CNMI Scholarship Office accepting applications for fall 2012 semester

The CNMI Scholarship Office would like to remind interested applicants that the deadline to apply for a CNMI Scholarship award for the fall 2012 term is on Monday, July 2, 2012. Supporting documents are due by the Aug. 31 (early action) or Oct. 1, 2012 (regular) deadlines. This deadline applies to all new, ongoing, and returning applicants. New applicants for the PL 14-37 Honor Scholarship must submit all documents together by July 2, 2012.

Who is qualified to apply?

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

To apply under the Educational Assistance Program, new applicants must first meet the following criteria 1) Must be a U.S. citizen domiciled in the CNMI for two consecutive years prior to college enrollment; 2) Must be a high school, advanced development institute, or GED graduate; 3) Must show proof of acceptance at the Northern Marianas College unless residency is on an island other than Saipan or applicant has already obtained an associate’s degree and is enrolled at another accredited institution.

Required documents for “new” applicants: 2012/13 fall application; acceptance letter into the Northern Marianas College or another accredited college or university; copy of U.S. passport or birth certificate; proof of CNMI residency for 2010 and 2011 (CNMI Annual Tax Return, CNMI Employment Verification, Official Transcript, or other documents as appropriate); most recent official transcript; Fall 2012 class schedule.

For “ongoing” and “returning” applicants: The renewal application itself must be submitted by the July 2 deadline, all supporting documents (i.e. official transcript, fall 2012 class schedule, etc.) may be submitted by the August 31 (early action) or Oct. 1 regular deadline. A supporting document checklist is provided in the application.

P.L. 14-37 HONOR SCHOLARSHIP

While the same application form can be used to apply for the P.L. 14-37 Honor Scholarship award, new high school applicants for these merit-based awards are assessed based on criteria such as academic achievement, service to community, and participation in extra-curricular activities. High School graduates from December 2011 or May/June 2012 are eligible to apply. To qualify, new applicants must meet the following criteria 1) Must have graduated from a high school within the United States of America or one of its territories as one of the top students scholastically, provided that the applicant has attained the highest scholastic achievement with a 4.0 or higher cumulative grade point average; 2) Must have graduated within and have attended school within the CNMI for a minimum total of six years. Within the six years requirement, applicants must have attended high school within the CNMI two years immediately preceding the date of the award (11th and 12th grade enrollment and then any four years of elementary or lower secondary schooling); 3) Applicant’s parents must be bona fide CNMI resident(s) at the time of application for a minimum period of eight years prior to the date of application.

Recipients for these Honor Scholarship awards are chosen by the Scholarship Advisory Board through a blind-selection process. Applicants who are not chosen are eligible to receive financial assistance under the Educational Assistance Program.

Required Documents: Official High School Transcript (showing a cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale); acceptance letter from an accredited college or university; certified Scholastic Achievement Test and/or American College Testing; two letters of recommendations; a list itemizing positions and participation in extra-curricular activities that includes a description of the club, activity and/or event, duties involved, number of hours of participation which must be certified with a signature from the person in charge, supervisor, principal, teacher or counselor, etc; provide proof of U.S. citizenship and CNMI residency such as official transcripts, a copy of U.S. passport, parents’ CNMI annual tax forms, CNMI voter registration, or other similar documents deemed acceptable or appropriate by the Scholarship Advisory Board.

Where to get and submit application forms?

Application forms, containing complete instructions and a calendar, along with a list of required documents, are available at the CNMI Scholarship Office in Capitol Hill or online at www.cnmischolarship.com.

The application form and required documents must be submitted to the CNMI Scholarship Office by the established deadlines.

Deadline

Application-only deadline: postmarked by July 2, 2012.

Supporting documents deadline: postmarked by the Aug. 31, 2012 (early action) or Oct. 1, 2012 (regular) deadline.

New High School PL 14-37 Honor Scholarship applications and materials must be submitted together to the CNMI Scholarship Office by 4:30 pm on July 2, 2012.

For inquiries, call 664-4750 or email cnmieap@cnmischolarship.com.

Further information may be found on the www.cnmischolarship.com website. (Office of the Governor)