IEF Scholarship Competition Information, Instructions, and Application

--Scholarship Competition Information--

The Georgia State University International Education Fee (IEF) Study Abroad Scholarship Program, initiated in academic year 2004, is funded by the mandatory international education student fee. This year, students who apply for the IEF Scholarship, are also automatically considered for the Georgia State University Foundation Study Abroad Scholarship. Recipients would be selected based upon high ratings in the IEF review process.

Eligibility
Applicants must be enrolled and working toward completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree at Georgia State University. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.8 is required for undergraduate students. A minimum institutional GPA of 3.2 is required for graduate students. A minimum institutional GPA/score of 73 is required for law students.

Freshmen and Transfer students: If this is your first semester at Georgia State University, in lieu of a GPA eligibility requirement, verification of your projected grade must be sent to Misty Holm, from your current professors. This must be received no later than the application deadline.

At the time of scholarship application, applicants must be in the process of enrolling in a credit-bearing study abroad program, for study in the term for which they are applying for the scholarship. Recipients must agree to complete a minimum of five hours of service in support of international education upon their return to Georgia State University. Service will be approved and coordinated by the Office of International Affairs, Study Abroad Programs.

Criteria
Awards are based upon both merit and financial need. Some preference will be given to students participating in Georgia State University sponsored programs, as well as to programs in non-traditional locations. Generally, students with no or little previous study or travel abroad will be given extra consideration.

Competitions
There will be two scholarship competitions per year.

Students wishing to study abroad during the Spring will submit their applications by the October deadline prior to their Spring term abroad.

Students wishing to study abroad during Maymester/Summer/Fall Semesters will submit their applications by the March deadline prior to their term abroad.
(Students wishing to study abroad for an academic year must apply separately for Fall and Spring Terms. Separate applications may be submitted at the same time.)

Awards
Maymester, Summer and Half-Semester Programs:
Less than 4 weeks in duration: Minimum of $250
4 weeks or more in duration: Minimum of $500
Semester Programs: Minimum of $1000

Awards may be greater, based upon the budget for the term and the number of applicants in the competition.

Service Requirement

All scholarship recipients are required to offer five hours of assistance to the Study Abroad Programs Office before, during, or after their return from abroad. This requirement can be fulfilled in many ways, such as writing essays, submitting photographs to the Crossing Paths, Crossing Cultures International Photo Competition, volunteering to assist with the Study Abroad Fair in the fall, or speaking to students about your overseas experience. Service Requirement is coordinated through an Advisor in the Study Abroad Programs Office, and must be completed within two terms of your return from abroad. If you are unable to perform this requirement, repayment of the scholarship can be arranged.

Timeline
October 31, 2005: Application Deadline (no exceptions)

November 7-18, 2005: Evaluation of applications by Review Committees;
Determination of awards

Early December 2005: Study Abroad Programs staff will notify applicants of award status by email and phone.

Two weeks following notification: Deadline for students to submit completed and signed Acceptance & Verification of Enrollment forms, Service Agreement forms, and Credit Approval forms to Study Abroad Programs, Office of International Affairs (Suite 500, 10 Park Place), as well as necessary paperwork for the Office of Student Financial Aid (Sparks 201)

Mid January: Disbursement of scholarship funds. See below for explanation of this process.

You need to know that:

Your signature on your Application Form confirms that you have read and understood all of the Scholarship Competition Information and Application Instructions.
Incomplete applications will not be eligible for review. Please hand in all materials at one time. Students are responsible for ensuring that all materials reach our office. We will not follow up on incomplete applications or applications delivered from other offices on campus or by mail.
Letters of recommendation are not required for this scholarship. Therefore, do not submit any letters of recommendation with your application, they will not be considered.
Within one week, students will receive a confirmation of receipt via e-mail – for complete applications only. Therefore, it is to your advantage to submit your application as early as possible to ensure sufficient time for you to resolve any problems with your application, prior to the application deadline.
Late applications will not be accepted. In order to ensure fairness and to be able to process awards in a timely manner, there will be no exceptions to this rule.
Students participating in non-GSU programs must complete Study Abroad Credit Approval Forms before awards can be disbursed.
Students must complete necessary paperwork with the Office of Student Financial Aid before awards can be disbursed. Please feel free to confirm with our office regarding paperwork required by the Office of Student Financial Aid.
In the event that a student must cancel their participation in a program for any reason, the student is required to notify Study Abroad Programs Office immediately. Charges for awards that are disbursed prior to cancellations will be assessed against the student’s student account with a hold placed on registration until the funds are recovered.

Disbursement of funds

Please Note: In most cases the scholarship funds will not be released in time to cover study abroad program expenses up-front. Students will be responsible for covering these expenses directly and the scholarship will serve as a reimbursement.
Upon notification of recipients regarding their awards (by phone and e-mail), we will issue two forms that must be completed and returned to the Study Abroad Programs office. One of these forms requires verification of student’s program participation from a representative of their program, and thus can take some time to complete. Students will be given two weeks from the date of notification to return these completed forms in order to redeem their scholarship funds. Failure to return these forms by the deadline given will result in loss of the scholarship (no exceptions).

