must resolve
any incomplete course(s) before the Scholarship can be renewed and/or
disbursed.
- Maintain
fulltime enrollment at UWest. - Uphold
academic integrity standards (e.g. refrain from plagiarizing, cheating,
etc.). - Actively
engage in student life (e.g. UWest Student Government, student clubs,
events, volunteer opportunities, committees, etc.) and/or community
service. - Uphold
student social conduct standards (e.g. refrain from physical abuse,
threats of violence, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, harassment,
sexual harassment, etc.).
During
the first two weeks of the Spring semester, recipients of the Scholarship will
be reviewed for eligibility based on the above-mentioned requirements.
Recipients may be disqualified from the Scholarship if one or more of these
requirements are not met.
the first two weeks of the Spring semester, recipients of the Scholarship will
be reviewed for eligibility based on the above-mentioned requirements.
Recipients may be disqualified from the Scholarship if one or more of these
requirements are not met.
Recipients
of the Lotus Scholarship are entitled to appeal disqualification should they
encounter extenuating circumstances. The appeal needs to be submitted to the
Financial Aid Committee no later than the beginning of the Spring semester. No
more than two appeals will be granted per student. Contact Lezli Fang in
the Financial Aid Office for detailed information.
of the Lotus Scholarship are entitled to appeal disqualification should they
encounter extenuating circumstances. The appeal needs to be submitted to the
Financial Aid Committee no later than the beginning of the Spring semester. No
more than two appeals will be granted per student. Contact Lezli Fang in
the Financial Aid Office for detailed information.
Other
Important Terms and Conditions:
Important Terms and Conditions:
- The
Scholarship is non-transferable to other students or institutions. - The
Scholarship cannot be deferred. If recipients decide to postpone
their matriculation into a program until the Spring semester, they will
only receive half of the awarded Scholarship (e.g. a recipient of a $5,000
Scholarship will only receive $2,500 for the Spring semester). If
recipients postpone their entrance into a program by more than one
semester, they will forfeit their scholarship. New students who only
enroll in the Fall semester but not in the following Spring semester will
lose the second half of their scholarship. (Note: Exception
to this policy due to visa or medical reasons may be made on a case by
case basis. Students applying for this exception must present relevant
documentation.) - The
Scholarship cannot be awarded in conjunction with President’s Fellowship,
Dean’s Fellowship, Buddha’s Light Fellowship, IBEF Scholarship, IBEF
Fellowship, or UWest Scholarship. Students must return the
Scholarship funds if other scholarship money is received. - Recipients
may become disqualified after the Scholarship is disbursed if their
enrollment status changes during the term of the award, in which case
students must return the Scholarship funds received. (Note: Exception
to this policy due to medical, family, or other extenuating reasons will
be made on a case by case basis. Students applying for this
exception must present relevant documentation.) - Should
the Scholarship be declined or returned, it will be considered forfeited
and UWest may keep the award or award it to another student. - Recipients
who are officially approved to take Leave of Absence (LOA) for a semester
will not receive the Scholarship disbursement for that semester. The
students must notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as their request for
LOA is approved. Students who take LOA for more than one semester will
need to petition in writing for reinstatement of the Scholarship upon
their return. - Recipients
of the award agree to release to UWest the right to use their images for
publication in any format chosen by the university (i.e. print, video,
digital image).
Application
Deadlines:
Deadlines:
- Priority
Deadline (for new applicants): Post-marked on or before February
15, 2016. Every effort will be made to notify students of their
scholarship application result by May 1, 2016. - Secondary
Deadline (for both new and returning applicants):
Post-marked on or before April 1, 2016. New students will be
notified of the scholarship result by June 1, 2016. Returning students
will be notified of the scholarship result by June 30, 2016. - It
is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all application materials
and supporting documents are submitted on time.
Application
and Required Documents:
and Required Documents:
The
Lotus Scholarship Application must include the following documents:
Lotus Scholarship Application must include the following documents:
- Completed and signed UWest Financial Aid Application Form;
- Completed and signed UWest International Student Supplemental Application for Financial Aid
(International applicants only); - A
copy of Official Transcript (in English) of the highest education
attained; - A
copy of official TOEFL or IELTS score report (first-time international
applicants only); - Domestic
students must submit a completed 2016-17 FAFSA or a copy of their most
recent available tax return.
Note:
For new applicants, the Lotus Scholarship Application must be submitted
together with the Application for Admission to the University. All
documents must be submitted by the deadlines indicated above. Lotus
Scholarship Applications that do not include the Application for Admission will
not be considered.
For new applicants, the Lotus Scholarship Application must be submitted
together with the Application for Admission to the University. All
documents must be submitted by the deadlines indicated above. Lotus
Scholarship Applications that do not include the Application for Admission will
not be considered.
Spring
2016 New Student Eligibility
2016 New Student Eligibility
Students
matriculating into UWest in the Spring semester 2016 are eligible to apply for
the Lotus Scholarship for the 2016-2017 award year that begins in Fall 2016.
Spring 2016 applicants must meet the same Lotus Scholarship eligibility
requirements and are subject to all the terms and conditions of the
Scholarship. An applicant’s academic performance during the Spring 2016
semester will be taken into consideration in addition to previous academic
work.
matriculating into UWest in the Spring semester 2016 are eligible to apply for
the Lotus Scholarship for the 2016-2017 award year that begins in Fall 2016.
Spring 2016 applicants must meet the same Lotus Scholarship eligibility
requirements and are subject to all the terms and conditions of the
Scholarship. An applicant’s academic performance during the Spring 2016
semester will be taken into consideration in addition to previous academic
work.
University of the West reserves the
right
right
to change part or all of the above
terms and conditions at any time.
terms and conditions at any time.
