1.	GENERAL
	1.1	At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, scholarships are awarded either on the basis of academic criteria only or any combination of academics, financial need, campus/community activities, leadership positions, work experience, and specific criteria identified by the donor/grantor. Additionally, some scholarships are awarded on the basis of a special talent or skill. Scholarships are designed to reward, encourage, and assist students in pursuing academic excellence and leadership roles.
	1.2	This document discusses guidelines for awarding academic and fine arts scholarships, the criteria for renewing scholarships, the conditions under which a waiver of non-resident tuition may be granted to a scholarship recipient, the process for appealing a decision to withdraw a scholarship, and related topics. This document should be read in conjunction with University Rule 13.03.01.C2, Oversight of Academic Scholarships.
	1.3.	When scholarships are awarded, information will be communicated to the Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Office of Institutional Advancement as soon as possible, but not later than a pre-determined deadline set by those offices. This information will include name of recipient, amount of award, semester of award, name of scholarship, and other relevant information about the scholarship award.
2.	GUIDELINES FOR AWARDING UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC AND FINE ARTS SCHOLARSHIPS
	2.1	Publicizing Information on Scholarships The Office of Student Financial Assistance will provide students with information on various types of scholarships offered by the University, including the eligibility requirements for particular scholarships and the amount of money available through them. Students may obtain this information at the Office of Student Financial Assistance or online through the University web site. The university scholarship application is available online. The application deadline, which is established by the University Scholarship Committee, will appear in all scholarship application materials and in the University Catalog.
	2.2	Application Procedures To apply for a university academic scholarship, a student must complete a university scholarship application and submit it along with required supporting documentation to the Office of Student Financial Assistance by the submission deadline. A student applying for an art, music or theatre scholarship must complete the appropriate scholarship application form and return it to the appropriate academic department by the submission deadline.
	2.3	Minimum Qualifications
		2.3.1	To be eligible for a scholarship, a student must meet the minimum scholastic qualifications for the particular scholarship. An academic scholarship will require one or more of the following: a minimum class rank in high school, a minimum score on a standardized test, a minimum cumulative grade point average in college, or other evidence of academic achievement or potential. In addition to the minimum scholastic requirements, some academic scholarships have additional requirements regarding major, classification level and other criteria. Fine arts scholarships require evidence of academic achievements and audition or portfolio reviews. Leadership scholarships are awarded to students who have been active in various clubs and organizations on and off campus, and participated in community service projects. Information on specific scholarships may be found in the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
		2.3.2	Applicants must have been admitted to the University and must be degree-seeking students.
		2.3.3	Applicants must also meet enrollment status requirements. Undergraduate recipients of academic scholarships must enroll in 15 credit hours per semester and must complete 30 credit hours in the academic year (fall, spring and summer).  Undergraduate recipients of fine arts scholarships must be full-time students, carrying at least twelve semester hours. Graduate students must carry the number of semester hours specified by the particular program.
	2.4	Selection of Scholarship Recipients
		2.4.1	Academic Scholarships - The Scholarship Coordinator screens applications for certain university scholarships to determine if applicants meet minimum qualifications.  The Scholarship Coordinator forwards the applications for designated academic scholarships to the University Scholarship Committee for review. The faculty membership of the Scholarship Committee selects the recipients of certain designated scholarships.  In other cases, the faculty membership of the committee approves a process by which the scholarships are awarded.  For example, the recipients of certain university undergraduate scholarships are selected by college or departmental scholarship committees, but the University Scholarship Committee approves the process that is used. The Office of Institutional Advancement provides administrative support to the University Scholarship Committee.
		2.4.2	Fine Arts Scholarships - Applications for fine arts scholarships are reviewed in the relevant department. The art, music and theatre faculties conduct auditions and/or portfolio reviews and forward their award recommendations to the chair of the appropriate department. The chair provides the Scholarship Coordinator with the names of the scholarship recipients.
		2.4.3	Criteria for Selection – All scholarship awards are made in accordance with the established criteria for the scholarship. Decisions are based on the qualifications of the applicants, as documented by their application materials, and the availability of funding.
		2.4.5	Notification – The Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Scholarship Coordinator provide notification of awards to the recipients.
	2.5	Maximum Time Frame “Maximum Time Frame” is the maximum number of semesters a student may retain a scholarship. Information on the maximum time frame for specific scholarships is available from the Scholarship Coordinator.
	2.6	Definition of Academic Year: For the purpose of awarding and maintaining scholarships, the academic year consists of the fall and spring semesters and the first and second summer sessions.
	2.7	Role of Scholarship Coordinator The Scholarship Coordinator works with scholarship award groups and scholarship recipients to prevent the over-awarding of the student’s total financial aid package, as determined by federal regulations. The Scholarship Coordinator helps to coordinate administrative functions to ensure that documentation and information flow in a systematic and timely fashion.
