Scholarships

Rosewood Scholarship

2018-19 Fact Sheet

Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA)

Rosewood Family Scholarship

The Rosewood Family Scholarship Program was created to provide student financial assistance for a maximum of 50 eligible students who prove they are direct descendants of Rosewood families affected by the historical incidents of January 1923. Applicants are required to supply the descendant information on the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA) *the application has been relocated, view the First Time Applicants section [here]for verification. Eligible students must attend a state university, public state college, or public post secondary technical center in Florida. Funds for the Rosewood Family Scholarship are contingent each year upon the appropriations made available to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) by the Florida Legislature.

The student will:

• Submit a completed, error-free Florida Financial Aid Application by April 1, 2019 (available October 1, 2018). Applicants will be ranked by their application submission date, if necessary.

• Provide copies of documents of ancestry by April 1, 2019. Mail these copies to the address listed in the Contact Information section. Acceptable genealogy documentation linking the applicant to the direct Rosewood family member affected by the historical incidents of 1923 may include:

o Birth Certificate(s)

o Marriage License(s)

o Death Certificate(s)

o Church Record(s)

o Obituary(s)

• Provide a copy of your birth certificate, photo identification and social security card.

• Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online in time to be processed error-free by the U.S. Department of Education on or before May 15, 2019. If the FAFSA will not be sent to a Florida postsecondary institution, complete and submit the FAFSA in time to receive the Student Aid Report (SAR) from the processor and postmark a copy of the SAR to OSFA by May 15, 2019.

Program Description

Initial Eligibility Requirements

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The student will:

• Not owe a repayment or be in default under any state or federal grant, loan or scholarship program unless satisfactory arrangements to repay have been made.

• Not have previously received a baccalaureate degree.

• Enroll full-time at an eligible participating public postsecondary institution in a program of study leading to an undergraduate degree, a certificate or a diploma.

• The online Florida Financial Aid Application must be completed error-free by April 1, 2019 to be considered for an initial award (available October 1, 2018).

• The online Reinstatement/Restoration Application for Students is available February 1, 2019 and must be completed by April 1, 2019 to be considered for reinstatement or restoration.

NOTE: Applicants who are deemed ineligible for the academic year in which they applied must reapply to receive an evaluation for the next year.

Eligible applicants will be ranked and selected first by the lowest “expected family contribution” as specified on the FAFSA and second by the earliest application submission date. Applicants will be evaluated and notified of eligibility determination mid-summer.

• Among eligible applicants who are Rosewood descendants, first priority will be given to renewal applicants.

• Second priority for awards will be given to initial applicants.

• Third priority for awards will be given to reinstatement applicants.

• Fourth priority for awards will be given to restoration applicants.

Requirements to Receive Funding

Applying for an Award

Award Procedures

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The postsecondary institution will disburse awards to eligible students each term. Awards are not currently available for the summer term.

The annual award amount may not exceed $6,100. The per term award amount a student may receive includes tuition and fees for up to 15 semester hours or up to 450 clock hours for undergraduate study.

• An undergraduate student is eligible to receive an award for a maximum of eight semesters (12 quarters) or until receipt of a baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first.

• An undergraduate student enrolled in a five-year undergraduate degree program is eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 10 semesters or 15 quarters.

• Unused terms may not be used for further course funding after a student earns a baccalaureate degree.

• A student who enrolls in a 3/2 program ending in an advanced degree is no longer eligible to receive undergraduate funding when a degree-seeking student:

o Receives a baccalaureate degree,

o Has enrollment status changed from ‘Undergraduate’ to ‘Graduate’, or

o Enrolls in ‘Graduate’ level courses.

• A renewal application is not required to renew the award. A recipient is automatically considered for a renewal award.

• Eligibility for renewal is determined at the end of the second semester or third quarter or the equivalent each academic year. Credit or clock hours earned the previous summer can be counted toward the total number of credit hours required for renewal.

• Students must have earned a minimum unweighted institutional cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

• Students must have earned a minimum of 12 credit hours per term, or the equivalent, for which an award was received.

• Hours earned during the previous summer may be used toward renewal.

• File a timely FAFSA each academic year to be processed error-free by the U.S. Department of Education on or before May 15, 2019.

Award Disbursement

Terms of Eligibility

Student Award Renewal

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• A student who has not met the minimum of 12 hours per term, for which the award was received, may not receive funding the following academic year.

• A student who met the required hours, but earned less than the minimum institutional cumulative 2.0 GPA may be granted a probationary award for no more than two semesters or three quarters or the equivalent.

• To be eligible for renewal the following year after probation, the student must have earned the required credit or clock hours and an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

• The student who failed to meet the requirements for renewal during a probationary period will become ineligible for funding. However, the student is eligible to apply for restoration after one academic year. An institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale must be earned at the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year preceding to the year the award is sought.

• A student who was eligible for an award but did not use an award during the previous academic year may be eligible for reinstatement.

• The student may be eligible for restoration if an institutional cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale is earned at the end of the second semester or third quarter of the academic year for which the student was ineligible.

• The online Reinstatement/Restoration Application for Students, which opens February each year, must be completed by April 1, 2019 to be considered for reinstatement or restoration.

An applicant who believes they have been wrongly denied has certain rights to appeal.

An applicant may appeal if he or she believes the FDOE erred in determining eligibility or failed to transfer an award. An FDOE appeal is to be filed in writing within 30 days of the date of the notice of ineligibility.

If aid is denied for failure to meet state academic progress requirements, an applicant may appeal the denial to the institution by providing proof of illness or other emergency beyond the applicant's control. An institutional academic progress appeal is to be filed within 30 days of the denial letter or by the date established by the institution's financial aid office, whichever is later.

Failure to Meet the Minimum Renewal Requirements

Student Award Reinstatement/Restoration

Appeal Process

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The Privacy Act of 1974 requires state agencies to inform applicants of the reasons for requesting their Social Security Numbers (SSN). The FDOE requests an SSN on all applications for student financial assistance in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant's financial aid record with the student record at the postsecondary institution the applicant attends, and help coordinate state student aid programs with federal student aid programs.

An applicant will not be denied financial assistance for failure to disclose the SSN. Without an SSN, correct identification of an applicant's record cannot be assured and may result in an error in the award amount or a delay in the award disbursement.

Pursuant to section 1000.05, Florida Statutes, state student financial assistance is provided to eligible applicants without discriminating on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability or marital status. Minority status will be considered when required by law as a condition of eligibility or selection.

A recipient must notify OSFA of any change in name, address or institution attended.

A student may update information by contacting Customer Service at 888-827-2004 or online:

www.FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org

Select State Grants, Scholarships & Applications

Select Update My Demographics

Transferring from one institution to another will affect an applicant’s award.

Address:

Florida Department of Education

Office of Student Financial Assistance

State Scholarship and Grant Programs

Suite 1314

325 West Gaines Street