Award Determination and Notification for the Byrd Scholarship

Initial Awarding and Notification

The total number of scholarships awarded each year is contingent upon the funds allocated by the federal government.

Applicant data must be received by ISAC on or before March 1st preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is being requested.

For new candidates from the state of Illinois, the following criteria guidelines are used to determine an applicant’s score:

• rank in the top 2% of the high school class during junior year;
• score 31 or above on the ACT, or 1360 or above on the SAT, or the equivalent on the Prairie State Achievement Exam; and
• have a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).

It is important to remember that the above criteria are guidelines, not program rules. A student still has a chance of receiving a Byrd Scholarship if his/her Grade Point Average is below 3.8 but the ACT composite score is high (note that the ACT composite score carries the most impact).

Also, Financial Aid Administrators should remember that their institutions may have students from across the country who received a Byrd Scholarship from a state other than Illinois — each state will have it’s own unique guidelines for awarding.

New Awards

New candidates are selected by proportional geographic distribution (as outlined in the ISAC Rules, Part 2755 Appendix A).

New Byrd Honors Scholars receive a Notice of Award from ISAC by May 1st preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is awarded. Included with this notification is the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Eligibility Certification form (with instructions) and a Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Rights and Responsibilities document.

If a student does not accept the offer of a new scholarship, the eligible applicant with the next highest score from the same geographic district will be chosen to receive the scholarship.

Renewal Awards and Notification

Byrd Scholarship recipients will receive four years of funding if the scholar continues to meet all eligibility requirements. Note that, while Byrd Scholars must be Illinois residents to receive an initial award, they do not have to be Illinois residents in the subsequent years.

To continue to receive the Byrd Scholarship in subsequent years, recipients must complete the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Eligibility Certification form sent to him/her each spring with the Notice of Renewal from ISAC. Instructions for completing the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Eligibility Certification form and the Rights and Responsibilities document are sent with the Notice of Renewal.

Deadlines

Both new and renewal Byrd Scholars must complete the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program Eligibility Certification form and return it to ISAC by the due date. For the 2008-09 academic year, the form must be returned to ISAC on or before July 15, 2008 to avoid forfeiting the Byrd Scholarship.