	2.8	Avoidance of Conflict of Interest Faculty members and any employees involved in scholarship administration will be required to sign a disclosure form on relationship to applicants. Members of the Scholarship Committee who are related to a scholarship applicant are required to disclose this information to the Chairman of the Scholarship Committee and should excuse themselves from the evaluation process for such an applicant.
3.	AWARDING COLLEGE AND DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS College and departmental scholarships may be awarded by scholarship committees established on the college, departmental or program level, as provided in University Rule 13.03.01.C2. The selection of scholarship recipients must be based on the established criteria for the scholarship. The University Scholarship Committee will oversee the process for the awarding of these scholarships. The dean will designate a person or persons to communicate information about the scholarship award to the Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Office of Institutional Advancement, as required in section 1.3 above.
4.	AWARDING GRANT- FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS External agencies may award particular university programs with scholarship monies to advance the goals of those agencies. The principal investigator for the grant will communicate required information about the scholarship awards to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, the Office of Student Financial Assistance, and the Office of Institutional Advancement. The process for awarding grant-funded academic scholarships must comply with governmental regulations, agency requirements, and relevant university procedures. The Office of Graduate Studies and Research will review scholarships funded through external grants to ensure that the selection process meets these guidelines.
5.	ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS Eligibility requirements for different types of university scholarships may be found in the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
6.	RENEWAL OF SCHOLARSHIPS
	6.1	The Office of Student Financial Assistance and the Scholarship Coordinator monitor the progress of students who have been awarded scholarships and determines whether they are eligible for continuation of their scholarships. Decisions on the renewal of scholarships are based on the student’s satisfactory academic progress (see section 7) and factors such as enrollment status (see section 2.3.3), the maximum time frame for awarding the particular scholarship (see section 2.5), donor guidelines, and the continued availability of funding.
	6.2	In addition, the Office of Institutional Advancement may require students to thank the donors of their scholarships in writing as a condition for the continuance of scholarships, and to attend a donor-recognition event.
	6.3	Normally, academic scholarships are renewed automatically provided that the recipient continues to meet the scholarship requirements. One-time academic scholarships, if any, must be clearly identified on application materials. Fine arts scholarships require reapplication each year. In most cases, one-half of the yearly scholarship is awarded for the fall semester and the remaining half for the spring semester.
7.	SATISFACTORY PROGRESS CRITERIA To qualify for renewal of their scholarships, students must make satisfactory academic progress as explained below.
	7.1	Conditions for Freshman Scholarships During their first semester, recipients of freshman scholarships must attain at least a 2.750 cumulative grade point average in order to retain their scholarship. By the end of their first and subsequent years (including summer sessions), recipients of freshman scholarships must attain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in courses taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in order to retain their scholarship.
	7.2	Conditions for Scholarships Awarded to Transfer and Graduate Students
		7.2.1	Undergraduate recipients of academic scholarships must attain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in courses taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi by the end of each academic year (including summer sessions) in order to retain their scholarships.
		7.2.2	Recipients of art, music, or theatre scholarships must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in courses taken in their major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in order to retain renewable scholarships. In addition, they must maintain satisfactory semester scholarship renewal reviews in order to retain their scholarships.
		7.2.3	Some academic scholarships for graduate students are not renewable. In the case of renewable graduate scholarships, the recipients must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in courses taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in order to retain their scholarships.
		7.2.4	Certain scholarships may contain specific requirements unique to those scholarships.
8.	WAIVER OF NON-RESIDENT TUITION
	8.1	Non-residents who are awarded one or more competitive scholarships administered by the University that total $1,000 or more will qualify for a waiver of non-resident tuition for the period of time the scholarship is in effect. For example, awards that are made for one semester will waive non-resident tuition for that semester only. However, recipients of fall and spring awards will be eligible for non-resident tuition waivers during the entire academic year as long as they maintain satisfactory progress as defined above.
	8.2	The student must have competed with other students, including Texas residents, for the academic scholarship. The University Scholarship Committee must have approved the process for awarding the scholarship.
	8.3	The total number of students paying resident tuition under this section for a particular semester may not exceed five percent of the total number of students registered at the institution for the same semester of the preceding academic year.
9	. APPEAL PROCESS Whenever a scholarship is withdrawn for failure to comply with the satisfactory progress criteria, the student may appeal the decision to withdraw the scholarship if mitigating circumstances prevented satisfactory progress. To appeal the withdrawal of a scholarship, the student should submit a letter describing the mitigating circumstances, with any supporting documentation, to the Scholarship Coordinator. A decision on the appeal will be made by the University Scholarship Committee, and the student will be informed of the decision as soon as possible.
10.	OTHER INFORMATION For information on related topics, see the following rules and procedures: 13.03.01.C2 Oversight of Academic Scholarships 13.03.01.C2.01 Establishing Academic Scholarships 13.03.01.C3 Oversight of Athletic Scholarships 13.03.01.C3.01 Procedures for Establishing and Awarding Athletic Scholarships
Contact for Interpretation: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs