Making ends meet in a college world
Scholarships help pay the way

by Lindsey Christensen
Scroll Staff

Tuition: $1,240. Books: about $300. Rent: $1,698. Meal Plan: $1,178

College isn’t cheap, but scholarships can help.

For the 2001-2002 school year students received some type of scholarship, Alton Hansen, assistant director of administration and scholarships, said. That is 74 percent of the student body. The average amount awarded was $450.

Approximately 50 percent of next year’s incoming freshman will receive some type of scholarship from the school.

Many students find that scholarships ease the financial burden. These students who treat school like a full-time job by doing well, find that their their education pays for itself.

John Anderson, a sophomore from Hayden Lake, Idaho, is a prime example of students who excel in the classroom and thereby receive scholarships to compensate for hard work.

“I like having my education pay for itself. A scholarship motivates me to continue to attain high grades and succeed in my classes,” Anderson said.

The Freshman Award of Excellence is given to incoming freshman. Sixty percent of the award is based on service, leadership, church activity, essays and other nonacademic measures. The other 40 percent is based on grades and ACT scores. Awards range from quarter tuition to full tuition for one year and $500 for books.

The Presidential Award of Excellence has been changed to allow more students to receive scholarships. In the past it provided two years of tuition and $500 for books, but now it covers one year of tuition and $500 for books, Hansen said.

Students are automatically considered for academic scholarships — there is no application. These scholarships are based on credit levels; the GPA required varies for each credit level. The information on the breakdown of credit levels and GPA is available in the BYU-Idaho Scholarship Information Booklet.

Fast track awards are given to students who desire to accelerate the completion of their academic degrees. Students must contract with the fast track program as a freshman. They receive half tuition for all summer terms.

The Leadership Scholarship is based on leadership and service activities participated in while at BYU-I. Financial need is also taken into consideration. For winter semester, the deadline for scholarship applications is Dec. 15, for summer the deadline is March 15 and for fall the deadline is Aug. 15.

Students with outstanding achievement in a particular area should apply for the talent and department awards. Contact specific departments about applications and/or necessary auditions. Amounts and deadlines vary.

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