Policy Statement:

Ramapo College offers scholarships to students through four approaches:

1. those awarded to undergraduate students by Admissions and managed by Office of Enrollment Management designated staff,
2. those awarded to graduate students by Graduate Admissions and managed by Graduate Enrollment Management designated staff,
3. those awarded and managed by the Ramapo College Foundation with support from Office of Institutional Advancement designated staff, and
4. those awarded and managed by a governmental grant’s Principal Investigator (PI)/Project Director in alignment with the grant regulations.

All scholarships offered and awarded to Ramapo College students from Ramapo College or the Ramapo College Foundation are stewarded through these existing processes.

Reason for Policy

To ensure the College’s administration of scholarships is managed fairly, clearly, and responsibly.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

All students, faculty, staff, and donors

Supplemental Resources

• Procedure 416: Student Scholarship Administration
• Policy and Procedure 204: Foundation

Contacts:

Office of Enrollment Management

I. Scholarships awarded to undergraduate students by Admissions and managed by Office of Enrollment Management designated staff

The Office of Admissions considers all first-year applicants for scholarships if:

• they apply by the published priority scholarship deadline on the College’s admissions website, and
• meet the criteria published on the College website.

First-year applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships based on holistic review including but not limited to academic performance, rigor, and their potential to become active members of the College community.

The Office of Admissions considers all transfer applicants for scholarships if:

• they apply by the published application deadline on the College’s admissions website, and
• meet the criteria published on the College website.

Once new first-year and transfer students deposit and enroll at the College, they receive a scholarship contract that they are required to sign.  The contract outlines the requirements to maintain their scholarship and it transitions all communications about the scholarship from the Office of Admissions to the Office of Enrollment Management. For the duration of a student’s academic career, maintenance of the scholarship criteria as well as communication about the scholarship is managed by the Office of Enrollment Management.

Scholarships funded through federal and state grants also require contracts. follow the above procedure whereas The Office of Enrollment Management ensures that criteria for a scholarship contract and procedures for reviewing maintenance of the scholarship are clearly articulated and made available to the student recipient.

II. Scholarships issued to graduate students by Graduate Admissions and managed by Graduate Enrollment designated staff.

Scholarships for Ramapo College graduate students require approval by the Provost, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Vice President with oversight of Enrollment Management as part of the annual budget review process with individual graduate program directors.

Once a graduate student scholarship is approved, the Graduate Program Director works directly with the Office of Graduate Admissions to set and publish criteria for the scholarship(s) on the specific graduate website. Once the student deposits and enrolls, they receive a scholarship contract that they are required to sign in their Admissions portal. The scholarship contract outlines the requirements to maintain their scholarship. All communications about the scholarship will continue to come from the Graduate Enrollment designated staff.

The Graduate Enrollment designated staff will work with the respective Program Director/Dean to review GPA and other eligibility requirements. For the duration of the student’s academic career, all scholarship-related communications occur between the Graduate Enrollment designated staff and the student recipient.

III.       Scholarships awarded and managed by the Ramapo College Foundation with support from Institutional Advancement designated staff.

As part of its mission to secure the resources necessary to make a difference in a Ramapo College education, the Ramapo College Foundation solicits and receives private funding to support student scholarships. Information and applications for Ramapo College Foundation scholarships are made available on the Scholarship website.

Foundation scholarships are awarded in accordance with the established scholarship criteria, which varies by scholarship. Foundation scholarships are generally utilized towards tuition but may also cover room and board, books and supplies, travel to conferences, study abroad programs, and other educational-related expenses. Both the criteria and the utilization are established by the scholarship benefactor in consultation with the Ramapo College Foundation.

In order to be considered for any Foundation scholarship, students must apply for these awards by initiating and completing their own application on the Ramapo College Foundation website. In some cases, when students are nominated by faculty or staff to receive an award, the student will be prompted to initiate an application on the Foundation website.

The Ramapo College Foundation scholarship process, including notification and communications with students, is managed by the Foundation care of the Institutional Advancement designated staff. The awards are applied to student recipient accounts by the Office of Financial Aid. In some instances, awards are distributed via a check from the Foundation for prizes, or to reimburse for coursework supplies or other non-tuition related expenses.

IV. Scholarships secured through the College’s receipt of federal or state grants that are awarded and managed by the Principal Investigator/Project Director in alignment with the grant regulations.

All federal and/or state grant submissions must be vetted and approved through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs (OGSP).  If a Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director learns that a federal grant and/or state grant has been successful received by the College and it includes student scholarship allocations, the PI must notify the Vice President with responsibility for oversight of Enrollment Management.

The PI will be responsible for the awarding and management of the student scholarship, but the Vice President with responsibility for oversight of Enrollment Management, in consultation with the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, will advise the PI of their responsibility to:

• craft criteria for the scholarship award and ensure its publication
• use an Enrollment Management-issued template as a guide for a scholarship contract that outlines the expectations the student must meet in order to earn and maintain the scholarship
• follow process that requires the Offices of Financial Aid and Student Accounts be notified of which students should receive the award and have it applied to their account
• follow the process that requires eligibility reviews on a regular basis in alignment with grant requirements, and
• issue routine communications to students about their continued eligibility for the scholarship.