Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships and Grants

Undergraduate Institutional Grants and Scholarships

Both merit scholarships (including Hollins Scholar, Hollins Recognition, Transfer Scholarship and Hollins Friendship Grant) and the Hollins Grant (need-based) are funded through university funds and endowments. Both your merit and if applicable, Hollins Grant is originally awarded to act as a “placeholder” until we are notified of the amounts we are able to award for each of the named/endowed scholarship funds. Both the merit scholarship and Hollins Grant may be swapped with a scholarship established by a donor anytime within the academic year. You may be contacted by the Office of Institutional Advancement to ask you to write a “thank you” letter to the scholarship donor(s).

Undergraduate Institutional Grants and Scholarships Renewal Criteria

All Hollins University undergraduate institutional grants and scholarships require students meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements to renew each year.

In addition to meeting SAP, specific scholarships listed below have additional renewal criteria:

Artemis Scholarship: 3.0 GPA, remain enrolled full-time (14 or more credit hours each semester), remain Pell Grant eligible (as determined by the FAFSA), and major in biology, chemistry, environmental science, or math.

Batten Scholar Award: 3.25 GPA

Endowed Music Scholarships (including Ale, Dorminy, McCoy, McCullough, Peacock, Taussig): 2.0 GPA, remain active in music program and/or take private lessons each semester. McCullough requires students remain music majors (voice).

HOPE Scholarship: Remain Pell Grant eligible as determined by the FAFSA

Transfer Specific Scholarship:

Phi Theta Kappa is renewable as long as a student is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Please note: Hollins Visit Grant, Hollins FAFSA Grant and Hollins Alumni Referral Grant are one-time awards.

Federal Grants

Federal Pell Grant: The U.S. Department of Education oversees federal student and imparts limitations on how much aid one can receive and the duration of eligibility. A Federal Pell Grant is available to undergraduates pursuing their first bachelor’s degree who show exceptional financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Recipients can qualify for no more than 12 full-time semesters (or the equivalent if part-time).

Renewal Criteria: File the FAFSA each year, meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, and be determined by the FAFSA to have exceptional need.

Federal TEACH Grant: At Hollins, undergraduate students must have a declared major of Elementary Education to be eligible. In addition to the major, students must meet both eligibility requirements and service requirements as determined by the Department of Education. If the student meets the Department of Education requirements and chooses to pursue the TEACH Grant at Hollins, they must fill out a request for funding form each semester as well as complete the Department of Education required TEACH Grant Counseling and TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.

Renewal Criteria: Students must fill out the Hollins TEACH Grant request for funding and meet all requirements as defined by the Department of Education. If a student does not meet the defined requirements, all TEACH grant funding will convert to Direct Unsubsidized Loans with interest.

After completion of the program, students must serve as a full-time teacher for four elementary or secondary school years at a school or educational service agency that serves low-income students, teach in a high-need field, and complete the required four years of teaching within eight years after you graduate from or otherwise cease to be enrolled at the institution of higher education where you received your TEACH Grants. If you do not meet the requirements of your service obligation, all TEACH Grants you received will be converted to Direct Unsubsidized Loans. You must repay these loans in full, with interest charged from the date of each TEACH Grant disbursement.

State Grants

Virginia Two-Year College Transfer Grant: Students must be transferring from a Virginia Community College after earning an associates degree to be eligible. In addition, the student must enroll by the fall or spring immediately following completion of an associate’s degree. Students must be domiciled in Virginia, have a minimum 3.0 GPA and have a student aid index as determined by the FAFSA of less than $15,000. Additional eligibility requirements as defined by the Commonwealth of Virginia can be found here.

Renewal Criteria: Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, domicile in Virginia and have a student aid index below $15,000 each year.

Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG): The Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG), funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, provides grant assistance to degree-seeking undergraduate students who are domiciled Virginia residents and who enroll full-time during the regular academic year. The award amount is set annually by the General Assembly and is subject to change each academic year. Need is not a determining factor for VTAG.

Renewal Criteria: Students are not required to submit a VTAG application after their initial application submission and approval. In order to remain eligible students, must remain full-time and domiciled in Virginia. To view additional renewal criteria, please see the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) website here.

Outside Scholarship Opportunities

Some outside organizations provide scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students. It is the student’s responsibility to search for, and apply for, these awards. We’ve found that fall, winter, and early spring are the most productive times of year to search for outside scholarships. Please note that you should never, ever have to pay to apply for (or search for) a scholarship so please be cautious. Students are required to report all outside scholarship awards to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance. We have a tipsheet here that is not all inclusive but may provide helpful resources when looking for outside scholarships.

Receipt of outside scholarships or awards may require the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance to adjust the loans and/or work-study portion of a financial aid offer if the total need-based aid exceeds the financial need as determined by the FAFSA. If at any point the total aid that a student receives from all sources exceeds the annual total cost of attendance, Hollins’ institutional aid will be reduced.