Students applying for the College of Applied Sciences and Arts (CASA) academic scholarships (tuition waivers) are advised to read and follow these application guidelines.The application form is available for download in Microsoft Word format or a paper copy of the application is available from the CASA Dean's office (222 CASA). The information on this web page is divided into several sections:

• Completing the Application.  
• Acquiring an Official Transcript.
• Writing the Statement.
• Submitting the Application.
• How are Applications Reviewed?
• Hearing from the Committee.
• Honors Day.
• To Ask Further Questions...

Let's begin by stating what this award is, what it covers, and how it will be applied to a recipient's account.  This award is a partial tuition waiver.  It provides funds that can only be used to pay the tuition charges of a recipient.  It will not pay any fees or other charges applied to a student's account.  The waiver is applied to a recipient's account by the Financial Aid Office.  Recipients of the waiver do not receive a check that they can cash.  The Financial Aid Office simply reduces a recipient's tuition charges by the amount of the waiver.  No actual money changes hands.  

Recipients of this award are paid in the semester checked on their application provided they are eligible for the award in that semester.  Here's an example to explain this a little better:  If a student marks the summer semester on the application and is chosen for the award, the chair of the CASA Scholarship Committee will ask the Financial Aid Office to pay the student in that semester.  The recipient must be enrolled full-time on the Carbondale campus during the summer semester to actually receive the waiver.  (Note:  The term "Carbondale campus" includes programs at the Carterville campus and the Southern Illinois Airport in addition to the SIUC campus.  It does not include students enrolled only in on-line programs or at other SIU campuses.)  

Can the scholarship be applied in a later semester?  "Yes and no" is the best answer to this question.  Here's why:  Tuition waiver funds are tied to the University's fiscal year,  which runs from July 1 to June 30.  

Some examples:  If you apply for this award for the summer semester, are chosen to receive it, and cannot receive the award during that semester, the award will carry over to the following fall and/or spring semesters.  Of course, you must remain eligible to receive the award in subsequent semesters.  Similarly, if you apply for the award for the fall semester, are chosen to receive it, and cannot receive the award that semester, the award will carry over to the following spring semester.  In all cases, the spring semester is the last opportunity for the award to be applied to your tuition charges during the current fiscal year.  The award never carries over past the spring semester since other semesters occur in different fiscal years.  If a student cannot be paid the award in the spring semester, the award is given to another student.  

One other question may come to mind here.  Summer session starts during one fiscal year and ends during the next fiscal year.  Can a student who could not be paid the award during fall or spring semesters be paid in the following summer semester?  The answer to this question is no.  Summer semester is counted as part of the new fiscal year of the University even though it begins during the old fiscal year.  

Completing the Application

While most of the application is self-explanatory, these are some commonly-asked questions (and answers!) about the application.  

Which GPA (grade point average) do I report?  Your cumulative GPA at SIUC should be reported on the application.  This is the one shown as "Overall GPA" on your transcript.  

I am not sure about my Financial Aid for next year.  What should I mark?  It is common for students to not know their financial aid package for the next school year when applying for this waiver.  This is why the application asks for financial aid received in the past twelve months -- information that is known to the applicant.  The committee looks at the financial aid you are receiving this year in order to gauge the probable financial aid you will receive next year.  In most cases, a student receives the same types and amounts of awards from year to year as they progress through school.  Financial aid received in the past twelve months is used to assess your need for this scholarship (tuition waiver) in the next year.  

Receiving some types of financial aid makes it less likely that you will be able to receive a tuition waiver.  For example, students who receive funds from the Monetary Award Program (MAP grants) often cannot receive a waiver.  This is because MAP awards often pay the full tuition charges of the student, leaving no tuition charges for a waiver to cover.  A final note:  Students receiving MAP grants are encouraged to apply for this award!  Please do not be discouraged and avoid applying if you are receiving a MAP award.  There is simply no way to know whether you can receive both this waiver and a MAP award until that happens.  Some MAP recipients are still eligible for this award, while others are not.  The Financial Aid Office will notify the chair of the ASA Scholarship Committee once it is certain how much of your waiver can be applied.  You will receive as much of this waiver as is possible to apply to your account.  Remaining funds, if any, will be awarded to another student.  

Acquiring an Official Transcript

An official transcript is available from the Admissions and Records Office.  There is a charge for an official transcript.  You should allow at least three business days to receive your official transcript.  An official transcript is necessary because it fully documents your college record and is printed on paper that cannot be altered.  

