SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES

Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program Opportunity Scholarships are awarded each year to applicants based on their 4-H experience, academic record and financial need (for scholarships for which it is a prescribed criterion). The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Opportunity Scholarship Program is conducted in coordination with the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program, the Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation, and Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Approximately 225 academically-competitive scholarships will be awarded in the 2009 Texas 4-H Scholarship Program ranging in amounts from $1500 to $16,000 (amount established by donor). No scholarship recipient whose award is based on this application process will receive less than $1500 (may require receiving a combination of scholarships totaling $1500).

The Texas 4-H Foundation seeks to ensure that each recipient receives the highest dollar amount of scholarship for which that recipient is eligible. For the majority of the total scholarships and scholarship funds available, participation in a livestock show is not a requirement for consideration for an Opportunity Scholarship

PAGE LINKS:
Scholarships Available
Dates for Scholarship Process
Basic requirements for applying for a 4-H scholarship
Scholarship Applications
College Resources

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

The Texas 4-H Opportunity Scholarship Program provides scholarships in four different areas. Each type of scholarship has its own requirements and criteria. It is up to the applicant to make sure that he/she clearly understands the requirements and completes the application in order to be considered.

Baccalaureate Scholarships - the traditional Texas 4-H Scholarship Program, for students who wish to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

Technical Certification Scholarships - for students who wish to pursue technical certification offered in the eligible majors/courses of study and from an approved Texas accredited college listed in the scholarship packet.
Collegiate Scholarships – designated for former Texas 4-H members who have graduated from high school and have completed a minimum of 30 hours of college credit at a grade point average of at least 2.5. (See separate application and instructions).

Courageous Heart Scholarships – special scholarships awarded to Texas 4-H members that have overcome extreme obstacles related to medical, family, and/or education and remained an active member of both 4-H and school. (See separate application and instructions).

Collegiate Scholarships - for current college students that have completed at 30 hours of college credit and have been graduated from high school for at least one year.

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DATES FOR SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS

DATE	ITEM DUE/EVENT
Date set by County Office	Baccaluareate and Technical Scholarship Applications due to County Office
February 13, 2009	Applications due to District Office
February 27, 2009	Applications due to State Office
April 6-10, 2009	Interview selection notification
May 1-4, 2009	Interviews and final selection
May 11-15, 2009	Notification of scholarship award
June 9, 2009	Awards Program and Banquet

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BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING FOR A 4-H SCHOLARSHIP

1. To be eligible to apply for a Texas 4-H and Youth Development Opportunity Scholarship, an applicant must:
   • be an active member of the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program for the current year and at least the two of the three previous years, have a current enrollment form, or registration, with the county Extension Office where applicant resides, and be in good with standing with the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program at all levels (county, district, and state).
   • be a United States citizen.  If the applicant’s transcript reflects a place of birth other than the United States, proof of naturalization must be provided with the scholarship application.
   • be a Texas resident.
   • be scheduled to graduate from a Texas High School (public, private, or home) during the 2008-2009 school year.
   • have made formal application to enroll with intent to attend a Texas college or university.
   • meet the entrance requirements for the college or university for which formal application has been made.
   • not apply for both 4-H and FFA scholarships.
   • submit the most current Texas 4-H and Youth Development Opportunity Scholarship application.
   • not receive more than $40,000 total from financial aid or any other scholarships if selected to receive any Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship and remain eligible to receive the HLSR Show scholarship.  Applicants must list all financial aid and scholarships for which they have applied and the status of those awards as part of the application.  If selected as a finalist for a scholarship, the applicant will be notified and must verify all other financial aid and scholarships received.  Other financial aid or scholarships received will be verified by submission of award letters from individual donors and financial aid offices of the college/university the recipient will attend.  Funds will not be disbursed without such verification. If a HLSR Go Texan recipient is selected as a Texas 4-H Scholarship finalist, he or she will forfeit the Go Texan scholarship.
     