Scholarship disbursements will not be made until completed forms are received from all recipients by the stated deadline. After the deadline, a list of recipients will be forwarded to the Office of Student Financial Aid, where the awards will be processed. Once the awards are processed, funds will be deposited directly into the recipients’ student accounts. Should there be an outstanding debt owed to the university, Financial Aid will first deduct this amount from the scholarship award, then deposit the balance of funds directly to the student either by direct deposit or by check, depending on disbursement arrangements with Student Accounts. (Please note that direct deposits have a shorter turn-around time than checks.) Under no circumstance will the funds be disbursed directly to a student’s program.

--Application Contact Information--

Questions about the IEF Scholarship or application process should be directed to Misty Holm () at 404-463-9073.

The Study Abroad Programs office is located in Suite 500, 10 Park Place South, Atlanta, GA. 30303.
Our mailing address is:

Office of International Affairs Study Abroad Programs
Georgia State University
P.O.Box 3987
Atlanta, GA 30302-3987

--Application Instructions--

Read the Scholarship Competition Information and Application Instructions in their entirety.
Save this document as a personal file to your computer or disk, type in all fields of the Application Form (located at the end of this document) and print out a hard copy.
Sign the Application Form indicating that you have read and understood all of the Scholarship Competition Information and Application Instructions.
Retain the Scholarship Competition Information and Application Instructions for your records.
Print a hard copy of your complete application for submission.
Make a copy of your complete application for your records.
Submit your complete application (completed and signed Application Form, program description, and essay) by the deadline listed below to:

Mail:

Office of International Affairs Study Abroad Programs
Georgia State University
P.O.Box 3987
Atlanta, GA 30302-3987

In Person: Suite 500, 10 Park Place South, Atlanta, GA.

Application Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 31, 2005. No applications will be accepted after this deadline.

↑ Retain Scholarship Competition Information & Application Instructions for your records ↑

↓ Submit the Application Form with your application ↓

--Application Form--

(To complete the form, please download the application unto your computer or diskette and type responses. To enter information in the gray areas, highlight each gray area first, then type or, highlight gray area to access drop down menus as appropriate) Hand written applications will not be accepted.

 Application is for the:

 Year:

 Name (Last, First, Middle):

 Student ID (SSN# or when GSU changes to new identification system, GSU ID #):

 GSU e-mail address only (to be used in notifying you regarding an award):

 Mailing address where you would like correspondence mailed (permanent address suggested):

 Phone number where you can be reached:

 Alternate phone number:

 Classification:

 College:

 Major:

 Expected Graduation Date:

 Ethnicity (This information is voluntary and for statistical purposes only):

 Honors, Scholarships, Awards (please list):

For Office Use Only
Completed Application Form / Format:
Electronic
Hard Copy / 500 Word Essay / Program Description / Date Rec’d / GSU Institutional GPA:

 Have you received an IEF Study Abroad Scholarship in the past? Yes No

If so, did you accept? Yes No

Please give name of program, location of program, award amount, semester and

year:

 Previous international experience? Yes No

If "yes," please describe any travel, living or study abroad experiences including

programs, places and dates:

 City (ies) and country (ies) where study abroad program will take place:

 Name of Program:

 Program Dates Abroad only (type over default dates): 1/1/2006 to 4/30/2006

 GSU sponsored program? Yes No

 Other sponsoring institution or organization:

 URL of this study abroad program, if possible:

 Language prerequisites required for your program? Yes No

If yes, please list courses taken that apply:

 Are you currently receiving financial aid (Pell, Perkins or Stafford Loans)?

Yes No

If yes, which one(s):

 Are you currently receiving the HOPE Scholarship? Yes No

 Do you receive other scholarships or grants? Yes No

If so, please list the names and amounts.

 In your own words, please write a 200 word description of your program. Include

program contact information:Program Contact Info: (Type Here)

200-Word Program Description:- (Type Here)

 Please write an essay, no more than 500 words, explaining your reasons for wanting

to study abroad. Please address the following:

 Specifically, what in your academic and/or personal experience inspired you to

study abroad?

 Why did you select this particular program and country to complete coursework

toward your degree?

 What do you hope to offer your host country/institution as a student of

Georgia State University, and what do you expect to bring back to your

campus and community as a result of this experience abroad?

 How do you expect this experience to affect your future?

500 Word Essay:- (Type Here)

Submit this application to the Office of International Affairs, Study Abroad Programs, Suite 500, 10 Park Place, no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 21, 2005. No applications will be accepted after this deadline.

Please check and sign the following:

____ I have read and understood the Information, Instructions, and Application

for the IEF Study Abroad Scholarship and agree to the terms therein.

____ I understand that I am responsible for ensuring that my completed application is received by the Study Abroad Programs Office and that my application will not be considered if it is incomplete or if it is received after the stated deadline.

-- Application Checklist --

____Completed Application Form
____All fields typed and completed

____500 Word Essay

____ 200 Word Program Description

Student SignatureDate

Last updated on: May 25, 2005