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Scholarships

Buena Vista University offers several types of scholarships and gift assistance. All BVU financial assistance requires full-time enrollment.

• Academic Merit Awards
• Recognition Awards
• Transfer Scholarships
• Loyal Hays Grant
• Federal Scholarships & Grants
• State Scholarships & Grants

Academic Merit Awards

Students may receive only ONE award for Academic Merit and must meet 2 of 3 minimum criteria.

Transfer Scholarships

Effective 2009-2010

All of the above awards are renewable. Students may receive only one of the above awards, except for the Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship. That is the only scholarship that can be "stacked" on another award.

Recognition Awards

Students may receive only ONE Recognition Award and must meet 2 of 3 minimum criteria.

Students who meet Honors criteria can also be involved in the Dean's Fellowship program.

Loyal Hays Grant

All incoming first-year and transfer students coming to BVU's Storm Lake campus, who graduate from high school in northwest Iowa, automatically receive the $3,000 per year Loyal Hays Grant. This grant is in addition to other financial assistance and scholarships packages. Evidence of financial need is not a requirement to receive the Loyal Hayes Grant.

Students graduating from high school in one of these counties will receive the grant: Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson,  Emmet, Harrison, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Webster and Woodbury.

Federal Scholarships & Grants

Pell Grant - will range from $976 to $5,350 for eligible students for a full-year, full-time award. Individual awards are determined based on federal formula. Payment is calculated for full-time enrollment (12 or more hours per semester), ¾ time enrollment (9-11 hours per semester), or half-time enrollment (6-8 hours per semester). Students enrolled less than half-time may also be eligible. To be considered for a Federal Pell Grant, the results of your valid application must reach us while you are still enrolled.

Academic Competitiveness (AC) Grant/National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant - may be available to students who show exceptional financial need. Full-time enrollment, U.S. citizenship and Pell Grant eligibility are required for both programs.

AC Grants of $750 will be available to first year students who meet the criteria above and who have also graduated from a rigorous high school program after January 1, 2006. The award is renewable at $1,300 for a student's second year, provided the student earns a 3.0 cgpa after the first year and continues to be Pell Grant eligible.

SMART Grants of $4,000 are available for each of the third and fourth academic years if the student is enrolled in a program leading to a degree in physical or life sciences, computer science, technology, math or certain foreign languages, has met the requirements above, and has earned, and continues to maintain, a 3.0 or better cgpa. Awarded students must also enroll in at least one course within the eligible major each semester, in addition to the criteria above.

Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant - Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) are available to students who show exceptional financial need and, normally, who are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant. These grants are partially federally funded, but awarding is controlled by the University. Because funding is limited, priority is given to students who complete the FAFSA by June 1 and list Buena Vista University on the application.

Robert C. Byrd Scholarship - Robert C. Byrd Scholarships of up to $1,500 are made available by the federal government in the form of grants provided to the state. Students can apply for this scholarship through the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. Evidence of financial need is not a requirement.

TEACH Grant  The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grant funds for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to teach full-time in high-need subject areas for at least four years at schools that serve students from low-income families .  The grant reverts to an Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan if the conditions mentioned are not met within eight years of graduation.   To receive a TEACH Grant, students must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the yearly deadline, although financial need is not required.
• Meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid.
• Meet one of the following academic achievement requirements
  • Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE, or
  • Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) to receive a grant as a freshman, or
  • Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on college course work to receive a grant for each subsequent term.
• Students enrolled in the post-baccalaureate education program are not eligible.

Students that qualified for the grant based on having earned a 3.25 or better cgpa, must continue to earn that cgpa following each semester to be eligible for the next semester.  In addition, students must continue to enroll in an eligible major and must complete entry counseling with each new academic year.

STATE SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

Iowa Tuition Grants are awarded, based on need, to Iowa residents who attend Iowa private colleges and universities and submit their FAFSA by the July 1 deadline. The award is $4,000 in 2009-10. Awards are made for full-time, part-time and less than part-time attendance.

Iowa Grants, up to $1,000 a year, are funded by the State of Iowa to the neediest Iowa students attending an Iowa college or university. All students will be considered by applying for federal aid. Selection will be made by the university from eligible financial aid applications. Funding is limited.

Iowa National Guard Grants are available to Iowa residents who are members of an Iowa Army or Air National Guard unit while enrolled in higher education.  The individual award amount will not exceed the average tuition rate for full-time students at Iowa Regent Universities.

Other gift aid programs, such as the Iowa Education & Training Voucher Grant, the All Iowa Opportunity Foster Care Grant and the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship, are available form the State of Iowa in limited amounts.  These funds currently help Iowa students who have been in foster care, TRIO programs, alternative high schools or those who are homeless.

These gift sources are available to Iowa residents.  If any of these resources are listed on your Financial Aid Award, they should not be viewed as official awards until your eligibility has been approved by the Iowa College Aid Commission.  In the event that available state funds are insufficient to pay the full amount of each approved grant, the Iowa College Aid Commission has the authority to administratively reduce the maximum award to an amount less than the statutory maximum.

Students from states other than Iowa should check with the proper agency in their state to receive information on availability of state-sponsored scholarships or grants.

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