University of Virginia
PA-7: Affordability and Access

AccessUVa is the financial aid program for the University of Virginia. It guarantees 100 percent of the demonstrated need of students admitted to the University. This important program allows U.Va. to operate with a “need-blind” admission policy that bolsters efforts to attract the best students here and achieve socioeconomic diversity in the student population. AccessUVa, which was modified as the Affordable Excellence program, offers caps on need-based loans for all other students, and a commitment to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for every student. The Affordable Excellence program reduces need-based indebtedness – low-income Virginians who earn a degree from the University would accrue a maximum of $4,000 in need-based student loans over a four-year period. Through AccessUVA, low-income students would accrue a maximum of $14,000 in need-based debt over four years. Additionally, under the program, middle-income Virginians would accrue a maximum of $18,000 in need-based student loans over a four-year period. AccessUVA not only keeps a U.Va. education affordable for the lowest income students, but also addresses the concerns of middle-income families who are squeezed by the rising cost of tuition. By limiting debt — or eliminating it altogether, in the case of students with the most need — AccessUVa offers assurance to prospective students that if they make the grade, they can afford to attend the University. http://financialaid.virginia.edu/

Every year, the University enrolls a number of students who are the first members of their families to attend college. It so happens that many of our faculty members, including a former president of the University, were the first members of their families to attend college. In an effort to help first-generation college students at UVA connect with members of the faculty who have had the same experience, the following faculty members have self-identified as first-generation college graduates. http://provost.virginia.edu/first-generation-college-graduates-faculty

The Blue Ridge Scholars Program and Posse offer programming for low-income students in addition to financial aid.

The University offers a number of privately endowed need-based scholarship and grant funds administered by Student Financial Services. Most of these awards were established by individuals or foundations and are intended for students who meet specific criteria. The University of Virgina offers the following scholarship programs to non-traditional students: Blue Ridge Scholars, Perkins Scholarship, Posse, Holland Blackburn Scholarship, Questbridge, Walter N. Ridley Scholarship, ROTC Scholarships, and the University Achievement Award, among others. To qualify for any University endowed or restricted scholarships, students must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, have financial need, and meet all federal and University eligibility requirements. In most instances, students do not need to complete a separate application form but are considered automatically. Many scholarship awards offered to students are funded by the generous gifts of University benefactors. In addition to financial need and/or academic achievement, a number of scholarships have specific donor requirements that are not easily identifiable. Students awarded a named scholarship will receive written notification of their selection. http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php#Need

The Outreach Office in the Office of Undergraduate Admission continues its extensive efforts to attract underrepresented students by developing important partnerships with national and regional college access organizations and establishing recruitment programs. In addition, the Office of Undergraduate Admission works with the Virginia College Advising Corps to strengthen relationships with under-served high schools in the state. http://www.admission.virginia.edu/outreach

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UVA BIS Dean’s Scholarship The UVA BIS Dean’s Scholarship is a one-time scholarship for incoming students to the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree completion program. The Scholarship will award each recipient up to $2,500. The first round of scholarships will be awarded for Spring 2018 admission. Individuals who submit an application to BIS by November 1, 2017 and are accepted for admission for Spring 2018 will be considered. A separate scholarship application is not required. Scholarship recipients will be selected based on their BIS application essay, as well as the overall strength of their application in demonstrating potential for success in the program. Individuals must be Virginia residents, or be eligible for in-state educational privileges. The Scholarship will also be available for those applying by May 15, 2018 and admitted for Fall 2018 and for those applying by November 1, 2018 and admitted for Spring 2019. Current BIS students are not eligible for the Scholarship. Osher Reentry Scholarship For Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Students Supported by a generous gift from The Bernard Osher Foundation, Osher Reentry Scholarships are available to reentry students enrolled in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) with a significant gap in the pursuit of their undergraduate degree. Minimum qualifications include: Reentry students must have experienced a cumulative gap of five or more years between their first pursuit of an undergraduate degree and their current enrollment in BIS Students are at the undergraduate level and pursuing their first baccalaureate degree Students anticipate participation in the workforce for a significant period of time upon degree completion Students show academic promise and a commitment to obtaining their degree Students demonstrate financial need and submit their financial aid application directly to UVA Student Financial Services Student must complete a scholarship application form, and include a short statement (200-400 words) describing why their college experience was interrupted, their reasons for reentering to complete their undergraduate degree, and their aspirations upon graduation. For more information, please contact Suzi Dougald, 434.243.2558 or smd2ez@virginia.edu Charlottesville Scholarship Program For Degree Students The Charlottesville Scholarship Program (CSP) was established to assist City of Charlottesville employees and students who would like to further their education, but do not have the means to do so. Scholarships are awarded to low and moderate income candidates who have graduated from the Charlottesville Public Schools and are residents of the City, or persons who are employed by the City, and who are in need of financial assistance to attend an accredited two or four year college, technical school or certification program that upgrades job related skills. Learn more about eligibility requirements and applying. Tobacco Region Loan Forgiveness Program For Degree Students The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (Tobacco Commission) established a program in 2002 to offer assistance with a bachelor’s degree and therefore strengthen the economies of Southwest (SW) and Southside (SS) Virginia through education and training of its citizens. Recipients will be applying for a loan with terms offered to earn forgiveness after graduation. Residents of SW or SS localities enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited 4-year college or university, in-state or out-of-state, can submit an application. Residents of the counties outside of SW and SS Virginia are not eligible to apply. Learn more about eligibility requirements and applying. Dishner Rural Health Care Loan/Scholarship For Post-Bac Pre-Med Students The Paul F. Dishner Rural Health Care Loan/Scholarship Program provides need-based financial support to students in the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program. Applicants who have been accepted to the PBPM program are encouraged to apply for Dishner funds if they intend to practice medicine in the underserved rural areas of Appalachia, including Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Northern Tennessee. Once a PBPM graduate has entered the practice of medicine and fulfilled the donor’s requirements to practice in the Appalachian region, the loans become scholarship and there is no repayment required. One of seven children born in 1925 to a poor but respected and hard-working family in Duffield, Va., Dr. Dishner knew he wanted to be a doctor from the age of 9. His desire was inspired in part by his mother, Sibyl Miller Dishner, who served the Duffield community as a lay midwife at a time when the scarcity of doctors in Scott County meant she both delivered babies and tended to other health concerns of her neighbors. Throughout his career, Dr. Dishner maintained a lifelong interest in Southern Appalachia and by establishing this fund at his death, he hoped to improve the quality of health care in the region. For more information, please contact Susan Salko at 434.982.5288 or sms2dg@virginia.edu

The University of Virginia Academic Division operates two child care centers to address the needs of University faculty, staff, and students as well as the employees of the hospital, University-affiliated foundations and contractors. In addition, the Office of the Dean of Students assigned an Associate Dean to students with children and lists the following resources on its website: the childcare centers, UBabysitters (which match undergraduate sitters with students needing a few hours a week of free childcare), community childcare options, recreational opportunities in the area, and useful links.

The University of Virginia offers the following in support of non-traditional students: the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, the International Center, the LGBT Resource Center, the Office for Diversity and Equity, the Office of African American Affairs, the Student Disability Access Center, and the Women's Center. The Office of Admissions assigns one dean to support transfer students and the Office of the Dean of Students assigns deans and program coordinators to support students with children and other specific populations populations. The University's Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights is a service and resource organization that supports and advances the University's commitment to inclusion and equity by providing advice and leadership to administrators, faculty, and staff in their efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce and to ensure a learning community free from discrimination and harassment. In addition, the University maintains a bias reporting website.