Scholarships

LOUDEN TRIBAL COUNCIL SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES

DEADLINES (Quarterly) - March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, December 31st

Louden Village scholarship policy is intended to provide financial assistance to Louden Tribal Members while attending an accredited undergraduate college/university, trade, technical, or vocational school.

The Louden Village offers two (2) types of scholarships - Competitive and Vocational.

A. Eligibility

Scholarship applicants must:

1. Be a Louden Tribal Member.

2. For the competitive scholarship: Be accepted to an accredited college or university full time (12 or more credits for undergraduates). For returning students, attend college full time and earn the required number of credits.

3. For a vocational scholarship: Be accepted to a technical or vocational school program for a minimum of six weeks.

4. Maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA). If a student does not maintain these requirements, the following will apply:

a. Probation: If a student’s GPA falls below the standard criteria during the school term, he or she will be placed on probation for the next school term.

b. Ineligible: Any student on probation who fails to maintain the established GPA or does not complete the required number of credits if full-time at the end of two consecutive school terms will be considered ineligible. In order to become eligible again, the student must successfully complete two school terms achieving the established GPA criteria and earn the required number of credits, if full time, on his or her own.

5. Have a high school diploma or GED.

B. General Guidelines

Competitive scholarship applications are awarded quarterly. The funds may be used for tuition,

room and board, and/or required class books and materials.

Competitive scholarship students must submit a new application and transcripts. To be considered, all completed applications must be postmarked before the close of that current quarter they are applying to. Unreadable documents will not be accepted. If an application is

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received at least two weeks before the deadline, the applicant will be notified of missing or unreadable documents. Vocational scholarship applicants must submit a new application and transcripts for each program.

C. Deadlines

Applications will be accepted and reviewed quarterly. Students may apply year-round for funding.

• Basic, short-term vocational are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

D. Competitive Scholarships

Awards are available to all eligible applicants accepted to an accredited college or university full time. The amount and number of scholarship awards will vary depending on the availability of funds and the number of applications received.

Competitive scholarship applicants must submit the following:

1. A complete application form. All questions must be answered to the best of your ability, if any questions are left unanswered your application will be considered incomplete.

2. Proof of full-time enrollment (i.e., Copy of letter of acceptance, enrollment verification letter, or current course registration form) from the school you will be attending.

3. Current transcripts. Incoming freshman must submit high school transcripts or a copy of his or her GED. Continuing students must submit transcripts with the most current grades and GPA.

4. 300-to-500-word essay describing: 1) educational goals, 2) professional goals, 3) extracurricular service activities or volunteer service, 4) your cultural awareness or how you might contribute to a healthy community, must be submitted annually. Please do not submit the same essay that you have submitted in prior years.

5. Current letters of recommendation from two (2) individuals must be submitted annually. Please do not submit the same letters of recommendation that you have submitted in prior years. Letters submitted for previous scholarship applications will not be accepted.

Each application packet will be reviewed and scored in the following areas:

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• Personal essay (40 points possible: up to 10 points – educational goals; up to 10 points professional goals; up to 10 points – extracurricular and community service activities/volunteerism; and up to 10 points – cultural awareness or how you might contribute to a healthy community). Returning students should not submit a copy of their previously submitted essay but should revise their original essay to incorporate current activities, achievement, and growth experiences.

• Grade point average (40 points possible). Example a GPA of 3.5 equals 35 points.

• Letters of recommendation (20 points possible). Letters should come from individuals who can attest to the students’ academic abilities, professional and educational development, or community involvement. Letters from immediate family members will not be accepted. Letters must be no more than 12 months old, include the author’s contact information and contain an original signature.

• Personal impression (20 points possible). Tips to maximize personal impression points include: type the application form; include a well-rounded personal essay addressing all focus points; and ensure the professional quality of all submitted materials by proofreading all materials and following instructions.

• Additional Points for class standing will be added as follows: Freshman 0 Sophomores 10 Juniors 20 Seniors 30.

D. Vocational Scholarships

The intent of the vocational scholarship is to help eligible students pay for the cost of a vocational program. Students may apply year-round for funding. For programs less than 6 months, students may receive no more than one (1) award per year with the amount to be determined by Louden.

Louden will determine an annual total limit for all awards.

Vocational scholarship applicants must submit the following:

1. A complete application form. All questions must be answered to the best of your ability, if any questions are left unanswered your application will be considered incomplete.

2. Proof of enrollment (i.e., Copy of letter of acceptance, enrollment verification letter, or current semester course registration form) from the program you will be attending.

3. Continuing students must submit transcripts with most current grades and GPA.

4. Two (2) Letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the student’s academic abilities, professional and educational development, or community

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involvement. Letters from immediate family members will not be accepted. Letters must be no more than 12 months old, include the author’s contact information and contain an original signature.

5. One page letter describing personal and professional goals.

6. Estimated cost for tuition, travel, room and board.

E. Notification of Awards

The process for reviewing applications can take up to four (4) weeks. Scholarship applicants will be notified with an award letter sent via email from the Tribal Administrator or his or her designee as to the status of their application within two (2) weeks of approval.

Scholarship awards will be sent to the Financial Aid Office at the school you will be attending. The Financial Aid Office will verify that the scholarship recipient is enrolled as a full-time student. If a student does not attend school in the fall semester or does not enroll as a full-time student, the scholarship award must be returned to Louden. If that student then re-enrolls as a full-time student in the following quarter, the money will be sent to the Financial Aid Office at the student’s request with confirmation of full-time enrollment. If you have questions, concerns or need assistance with your application, please contact:

Louden Village

Tribal Administrator

PO Box 244

Galena Alaska, 99741

Application forms can be found at: www.loudentribe.com

Applications can be submitted to: office@loudentribe.com

Questions or comments: 907-656-1711