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2018-2019 Freshman Finish in Four Institutional Tuition Merit Scholarships

Section I:  Requirements Applicable to Freshman Finish in Four 

1. The application for admission serves as the application for the Freshman Finish in Four Institutional Tuition Merit Scholarship, hereafter FITM scholarship.
2. Students must be admitted as a first-time freshman in the Augmester 2018, Fall 2018 or Spring 2019 semester to be eligible for a FITM scholarship.
3. Students must qualify as college-level in English and mathematics under the Colorado Commission on Higher Education policy Section I, Part E, Developmental Education.
4. Students receiving the Freshman New Mexico Reciprocal Scholarship cannot also receive a FITM scholarship.
5. FITM scholarships can only be applied to Fort Lewis College tuition expenses.
6. FITM scholarship disbursements are applied to the Fort Lewis College tuition bill by the Controller's Office. 
7. A freshman who has both ACT composite and SAT combined scores at the time of admission will receive the benefit of their highest score.
8. A freshman may petition for a higher FITM scholarship award if their academic credentials have improved.  A student must initiate the process and the petition must be filed by the deadline publicized on the Office of Financial Aid website
9. A student must have accepted the scholarship and its terms and conditions and be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits by Census Date to be eligible for disbursement. 
10. FITM scholarships will be disbursed at 50% of the annual award each Fall and Spring semester.
11. A student receiving benefits under Fort Lewis College policy 4-13 Tuition Reduction Benefit Program for Spouses and Dependent Children are eligible for a FITM scholarship but the scholarship will be applied last, after the tuition reduction, up to the cost of in-state tuition.
12. A student receiving full tuition benefits from an external agency is not eligible for a FITM scholarship.
13. A student receiving partial tuition benefits from an external agency is eligible for the FITM scholarship, but the scholarship will be applied last, after the external agency tuition benefits, up to the cost of tuition, unless an agreement between an external agency and Fort Lewis College specifies otherwise. 
14. An employee eligible for tuition benefits under 4-6 Staff Study Privileges policy who is also eligible for a FITM scholarship will have their FITM scholarship applied first.     

Section III:  Annual Award Amounts

1. Freshman Finish in Four Institutional Tuition Merit Scholarship annual award amounts are $3,000-$10,000, depending on tuition classification and academic credentials.
   1. $3,000 Award:  In-state resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 18 and higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score 470 and higher AND ACT Mathematics score of 19 and higher or SAT Mathematics score of 500 or higher; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.00 – 3.49.
   2. $4,000 Award: In-state resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 18-23 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score 500-590 AND ACT Mathematics score of 19-24 or SAT Mathematics score of 470-590; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.50 and higher.
   3. $5,000 Award: In-state resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 24 and higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score 600 or higher AND ACT Mathematics score of 25 or higher or SAT Mathematics score of 600 or higher; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.50 and higher.
   4. $6,000 Award: Non-resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 18 and higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score 470 and higher AND ACT Mathematics score of 19 and higher or SAT Mathematics score of 500 or higher; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.00 – 3.49.
   5. $8,000 Award: Non-resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 18-23 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score 470-590 AND ACT Mathematics score of 19-24 or SAT Mathematics score of 500-590; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.50 and higher.
   6. $10,000 Award: Non-resident for tuition classification purposes; ACT English score 24 or higher or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 600 or higher AND ACT Mathematics score of 25 or higher or SAT Mathematics score of 600 or higher; minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.50 and higher.

Section V: Length of Award

1. Institutional tuition merit scholarships are renewable, assuming renewal criteria have been met, up to 8 semesters.
2. The length of award will not be extended for a freshman student who completes fewer than 30 credits in the initial award year. All earned college-level credits, including credits earned through evaluation of prior learning, dual enrollment, or transfer count toward the 8 semester limit.
3. The 8 semesters will be counted from the student's first term of attendance regardless of disbursement.

Section VII:  Scholarship Cancellation

1.  A student will have their FITM 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 accept the scholarship through processes established by the Director of Financial Aid by Census Date of the first payment period.
   4. Does not meet the disbursement criteria set forth in Section I.
   5. 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.

 Section IX: Notifications & Reminders

1. Notification of Initial Award:
   1. The Director of Financial Aid will send an email notification to the student’s Admission Application email address (ADAP) with the announcement of the tuition merit scholarship.
   2. The Director of Financial Aid will send an official award notification by letter detailing the award amount, the terms and conditions, and the instructions and deadline for formally accepting the scholarship offer and its terms and conditions.
2. Notification of Changes to Initial Award:
   
   1. The Director of Financial Aid 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. Changes may occur due to, but are not limited to, admission status appeal decision, discovery of undisclosed transcripts, changes in residency status, or funding availability.
3. Notification of Cancellations:
   
   1. The Director of Financial Aid 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 or has Study Abroad transcripts pending, in which case notification will occur at the end of the Summer semester.  The notice will include the reason for cancellation and the process to appeal.
   2. The Director of Financial Aid 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 Office of Financial Aid 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 Office of Financial Aid 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 Director of Financial aid will notify students of any changes to terms and conditions approved by the President.

6. Reminders:

   1. The Director of Financial Aid will send an email to the FLC email address to all students who have not accept their merit scholarship. This reminder will be sent prior to the census date deadline for each term.
   2. The Director of Financial Aid will send out an email to the FLC  email address that informs students of the credit completion requirements as well as the award length limits. This email will be sent prior to registration for each term.
   3. The Director of Financial Aid will send out an email to the FLC email address that reminds students who are not registered full time that they must register by census date or their scholarship will be cancelled.

Section XI: Responsibilities 

For following the policy: Students receiving scholarship awards, Director of Financial Aid, Scholarship Appeals Committee
For enforcement of the policy: Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management
For oversight of the policy: President
For notification of policy to campus:  Policy Librarian 
For notification of policy to students:  Director of Financial Aid
For procedures implementing the policy: Controller, Director of Financial Aid, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management