Scholarship: Presidents' Scholarship

Full-time tuition (a dollar amount equal to 15 credit hours) and registration fee (award amount varies with cost of tuition) for up to four consecutive fall and spring semesters of Maricopa Community College District coursework.

click here to download Presidential Scholarship Application

Tuition and Fees Covered by the Presidents' Scholarship

• Course fees
• Fitness center
• In-county tuition and fees
• Laboratory fees (such as organic and general chemistry)

Does Not Cover:

Any expenses for pass/fail courses or remedial courses

• Remedial and/or Pass/Fail option classes may be included in a student's schedule, but the award will be reduced/prorated if registration includes fewer than 12 credit hours of 100 level or above coursework for a letter grade.
  Exception: Required, program-specific pass/fail courses are within scholarship guidelines.
• Tuition for summer sessions will not be paid for by the scholarship.

Tuition and Fees NOT Covered include the following:

Eligibility

Two Pathways for Eligibility

1. Class Ranking
   • Graduate from a North Central Association (NCA) accredited high school in Maricopa County.
   • Rank in the top 15% of the class at the end of the 6th, 7th, OR 8th semesters.
   • Apply to the Honors Program at any MCCCD college.
   • Enroll in an MCCD college within two academic semesters after high school graduation, summer school excluded.
     * High school students graduating in May are eligible in the following August (Fall) and January (Spring) semesters. Those graduating in December are eligible in the following January (Spring) and August (Fall) semesters.
   • Enroll in at least 12 credit hours per semester (Fall/Spring), including at least one honors course per semester.
   • Students must not enroll in any other post-secondary institution between high school graduation and first enrollment at MCCD, summer school excluded.
2. Placement Test Scores (ASSET or COMPASS)
   • Applies to graduates from NCA accredited high schools within Maricopa County whose class standings fall below the top 15th percentile
   • Applies to students who complete secondary educational programs in Maricopa County not accredited by NCA (home school, charter and private schools)
   • Students must take all three placement tests and must take the tests prior to the end of Drop-Add Week during fall or spring semester.
     
     All test scores must fall at or above the following cutoff levels:
     • English Skills - Placement in Honors English
     • Reading Skills - Exempted from CRE101
     • Numeracy Skills - Placement in MAT 120 or higher

Procedures for Initial Eligibility (Responsibility of College Honors Coordinator or Designee)

• Completion of Honors Program application by the student at an MCCD college.
• Verification of placement scores OR high school class ranking at the end of 6th, 7th, or 8th semesters from the high school. (The 15% ranking is determined by rounding off to the nearest whole percent. Thus, a student who graduates at 15.49% would be eligible.)
• Verification of high school graduation by receipt of an official, final high school transcript by the college where the student will participate in honors.

Criteria for Retention of Presidents' Scholarship

• Enrollment in the college Honors Program or transfer to another MCCD institution.
• Remaining in good academic standing at the college(s) and maintaining a 3.25 or higher GPA.
• Enrollment in and completion of at least 12 credit hours each Fall/Spring semester (100 level or above) including at least one Honors course per semester. Remedial and/or Pass/Fail option classes may be included in a student's schedule, but the award will be reduced/prorated if registration includes fewer than 12 credit hours of 100 level or above coursework for a letter grade.
  * Exception: Required, program-specific pass/fail courses are within retention guidelines.

Procedures for Verifying Continued Eligibility (Responsibility of College Honors Coordinator or Designee)

• The required GPA will be checked each semester. Grades earned in summer school will be included in the cumulative GPA.
• Completion of the required credit hours will be checked at the end of each semester.
• Enrollment for the number of required credit hours (including at least one Honors course) will be checked at the beginning of each semester.

Probation

• A student may provisionally retain a scholarship if the first semester's GPA falls below 3.25 but above 3.0. After one semester of probation, a cumulative GPA of 3.25 is needed to continue the scholarship.
• A student may only be on probation once. An exception to this rule can be made only in extraordinary circumstances at the Honors Coordinator's discretion.

Termination

• A student will have his/her scholarship terminated for one of the following reasons:
  - The student's GPA falls below 3.0, or
  - The student does not complete 12 credits, or
  - The student does not complete an Honors course.
• The scholarship cannot be reinstated.

Unique Circumstances and Exceptions

Eligibility for Other Scholarships

• Employees/employee dependents who qualify under the guidelines for the Presidents' Scholarships OR Honors Fee Waiver can receive full value for the award in addition to the MCCD Employee and/or Dependent Waiver.
• Presidents' Scholarship Recipients are not eligible for additional/concurrent support through Honors Fee Waiver, Betty Hedin Elsner Scholarship or Chancellor's Scholarship that semester. The Honors Coordinator may use his or her own discretion in awarding a Foundation Scholarship to a Presidents' Scholar.

Leave Requests

The Honors Coordinator may exercise professional judgment to make exceptions for students who are unable to complete a semester due to illness or accident. All exceptions will be documented in the student's financial aid records.

Acceptable situations have been those that were beyond the student's control. Examples of acceptable circumstances include:

• being in an accident or being hospitalized for an extended length of time
• suffering a death in the family that requires the student to take on additional roles
• being "called up" for active duty as part of a reserve unit of the military

Unacceptable situations include circumstances in which the student has made a conscious choice to leave school for a semester or more. Examples of this include:

• going on a mission for one's church
• requesting to participate in active military duty

When in doubt about granting a leave of absence to the student, the Honors Coordinator should contact the District Honors Faculty Coordinator for clarification.

Repayment Policy

Discretion to seek repayment resides at the college level. A student WILL lose future eligibility for the Presidents' Scholarship and/or the Honors Fee Waiver.

Dual Enrollment (earning high school and college credits concurrently)

A high school student who has earned college credits while completing high school is eligible for the Presidents' Scholarship if all other criteria are met.