     
2. The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Scholarship Application must:
   • have all applicable pages completed.
   • be typewritten, except for signatures.
   • contain all requested signatures.
   • contain no supplemental pages that are not requested or required.
   • be accompanied by the student’s official transcript for their entire high school education to date (9th-12th), which is signed by a school records official (principal, counselor, registrar, etc.) and certified with a school seal.  The academic achievement record must include a photocopy of the college entrance exam's Official Report of Scores Label indicating the student's SAT and/or ACT scores.  If more than one page is submitted, each page of the academic achievement record must display a school seal.
3. All Grade Point Averages (GPA’s) must be on a 100 point scale and be UNWEIGHTED, and every applicant must have a CLASS RANKING (even if the applicant is the only student in a class – the supervising instructor/principal must indicate this). This must be explained to the applicant’s school counselor, principal, or grade clerk. All scholarships are evaluated on this scale and failure of a school to provide a class ranking and an unweighted GPA on a 100 point scale can result in disqualification of the application.
   
   
4. All scholarship recipients MUST BE PRESENT at the 2009 Texas 4-H Roundup Scholarship Orientation, Awards Assembly, and donor banquets in order to receive a 4-H scholarship.
   
   
5. To be eligible to apply for a baccalaureate scholarship, an applicant must:
   • score at least one thousand three hundred and fifty (1350) on the SAT or at least nineteen (19) on the ACT.
   • understand academic scores, rankings and college entrance test scores (SAT/ACT) will only be accepted up to the application submission date.  No updated test scores or academic scores or rankings will be accepted after the application due date.  SAT and ACT - A copy of official documentation must be submitted with the application. This may be a copy of the form sent by SAT/ACT or a high-school transcript listing scores.  SAT score must be comprised of total points from the critical reading, mathematics, and writing sections of the test from a single testing date.
   • be in the upper one-half of his/her class, based on scholastic rank, for the first three and one-half (3.5) years of high school.  This is for all scholarships, except the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Wallrath Educational Foundation Scholarships, which require that the student be in the upper one-fourth.
   • complete and pass all necessary standardized test(s) for graduation and admittance to the college and/or university declared in the scholarship application.
   • have been accepted into a Texas college or university by the time of scholarship awarding.
     
     
6. To be eligible to apply for a technical scholarship, an applicant must:
   • complete and pass all necessary standardized test(s) for graduation and admittance to the college and/or university declared in the scholarship application.
   • have been accepted into a Texas college, university, or technical school by the time of scholarship awarding.
   • NOT have plans to continue formal education at a Texas college and/or university after the completion of a technical program.
     
     
7. To be eligible to apply for a courageous heart scholarship, an applicant must:
   • complete and pass all necessary standardized test(s) for graduation and admittance to the college and/or university declared in the scholarship application.
   • have documentation of obstacles related to health, education, and/or family.
     
     
8. The Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation, Texas 4-H & Youth Development Program, and the Scholarship Committee has the right to refuse or retract any scholarship application or scholarship award during the judging, awarding, or post awarding process based on information provided in the application. 

Collegiate Scholarships:

• Have actively participated in 4-H during high school years.
• Be attending a Texas college or university and will be attending a Texas college or university to use these scholarship funds if the scholarship is awarded to you.
• Have successfully completed or will have successfully completed 30 semester hours of undergraduate college work by the time scholarship payments are initiated in Fall 2007.
• Be carrying a minimum of a 2.7 cumulative overall GPA for course work completed as of the date of this application.
• Currently enrolled as a full-time student

Volunteer Leaders’ Association of Texas Collegiate Scholarship:

• Each scholar will receive $300/semester (up to $1800.00) for an undergraduate degree.

Texas 4-H Friends and Alumni Association Collegiate Scholarship

• Be a member of the Texas 4-H Friends and Alumni Association

Producer's Cooperative Collegiate Scholarship

• Limited to college students that live or graduated from a school in the geographical reigon of the following counties: Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Waller, & Washington Counties.
• Applicant has to have been an active member of the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program for at least three (3) years.
• Applicant must come from an agricultural background as demonstrated in their application.
• Applicant's of the Blinn College System will be given first priority, if no applicant from Blinn is received, other college/universities applicants will be considered.
• Applicant's involved in both the Texas 4-H and Texas FFA programs are a plus, but not required (this will only be determined through information provided in application and cannot be asked for specifically

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SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION
	2009 Scholarship Application Samples
	Baccalaureate, Technical, and Courageous Heart Application
	Collegiate Application

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COLLEGE RESOURCES

link	Free Application for Student Student Aid
link	College for Texans
link	Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation Compendium of Texas Colleges and Financial Aid Calendar

 

 

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Page last updated: November 17, 2008