Robert C. Byrd Scholarship Offered

Background

Robert C. Byrd was born in 1917 and grew up during the Great Depression.  He graduated from high school as valedictorian of his class.  He was unable to afford college tuition, so instead of attending college he worked various blue collar jobs to support himself.  During World War II, he worked as a welder building Liberty and Victory ships.  At the end of World War II, Byrd was able to attend college taking night classes.  Byrd was elected to a House Delegate position with the state of West Virginia in 1946.  Following two terms as a delegate, Byrd went on the the West Virginia Senate and next the U.S. House of Representatives.  In 1958, Byrd was elected to the U. S. Senate, where he continues to represent West Virginia.  He pursued his law degree, while serving West Virginia and the United States governments, taking night classes.  After 10 years of study he graduated cum laude from the American University in Washington D.C., in 1963.
As a United States Senator, Byrd secured the creation and continuation of the Robert C. Byrd scholarship program. [34 CFR Part 654, Subpart A, Section 654.1] This program is a national plan to offer a $1,500.00 scholarship to students with excellent academic skills in high school and who demonstrate the possibility for continued educational success in college.  More than 90,000 students have received this honorary and competitive scholarship.

About The Scholarship

The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program (Title IV, Part A, Subpart 6 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, amended) is a federally funded program to promote exceptional achievement in students who show promise of continued academic excellence. Scholarships are awarded each year on the basis of merit to provide a scholarship for four years of continuous study at an accredited institution of higher education. The scholarships may be used for undergraduate study only. Availability and dollar amount of scholarships are dependent on federal funding for each of the four years, but will not exceed $1,500.00 per year, pending official notification from the U.S. Department of Education.  Funding is subject to change at any time.  

Eligible student applicants must:

* Be a U.S. citizen or national or a permanent resident of the U.S.; or be in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a citizen or permanent resident and can provide papers to that effect from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
* Be enrolled full-time in course work leading to high school graduation by the spring of 2004 with a GPA of 3.80 or above, or will receive a GED by Spring 2004.
* Have taken the ACT and received a score of score of 31 or above OR
* Have taken the SAT and received a score of 1360 or above (the combined score of math and verbal).
* Have a GED with a score in the top 5% of state GED scores (a score of 3230 or above).
* Be accepted for admission to an accredited institution of higher education (to receive credit from that institution, in or out of state, public or private) and beginning attendance in the fall 2004 semester.
* Include proof of acceptance to a college or university with the application. If student is applying to a school that does not send out letters of acceptance in time, this must be noted on the application.What you should know:
* For study abroad you must be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education in the United States and receive credit from that institution to receive the scholarship money.
* Must attend full-time for the entire first year of award or the entire scholarship is forfeited. No postponements will be granted.
* Higher Education Military Academies do not qualify to receive these funds.
* This is for four years of undergraduate study only. Any student graduating early forfeits the balance of the scholarship at the time of graduation.  Additionally, any student extending their education beyond four years will not receive additional funding.
* Must attend an accredited institution of higher education.
* Must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the institution of higher education to continue funding.
* Full application must be typed, unless otherwise specified, handwritten applications will be disqualified. It is suggested the scoring rubric be followed to ensure optimum performance.
* Renewal is automatic for four years, provided the awarded scholar continues to meet the academic requirements and maintains attendance at an accredited institution of higher education.
* An electronic version of this application is available below.To Apply:
Students enrolled in public and private high schools must apply through their school counselors.  You may download an application to complete electronically, although electronic submission is not accepted at this time.  Please print the application materials and submit as required by the scholarship rubric.

For More Information click on link below

U.S. Department of Education