Writing the Statement

Perhaps the most important part of the application is the personal statement.  Every year, the committee receives applications from students with comparable GPAs, financial need, etc.  The personal statement is the only part of the application that allows the committee to differentiate between applicants.  In other words, tell the committee why should be chosen for this award.  

The ground rules for the personal statement are that it must not be longer than one page and that it must be typewritten (or word processed) in a proper form.  Punctuation, grammar, spelling, and appearance are important qualities of the statement!  Imagine having to compare two applications, both from students with similar GPAs.  One application contains three spelling errors, a grammatical mistake, and is not neatly typed.  The other application has no errors or grammatical mistakes and is typed.  It is clear without knowing the content of the two applications which student took care in applying for the waiver.  

The statement should clearly indicate to the committee why you believe you should receive this award.  The application asks you to discuss your financial need for the award, academic merit, and extracurricular and community/volunteer activities.  

• Getting Started With the Statement.  Begin by stating your name, your major, and current class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).  Tell the committee where you are from and why you chose your major.  If you are a non-traditional college student, tell the committee.  A non-traditional college student is typically a student who is older than most college students and who has entered or returned to college later in life than the period following high school.  
• Documenting Financial Need.  It is not helpful to state that college is expensive.  The committee members know that college is expensive.  In this section of your statement, you should  be specific and provide information related to expenses you are incurring as a student.  For example, students in architectural studies and interior design must spend about $900 to $1000 each semester to purchase art supplies.  Students in aviation flight must pay flight fees.  Similarly, students in other ASA majors are required to pay lab fees, purchase uniforms, complete unpaid (or low paying) internships, and so on.  Here are some items that document financial need that may apply to your situation:
  • You support a family while attending school.  
  • You do not receive parental support because your parents cannot afford to offer it to you.
  • There is a long term medical need in the family.  
  • Your family has more than one member attending college at the same time.  
  • There have been extended periods of unemployment in your family or in your life.  
  • You have extensive travel expenses associated with your major.  
  • You are a commuter student and have experienced large transportation costs recently -- for example, problems with your only car.  Note:  If you have more than one vehicle to use to come to campus, problems with one car are not to be included here because you have access to the other vehicle.  Items like speeding and parking violations are never included in your transportation costs!  One could solve such a problem by not speeding or by parking legally.  
  • Financial aid formulas indicate that your family contribution should be a certain amount, but the actual contribution from your family is much smaller.  (This is a common occurrence.)
  • There has been an unusual and devastating financial loss in your family -- the kind of loss from which recovery is long term.  For example, your family home was damaged by fire or by a storm or flood recently.  Note:  Downturns in the stock market are not included here.  
  • As noted above, special expenses apply to your major -- items like supplies beyond the normal amount needed by college students, lab fees, extra tuition charges that apply to your major, flight fees, costs of required equipment (including software and computers if you MUST buy these items in your major), costs of completing internships, and similar charges associated with your major should be mentioned here.  

Here are some items that DO NOT document financial need:

• You started your own business recently and the costs associated with that are absorbing your income.  
• Your investments did not earn what you expected them to earn.  
• You had gambling losses.  
• You bought equipment to complete schoolwork even though your major does not specifically require that you purchase that equipment.  This includes computers.   
• You spent money on travel for a spring break trip or other vacation.   
• Items like rent, mortgage, food, utilities, etc. are expenses, but these are examples of items every student experiences.  Include these items only if your expenses are unusual compared to other students -- for example, you must rent a larger apartment or house because you have a family.  
• Short-term problems with your car, house, boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, etc. are generally not included.  Only include these items if you feel they help you establish your need for this scholarship.  

By now you may be asking, "Does the committee really want to know these things about my life?"  The ASA Scholarship Committee is not trying to get you to reveal anything you are not comfortable revealing.  The fact is, when applying for scholarships, you must be willing to be a little personal about your situation as an SIUC student.  The information you provide is the only way the committee will be able to determine your need for this award.  Please rest assured that your information is not shared with anyone outside the committee.  The only person who may ever read your application other than a committee member is a University auditor.  Auditors ensure the committee's funds are distributed fairly according to the rules that govern the committee.  They do not usually read the statement provided by a student.  

