• Returning applicants who received a scholarship award in 2017-2018 (Fall 2017/Spring 2018) are eligible to re-apply,
• A legal resident of the United States, having resided in the Southern or Southwest Regions (see map on homepage) for not less than 12 months with no ties to any other state,
• Currently enrolled for a minimum of 6 semester or 6 quarter hours in a bachelor’s program at a baccalaureate accredited institution of higher education, public or private, in-state or out-of-state
  • Two-year programs at a 4-year college or university are acceptable if not offered by the Virginia community college that serves the applicant. If you choose to receive funding towards an associate’s degree, this program will help with funding for only one degree per student per lifetime.
• Applicant must be in good standing with college or university,
• Award limited to 2 semesters per academic year unless funds remain for summer,
• Award limited to one degree per student per lifetime.

• Complete and submit online application
• Submit official transcript providing Fall 2017 cumulative GPA based on 4.0 scale by due date posted; DO NOT SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT BEFORE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED AN ONLINE APPLICATION.

Award Guidelines

• First priority is given to returning recipients who received a scholarship award payment in 2017-2018, who submitted a new application and support documents by the deadline, and continue to meet program criteria. These students' applications will be processed and awarded first.
• If funds remain available, priority will be given in the following award order as a forgivable loan. OFFICIAL AWARD ORDER BY REGION for new 2018-19 awards follows:


SOUTHWEST REGION: Permanent residents of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe counties, and cities of Bristol, Galax, and Norton:
• Juniors and Seniors with STEM-H majors by GPA who are descendants of tobacco quota holders/growers during 1998-2004 (with documentation), and then other Juniors and Seniors with STEM-H majors by GPA,
• Juniors and Seniors by GPA who are descendants of tobacco quota holders/growers during 1998-2004 (documentation) by GPA, and then to other Juniors and Seniors by GPA,
• Sophomores by GPA, with priority given to descendants of tobacco quota holders/growers during 1998-2004 (documentation), and then to other Sophomores by GPA,
• Freshmen by GPA (4.0 to 2.0 order), with priority given to descendants of tobacco quota holders/growers during 1998-2004 (documentation), and then to other freshmen by GPA.

SOUTHERN REGION: Permanent residents of Amelia, Appomattox, Bedford, Brunswick, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Franklin, Greensville, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Sussex counties, and the cities of Bedford, Danville, Emporia, and Martinsville.

Returning 2017-2018 scholarship award recipients will be awarded first. If funds remain, official award priorities will be as follows and will be as a forgivable loan:

• Juniors and Seniors with STEM-H majors by GPA,
• Other juniors and seniors by GPA
• Sophomores by GPA
• Freshmen by GPA (4.0 to 2.0 order)
• NOTE: AWARDS ARE BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING AND ON CRITERIA ESTABLISHED YEARLY BY THE VIRGINIA TOBACCO COMMISSION

Award Amounts for Returning Scholarship Recipients

• Will continue at $90 per semester hour (or $100 per semester for those students who previously transferred 60 credits from community college), or award will be $60 per quarter hour (or $67 for students who transferred 90 quarter hours) if the school attended operates on quarter hour basis.
• Scholarship assistance is offered for a maximum of 120 semester hours (or 180 quarter hours) toward one degree MINUS the number of transferred or taken hours on transcript. (Example: 120 SH – 60 SH transferred from VHCC or PHCC = 60 semester hours eligible for assistance).
• Award recipients must be enrolled in not less than 6 hours per semester to be eligible for an award.
• Assistance with one undergraduate degree.
• After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, awarded students may apply for an additional $1000 Work Incentive for each semester scholarship was received (maximum of 8 semesters) and 6 months fulltime employment in the Tobacco Region. 5-year limit from issue date of letter/email to claim incentive for each semester scholarship was received (maximum of 8 semesters).

Work Incentive Payment for Returning Scholarship Recipients

• A Work Incentive will continue to be offered yearly only to scholarship recipients, with notifications sent by email at the same time scholarship award emails are sent. Beginning with 2017-2018 and forward, students who are awarded a loan forgiveness award will not be offered the Work Incentive Payment.
• To request a Work Incentive Payment after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, an award recipient must have completed the following:
  
  
  • Graduation with a bachelor’s degree required (associate’s degrees not eligible),
  • One year of fulltime employment in the Tobacco Region (approved localities represented on the map on the website home page) after graduation to earn maximum of $2000 for working fulltime for a full year after graduation for each year a scholarship was received. Incentive to be claimed each 6 months for $1000 for 6 months of fulltime employment in the Tobacco Region. To request a Work Incentive Payment, an online request including required documentation must be submitted for each semester that the scholarship was received (maximum of 2 requests per year for a maximum of 8 semesters).
  • Documentation requirements are outlined in the commitment letter (email) sent to the applicant each year after an award email is sent.
• It is the responsibility of recipient to claim. Applications for a Work Incentive Payment must be submitted online with required documentation uploaded through the applicant portal. To access, log into your account, and from the “Applicant Activities” menu choose “Work Incentive Payment” for instructions. 5-year limit from the date of the commitment letter (email) to claim Work Incentive Payment.
• IMPORTANT: Students who have received funds from the previous Southside Loan Forgiveness Program (2002-Spring 2012) must satisfy the terms of the Promissory Note(s) signed before a Work Incentive Payment request can be submitted.