Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About the Scientific Leadership Scholars program
- Who is eligible for the scholarships?
- Are transfer students eligible?
- Do I have to be American Indian to be eligible?
- Do I have to be a first generation college student (i.e. my parents were not college graduates when I was born) to be eligible?
- Will students applying from Humboldt County, Del Norte County, Trinity County and Shasta County have priority applications?
- Will female students have priority applications?
- Will students who are under-represented in Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering and Mathematics be priority applicants?
- Which applicants have priority status?
- How do you determine Financial Need?
- If I change my major, am I still eligible?
- What do I have to do to keep the scholarship for the following years?
- What proof do you require that I am an American Indian?
- How will the scholars be selected?
- What are you expecting in my personal statement?
- What if I have more questions?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About the Scientific Leadership Scholars program
1) Who is eligible for the scholarships?
- Students who have a minimum high school GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
- Students who have Financial Need as determined by the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
- Students who are US citizens or national, refugee alien, or permanent resident alien when applying.
- Students who have less than 30 transferable college units.
- Students who are admitted in good standing and enrolled full time to Humboldt State University.
- Students who declare a major in CS, ERE and Math.
2) Are transfer students eligible?
Transfer students who will have less than 30 transferable college units starting the fall of 2007 are eligible for the SLS program.
3) Do I have to be American Indian to be eligible?
No. American Indian students will have priority applications, but all are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
4) Do I have to be first generation (i.e. my parents were not college graduates when I was born) to be eligible?
No. Students whose parents were not college graduates when they were born (first generation) will have priority applications, but all are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
5) Will students applying from Humboldt County, Del Norte County, Trinity County and Shasta County have priority applications?
Yes. One of the goals of this project is to increase the number of people in these four counties that have bachelor’s degrees, but all are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
6) Will female students have priority applications?
Yes. One of the goals of this project is to increase the proportion of women in the Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering and Mathematics programs. American Indian and first generation college students (i.e. parents were not college graduates when the student was born) have the highest priority, but all underrepresented students will have priority applications. However, all students are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
7) Will students who are underrepresented in Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering and Mathematics be priority applicants?
Yes. One of the goals of this project is to increase the proportion of underrepresented students and graduates in the Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering and Mathematics programs. American Indian and first generation college students (i.e. parents were not college graduates when the student was born) have the highest priority, but all underrepresented students will have priority applications. However, all students are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
8) Which applicants have priority status?
American Indian and first generation college students (i.e. parents were not college graduates when the student was born) have the highest priority applications. Any other applications from students that are underrepresented in Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering, and Mathematics, including women, also have priority applications. However, all students are eligible that meet the requirements listed under Question Number 1.
9) How do you determine Financial Need?
The financial aid office will review your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and provide you as much aid as possible. If you still have financial need as determined by the financial aid office, then the SLS scholarship funds can be applied to your remaining financial need.
10) If I change my major or do not take classes in my major, am I still eligible?
No. You need to be a major in Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering or Mathematics to maintain the scholarship. You need to make good progress in your CS, ERE or MATH major each semester by taking a reasonable load of classes that are required in these majors.
11) What do I have to do to keep the scholarship for the following years?
To keep the scholarship, you need to maintain a minimum GPA and make good progress in your major of Computer Science, Environmental Resources Engineering or Mathematics each semester.
12) What proof do you require that I am an American Indian?
We require that you submit your Native American Heritage Affidavit. Please contact us if you have any questions.
13) How will the scholars be selected?
One of the major determining factors will be your likelihood to succeed in one of the three majors. We will assess this likelihood by reviewing your personal statement, your extracurricular activities, your test scores, your high school transcripts and GPA, your previous coursework and your recommendation letter.
14) What are you expecting in my personal statement?
Please see our hints for preparing your personal statement.
14) What if I have more questions?
Please contact us by phone (707)826-4348 or email. We would love to hear from you!