• Documenting Academic Merit.  Since your GPA is listed on the application, there is no need to repeat that information here.  Academic merit is documented by noting such items as awards and recognitions you have received, participation in honors programs and societies, selection by your program of study to represent it at conferences, seminars, or other special programs, and active participation in groups directly related to your major for the purpose of gaining additional exposure to your field of study (avoid overlap with extracurricular activities).  
• Documenting Extracurricular and/or Community/Volunteer Activities.  Activities in this area demonstrate that a student is well rounded and seeks to give something back to the SIUC, Carbondale, or to the student's home community.  A complete list of activities in this area would be exhaustive to give.  Here are some areas that should be included, along with a few comments about extracurricular and community/volunteer activities.  Be certain to note any offices you hold or have held in these organizations as well as any special work you have completed with them. 

  Let's start with some guidelines to consider regarding this area of the statement.  You should look at more than just the period of time you have been enrolled at SIUC.  Think about the time you have been in college plus two years before you started here.  Include the extracurricular and/or community/volunteer work you have completed in that time frame.  Many students have children or family members to support.  The committee realizes that a working student/parent may not have the same time available as the traditional college student.  You should mention your family commitments in the financial need section of your statement. This draws the committee's  attention to the fact that you cannot be expected to contribute at the same level as a traditional college student. 

  Examples of extracurricular and/or community/volunteer work include, but are not limited to:  

  • Work with school clubs and activities, including Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) and other groups.  
  • Work with fraternities and sororities.  
  • Work with community organizations such as, but not limited to:  Jaycees, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Business and Professional Women's Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H, Boys and Girls Clubs, local Chambers of Commerce, historical societies, Little League (and other sports groups), etc. 
  • Work with faith-based organizations such as churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, denominational organizations, faith-based charities, Knights of Columbus, the Salvation Army, YMCA/YWCA, etc. 
  • Volunteer work with hospitals, healthcare organizations, schools, libraries, museums, governmental groups or organizations, etc. 

Submitting the Application

Applications are always due the Friday before the University's Spring Break.  They must be submitted to the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Dean's office in 222 ASA Building.  Do not bring them to your Departmental office or to your academic advisor!  Please have all materials stapled or clipped together in the upper left corner.  Make sure you include everything listed on the application!  

How Are Applications Reviewed?

Applications are read by the committee and scored in each of these areas:  GPA, financial need, communication skills, and extracurricular and community/volunteer activities.  The CASA Scholarship Committee has determined these weights will be applied to the score assigned to each application:

What is the category called "Communication Skills"?  You may have noticed that this category was not explained earlier on this web page.  Recall that the application uses this sentence:  "Correct grammar, spelling, and overall neat appearance are requisite qualities for this typewritten statement."  Communication skills are how well your statement is written. 

Hearing from the Committee

Every applicant receives a letter from the CASA Scholarship Committee chair.  Typically, letters are sent the last week of April.  Award notifications for summer semesters are made to the Financial Aid office by April 30 each year.  For the fall semester, award notifications are sent to Financial Aid by July 30 each year.  Award notifications for spring semesters are made by November 30 each year.  These dates are set by the Financial Aid Office and are subject to change by that office. 

The amount of the award varies from year to year.  Last year, the amount of the award was $500.  The number of awards varies from year to year.  As many as, eleven students received this award in one year. 

If you are selected as a recipient, your award will be applied in the semester you marked on the application.  See the comments above on how the award may be applied in other semesters.  If you are not eligible for the award in the semester you marked on the application (for example, you do not enroll as a full-time student in that semester), your award may be given to another student.  Applicants must meet eligibility requirements for the award at the time the award is given. 

Honors Day

Award recipients are recognized at the Honors Day ceremony held in April each year.  You must be a student who actually received the award in order to be recognized for it.  For example, some students are selected for the award but are not eligible to receive the award due to other financial aid.  These students are not recognized as recipients of this award. 

The Honors Day Committee will send you a letter inviting you to attend Honors Day.  Please come!  This is often the only opportunity many of us in the college have to connect your name with your face. 

One final point that often confuses students:  Honors Day recognizes students who have received awards and scholarships in the previous summer, fall, and spring semesters.  It does not recognize those who will receive awards next school year.  A common source of confusion stems from the fact that applications are due by spring break and students are expecting to hear from the CASA Scholarship Committee by the end of April.  Many students receive a letter inviting them to attend Honors Day and think this means they were chosen for the award for next year.  This is not the case.  An invitation to be recognized for an award at Honors Day is for an award you already received in the current academic year. 

Further Questions

Address your questions to the CASA Scholarship Committee Chair:  Michael Burgener.  Please include in the subject line of your email the words "ASA Scholarship" so that the chair will recognize your message and respond to it quickly.  Do not include any attachments with your message!  Messages with attachments are deleted without being opened.  Unfortunately, we all have to be careful about receiving email from unknown sources. 

Updated January 2007. CLP