(The application will reopen in
October 2017 for 2017-2018 consideration.)
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?
For the 2016-2017 academic year, UWest 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.
Term
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.
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 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 eitherbachelor’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.
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
Needs:
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 aUWest 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:
To 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
|
*The Financial Aid Committee will consider both term GPA and
cumulative GPA for Lotus Scholarship qualification.
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.
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.
Other
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 online slots real money usascholarship. 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 Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship,
Buddha’s LightScholarship, 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:
Priority Deadline
(for new applicants): Post-marked on or beforeFebruary 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:
The Lotus Scholarship Application must include the following
documents:
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.
Spring
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.
University of the West reserves the right
to change part or all of the above terms and conditions at
any time.
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