Undergraduate
Swenson Scholarship
Purpose
Made possible by the generosity of a couple who are members of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Dana Point, California, the Swenson Scholarship program was designed to encourage members of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations in Orange County, California, to attend California Lutheran University (CLU). The donors are strongly committed to making an undergraduate education in a college of the church affordable.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Swenson Scholarship, the student must meet the following criteria:
- Member of an ELCA congregation in Orange County, California
- U.S. Citizen
- Demonstrated motivation and drive
- 3.0 academic GPA (as calculated by CLU)
- Admitted to CLU by March 15
- Demonstrated financial need
To keep the Swenson Scholarship while at CLU, a student must meet the following:
- Full-time student (12 or more units per semester)
- 3.0 cumulative GPA
GPA is evaluated at the end of every semester. If a student's GPA drops below the minimum, the student will be notified he/she is on probation and has one semester to bring his/her GPA back up. If it is still low after that semester, the student is no longer eligible for the scholarship (suspension). If a student loses his/her scholarship and then brings his/her GPA back up to the minimum, he/she may be eligible for reinstatement if there are any scholarships available (only 16 scholarships are available in any year). There is no guarantee that the scholarship can be reinstated.
Scholarship Availability and Amount
Half Tuition and Student Fees scholarships are awarded to eligible incoming freshman and transfer students. The number of available scholarships varies from year to year.
For incoming freshmen, this scholarship is renewable for up to three additional years of undergraduate education following the first year, provided the student maintains the GPA and unit requirement above. For incoming transfer students, the scholarship is renewable for up to three additional years of undergraduate education following the first year at CLU, provided the students maintains the GPA and unit requirement above. For transfer students, the years of availability for the scholarship are based on grade level at the time of enrollment. for example, if a transfer student enters CLU as a junior, heshe is eligible to receive the Swenson Scholarship for two total years.
Procedure
The 2012 Swenson Application is available through the CLU Scholarship Tracking and Review System (STARS) online at https://stars.callutheran.edu/stars. To access the application, a student must be admitted to CLU and have received their CLU username and password. In addition to submitting the application, the applicant should request the pastor or youth minister of his/her congregation complete a letter of recommendation, which the applicant may upload to STARS.
If you are not admitted to CLU yet, but would like to apply, please contact Laura Boismenue (contact information below) to request a paper applicaton.
Both the application and the recommendation must be submitted through the STARS system and/or received in the Office of Admission by 5:00 p.m. PST on March 30, 2012. No late applications will be accepted. Recipients will be notified on or before April 15, 2011.
Recipients of the Swenson Scholarship who are eligible for other CLU Scholarships will always receive the greater amount. For example, Jaime receives a Regents Scholarship for $15,000 and then is selected for the Swenson Scholarship. Her Financial Aid Award will read:
- Swenson Scholarship $14,615 (in 2011-2012)
- Deans Award $385
To determine financial need we highly encourage all students who are interested in the Swenson Scholarship to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to the priority deadline of March 1, 2012, as financial need is the criterion of this scholarship. The FAFSA can be filed online at: www.fafsa.gov.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding the Swenson Scholarship, please contact Laura Boismenue via e-mail lboismen@callutheran.edu or phone (805) 493-3143.
