Scholarships Fellowships and Other Appointments and Monetary Awards to Students - UTDPP1104

Policy Statement

Awards for scholarships, fellowships, stipends, etc., are granted at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate academic levels. Funding emanates from a variety of sources including federal and state funds, gifts from individuals, and private foundations.

Administration

Scholarship programs are administered by various university departments, schools, and other units including the offices of cabinet-level officers as well as the Dean of Graduate Education, the Dean of Undergraduate Education and the University Committee on Student Fellowships and Scholarships.

Scholarship and fellowship awards are determined by selection committees appointed by the university officials responsible for the scholarship programs. The University Committee on Student Fellowships and Scholarships is appointed by the President with the advice of the Academic Council. University-wide programs based on academic merit are administered by the Office of Graduate Studies or the Office of Admission and Enrollment, which may appoint a selection committee with approval of the Chief Academic Officer. In the case of programs within the Schools, selection committees are appointed by the deans of the schools annually.

Coordination: The Office of Financial Aid, as the University's central location for information on all scholarships, fellowships, and other monetary awards awarded, processes all awards once the appropriate approval and notification has been made by the applicable account manager and awarding authority.

Establishment of Scholarships and Fellowships

The Office of Development is responsible for University fund raising and communication with donors. Establishing scholarship selection criteria is a negotiation process that takes place between the donor and the Office of Development, in cooperation with the Office of Institutional Scholarship Administration and any involved university unit, at the time a gift is made to establish a scholarship, fellowship,or other monetary student award. The criteria must be carefully developed to ensure that both university and donor objectives are met in accordance with institutional, state, and federal policy. Criteria may include, but are not limited to, GPA requirements, standardized test score minimums, financial need, major or area of study, enrollment hours, and extracurricular activities not related to athletics. The donor may also elect to make the award renewable and define conditions under which renewal may occur. The donor may not name a specific student to receive a scholarship.

All contributions, including those accepted by colleges, schools, and departments, will be processed through the Office of Development. Full reporting and approval procedures for acceptance of private gifts from all sources, including individuals, foundations, and corporations, must be followed in accordance with The University of Texas System Policy UTS 138. Awarding Scholarships.

All scholarship/fellowship accounts are established by and through the Office of Development. Prior to establishing a new account, the Office of Development determines from the Chief Academic Officer the appropriate administrative unit to serve as account manager.

The availability of each scholarship and fellowship must be advertised through the Office of Financial Aid and through the appropriate area(s) for which the award is designated. Prior to advertising any scholarships or fellowships, the awarding unit is responsible for checking account balances to verify the availability of funds. The awarding unit should maintain the account and is responsible for the account balances.

All awards to or on behalf of a student must be approved by the appropriate account manager and awarding authority before submittal to the Office of Financial Aid in order for payments of scholarship funds to authorize to students. The chair of the scholarship committee is responsible for assuring that all awards approved by the account manager and awarding authority are true and accurate.

Scholarships from annual gifts should not be awarded if funds have not been received prior to the year of award. For endowments, awards can only be made based on the projected income to be earned by September 1 of the academic year of the award. Due to funding limitations, not all students meeting the minimum requirements will be awarded a scholarship.

Awarding Scholarships

All scholarship/fellowship accounts are established by and through the Office of Development. Prior to establishing a new account, the Office of Development determines from the Chief Academic Officer the appropriate administrative unit to serve as account manager.

The availability of each scholarship and fellowship must be advertised through the Office of Financial Aid and through the appropriate area(s) for which the award is designated. Prior to advertising any scholarships or fellowships, the awarding unit is responsible for checking account balances to verify the availability of funds. The awarding unit should maintain the account and is responsible for the account balances.

All awards to or on behalf of a student must be approved by the appropriate account manager and awarding authority before submittal to the Office of Financial Aid in order for payments of scholarship funds to authorize to students. The chair of the scholarship committee is responsible for assuring that all awards approved by the account manager and awarding authority are true and accurate.

Scholarships from annual gifts should not be awarded if funds have not been received prior to the year of award. For endowments, awards can only be made based on the projected income to be earned by September 1 of the academic year of the award. Due to funding limitations, not all students meeting the minimum requirements will be awarded a scholarship.

Awards Qualifying for Tuition Waivers

Competitive Scholarship Waivers, under section 54.213 of the Texas Education Code:

"An institution of higher education may charge a nonresident student who holds a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 for the academic year or summer term for which the student is enrolled resident tuition and fees without regard to the length of time the student has resided in Texas. The student must compete with other students, including Texas residents, for the scholarship and the scholarship must be awarded by a scholarship committee officially recognized by the administration and be approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under criteria developed by the coordinating board. The total number of students at an institution 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."

In accordance with Texas Administrative Code (TAC), RULE §21.2263 to be considered competitive, a scholarship must:

1. Total at least $1,000 for the period of time covered by the scholarship, not to exceed 12 months;
2. Be awarded by a scholarship committee authorized in writing by the institution's administration to grant scholarships that permit this waiver of nonresident tuition;
3. Be awarded according to criteria published in the institution's paper or electronic catalog, available to the public in advance of any application deadline;
4. Be awarded under circumstances that cause both the funds and the selection process to be under the control of the institution; and
5. Permit awards to both resident and nonresident persons.

Under this Rule, a waiver based on a competitive scholarship lasts for the period of the scholarship (up to a 12-month period). The scholarship award must specify the term or terms in which the scholarship will be in effect. If the scholarship is terminated, so is the waiver. If the scholarship is to be issued in multiple disbursements and less than $1,000 is issued when a scholarship is terminated, the student does not owe a refund for the tuition that has been waived, since the waiver was originally made in a good faith expectation of a scholarship for at least $1,000, but the waiver is canceled for the terms for which the scholarship is canceled.

The Office of Financial Aid applies the in-state tuition waiver for nonresident students who receive competitive academic scholarships or fellowships that qualify the recipient to pay the same tuition as a Texas resident.

The chairperson of the selection committee certifies that the criteria used by the committee does or does not meet the definition of a "competitive academic scholarship" cited above. The form also indicates the appointment period for the award which stipulates the academic year in which a competitive academic scholarship is in effect.

The Office of Institutional Scholarship Administration will maintain a list of all approved competitive scholarships/fellowships and ensure awards are disbursed to students in accordance with federal, state and institutional regulations.

Third Party Awards

Third party awards are defined as those scholarships, fellowships, or other awards which are awarded to a student enrolled for course work at U.T. Dallas by a funding agency which is not part of the U.T. Dallas administration. Normally, students apply directly to such agencies and award checks may or may not be transmitted to the student via the University. All third party award checks when received by any university office should be forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid for processing through Accounts Payable, including distribution to the student via the Bursar's Office.