Colorado Equity Scholarship

Colorado Equity Scholarship (CES)

I. General Criteria

1. Students must complete the separate FLC CO Equity Scholarship application to be considered for this award OR must be nominated by a teacher, counselor or advisor for consideration.
2. Students must be admitted as a first-time, baccalaureate-seeking, freshman or transfer in a Fall or Spring semester to be eligible for the CES
3. The CES can be combined with other scholarships and applied to tuition, fees, room, board or other expenses up to the cost of attendance.
4. CES scholarship disbursements are applied to the Fort Lewis College tuition bill by the Accounting Office.
5. A student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits by Census Date to be eligible for disbursement.
6. CES scholarships will be disbursed at 50% of the annual award each Fall and Spring semester.
7. A student receiving benefits under Fort Lewis College policy 4-13 Tuition Reduction Benefit Program for Spouses and Dependent Children are eligible for a CES but the scholarship will be applied last, after the tuition reduction, up to the cost of attendance.
8. A student receiving tuition benefits from an external agency is eligible for the CES, but the scholarship will be applied last, after the external agency tuition benefits, up to the cost of attendance, unless an agreement between an external agency and Fort Lewis College specifies otherwise.
9. An employee eligible for tuition benefits under 4-6 Staff Study Privileges policy who is also eligible for a CES scholarship will have their CES applied last and up to the cost of attendance.
10. The Director of Admission (or designee) will establish review criteria and committee review process for the Colorado Equity Scholarship in collaboration with the Director of Financial Aid (or designee) and the Director of the Diversity Collaborative (or designee) each year.

III. Award Amounts 

V. Length of Award

1. For First-Year students, the CES is renewable, assuming renewal criteria have been met, up to 8 semesters.
2. For Transfer students, the CES is renewable, assuming renewal criteria have been met, up to 8 semesters or 120 earned credits, whichever comes first.
1. All earned college-level credits, including credits earned through evaluation of prior learning, dual enrollment, or transfer count toward the 120-credit limit.
3. The 8 semesters will be counted from the student's first Fall or Spring term of attendance regardless of disbursement.

VII. Scholarship Cancellation

1. A student will have their Colorado Equity Scholarship cancelled if they:
1. Do not meet the renewal criteria set forth in Section IV.
2. Has exceeded the award length set forth in Section V.
3. Does not meet the disbursement criteria set forth in Section I.
4. Does not attend continuous Fall and Spring semesters after award of the scholarship. 
1. A student who is enrolled in but subsequently officially withdraws from a semester will be considered to have failed to attend continuously.
2. Enrollment in a Summer semester cannot substitute for failure to enroll in a Fall and Spring semester for purposes of meeting the continuous enrollment standard.
5. Is no longer seeking a baccalaureate degree at Fort Lewis College.

IX. Notifications

1. Notification of Initial Award:
1. The Office of Admission will send an official notification by letter and by email.
2. Notification of Changes to Initial Award:
1. The Financial Aid Office will notify a student by email to the student's FLC email account of reductions or cancellations after initial award.  This notification will direct the student to their WebOpus account to view changes to their award. 
3. Notification of Cancellations:
1. The Financial Aid Office will notify a student by email to the student's FLC email account after the Spring semester if their scholarship is cancelled due to failure to meet renewal criteria unless a student is enrolled in the Summer semester at Fort Lewis College, in which case notification will be occur at the end of the Summer semester.  The notice will include the reason for cancellation and the process to appeal.
2. The Financial Aid Office will notify a student by email to the student's FLC email account if a scholarship is being cancelled due to receipt of full tuition benefits from an external agency.  The notice will be sent when the Financial Aid Office has become aware of the external resources.  These resources could include, but are not limited to, private tuition scholarships or eligibility for the Native American Tuition Waiver.
4. Notification of Appeal Decisions:
1. The Scholarship Coordinator for the Financial Aid Office will notify a student by email to the student's FLC email account the decision made on a scholarship appeal.
5. Notification of Changes in Terms and Conditions:
1. The Financial Aid Office will notify students of any changes to terms and conditions.

XI. Responsibilities

For following the policy: Students receiving scholarship awards; Director of Admission, Director of Financial Aid, Scholarship Appeals Committee

For enforcement of the policy: Vice President, Finance and Administration

For oversight of the policy: Vice President, Finance and Administration

For notification of policy: Policy Librarian

For procedures implementing the policy: Controller, Director of Financial Aid, Director of Admission