2007-08
Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship Program
Fact Sheet

Program Description
The Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship (MMB) provides financial assistance to undergraduate students who meet scholastic requirements, demonstrate financial need, and attend Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University. Available funds are contingent upon matching contributions from private sources on behalf of eligible institutions. MMB is a decentralized state of Florida program, which means that each participating institution determines application procedures, deadlines, and student eligibility.

What are the Initial Eligibility Requirements to Receive Funding?
The student will:

• Be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. A student’s residency and citizenship status are determined by the postsecondary institution. Questions regarding such status should be directed to the financial aid office or admissions office of the institution the student plans to attend.
• Not owe a repayment or be in default under any state or federal grant, loan, or scholarship program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.
• Not have previously received a baccalaureate degree.
• Enroll at Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University as a degree-seeking, undergraduate student for a minimum of 12 credit hours per term or the equivalent. Applications must be obtained from financial aid offices at Bethune-Cookman College, Edward Waters College, Florida A&M University, or Florida Memorial University.
• Have earned a minimum, unweighted, cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent, for high school subjects credited towards a diploma.

How Does a Student Apply?

• Demonstrate financial need as specified by the participating institution.
• Meet the application procedures and deadlines established by the participating institution. Applications may be obtained at the financial aid offices of eligible Florida colleges and universities.

How Does a Student Renew?

• A renewal applicant must have earned a minimum institutional cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and earned the equivalent of 12 credit hours for each term an award was received during the academic year.
• Eligibility is determined at the end of the second semester or third quarter of each academic year. Credit hours earned during the previous summer can be counted toward the total number of credit hours required.
• A student should consult his/her postsecondary institution for renewal requirements established by the institution.

What if a Student Does Not Maintain the Minimum GPA Required for Renewal?

• If a student does not meet the minimum GPA, he/she may be granted a probationary award for two semesters or three quarters.
• To be eligible for renewal the following year after probation, the student must have earned the required credits and institutional cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

What if a Student Does Not Meet the Minimum Credit Hours Required for Renewal?

• A student who does not meet the annual minimum 12 hour per semester (for one or both semesters) requirement for renewal may not receive funding the following academic year.
• To be eligible for funding in a subsequent year, the student must apply for restoration and meet the general eligibility requirements for restoration and have earned an institutional cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

How Does a Student Restore?

• A student may be eligible for restoration if he/she has earned an institutional GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year for which he/she was ineligible.
• The student may apply for restoration with the postsecondary institution after two semesters or three quarters at the end of the spring term.

How Does a Student Reinstate?

A student who met the requirements for a renewal award, but did not receive an award during a full year of eligibility and wishes to reestablish use of the grant, may apply for reinstatement with the postsecondary institution in a subsequent year provided the student has earned an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale as of the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year preceding the year the award is sought.

What is the Award Process?

• The postsecondary institution shall rank all eligible applicants on the basis of financial need.
• If additional ranking is needed, the institution shall further rank applicants on the basis of highest GPA.
• The institution shall notify each student in writing of the status of each student’s application.
• The annual award for the 2007-08 academic year is $3,000.
• The institution may prorate its scholarship allocation equally among all eligible initial, renewal, and reinstatement students.

How are Awards Disbursed?
From funds available, the postsecondary institution will disburse awards to eligible students each term.

How Long May a Student Receive Funding?

• A student is eligible to receive an award for a maximum of 8 semesters (12 quarters) over a period of 6 consecutive years, until the student receives a baccalaureate degree, or whichever occurs first.
• Undergraduate students participating in college-preparatory instruction, students requiring additional time to complete the college-level communication and computation skills testing programs (CLAST), or students enrolled in a 5-year undergraduate degree program are eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 10 semesters or 15 quarters.
• Unused hours may not be used for further course funding after a student earns a baccalaureate degree.

How May a Student Appeal?
An applicant who believes financial aid has been wrongly denied has certain rights to appeal.

If aid is denied for failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements, an applicant may appeal the denial to the institution by providing proof of illness or other emergency beyond the applicant's control. An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed in writing within 30 days of the denial letter or by the date established by the institution's financial aid office, whichever is later.

How Does a Student Make Changes in Information?
An applicant must notify OSFA of any change in name, address, or institution attended. A student may update information in the following ways:

• By accessing and updating the student record on the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) Web site at www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org, using the assigned User ID and PIN:
  • Select State Grants, Scholarships & Applications,
  • select Application Status & Award History,
  • select Initial Student Update, and then the appropriate option.
• By calling OSFA toll-free at 1-888-827-2004.

Use of an Applicant’s Social Security Number/Non-discrimination Statement
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires state agencies to inform applicants of the reasons for requesting their Social Security numbers (SSN). The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) requests an SSN on all applications for student financial assistance in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant's financial aid record with the student record at the postsecondary institution the applicant attends, and help coordinate state student aid programs with federal student aid programs.

An applicant will not be denied financial assistance for failure to disclose the SSN. Without an SSN, correct identification of an applicant's record cannot be assured and may result in an error in the award amount or a delay in the disbursement of an award.

Pursuant to Section 1000.05, Florida Statutes, state student financial assistance is provided to eligible applicants without discriminating on the basis of race, sex, national origin, marital status, or handicap. Minority status will be considered when required by law as a condition of eligibility or selection.

For further information contact the financial aid office at eligible postsecondary institutions or contact OSFA, State Programs, Suite 70, 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32303-4759. Contact OSFA toll-free at 1-888-827-2004.