Scholarship Information

The scholarship money available through the Sociology department is primarily earmarked to fund experiential learning. Experiential learning is learning that occurs as the result of reflecting on the intended and unintended consequences of applying knowledge and ideas to real world situations (i.e., outside of a traditional classroom setting). Examples include internships, mentored research, study abroad programs, field studies, student teaching, travel to academic conferences, etc. Our current priority for funding experiential learning opportunities is to offer significant support (e.g., $5,000 to $6,000) to a small number of students who might not consider a study abroad or unfunded internship or other experience because they don’t have access to the financial resources to do them. In other words, experiential learning scholarships are most likely to be given in the context of substantial financial need. As a lower priority, we also anticipate funding smaller amounts (e.g., $500 to $1,000) to a few students to supplement their existing resources or to offset some of the costs of experiences for students who may have access to support from other sources.

We also plan to fund some scholarships outside any associated experience when students can document clear evidence of financial need. Needs-based scholarships are designed to support students make progress toward graduation when their financial situation makes it difficult. These awards typically range between $1,000 to $2,000.

Eligibility:

1. The University’s current policy is that total scholarship amounts for any semester or term cannot exceed twice the amount of tuition. Therefore, you are only eligible up to that amount.

2. You are a declared sociology major or minor and have completed Soc 111, 112, or 113 and two other sociology courses (e.g., 300, 310, etc.) with a C- or better grade.

3. You must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per term during the semester/term(s) you are applying for.

Note: If you will be enrolled for fewer than 12 hours because it is your last semester before graduation, you may receive an award, but the amount might be reduced.

Materials needed for application:

Before you begin your application, we recommend gathering the following, which you will need to complete the application.

• A PDF version of your student record summary that is available through AIM. To access your record summary, 1) Log into MyBYU from the BYU homepage; 2) Expand the School menu under Campus Links and click on AIM; 3) Click on grades; 4) Save the webpage as a PDF. Please name your file using the following convention: firstname lastname grades.pdf. So, if your name was W.E.B. Du Bois, your file would be named "WEB Du Bois grades.pdf". You will upload the grades summary as part of the application.
• Your FAFSA score. This is sometimes referred to as the EFC or expected family contribution that is generated when you complete the FAFSA.This is a requirement for all students, regardless of whether you would receive or are eligible for federal student aid unless you are an international student that graduated from high school in the United States. Unless you meet this exception, you will be unable to submit the application and will not be considered for funding from the Sociology department if you do not complete the FAFSA and report your score. Note that there is a space on the application form for additional information if you believe your FAFSA score does not reflect your current financial standing

If you are submitting an experiential learning application:

• Documentation that you have been accepted for the experience in PDF form. If you do not upload this documentation when you are filling out the application, you will be able to submit the application, but you will need to provide some documentation of acceptance to the experience before you receive funding. Please name the file using the following convention: firstname lastname experience.pdf. So, if your name was Harriet Martineau, your file would be named “Harriet Martineau experience.pdf”. You will upload this file as part of the application.
• A narrative explanation of how the experience will contribute to your development as a sociologist. Experiences are most likely to be awarded a scholarship if the student provides a clear, convincing argument for how the experience will contribute to their development as a sociologist. Between 300 and 400 words should be adequate but you should be as complete as you need to communicate the value that the experience might have for your training as a sociologist.
• An explanation of the expenses associated with your experience. For example, if you are applying for funding for a study abroad program, how much is tuition, travel, etc.? If you are applying for funding for an unfunded internship, are there travel costs? Will there be lost income?

If you are submitting a needs-based application:

• A description of the reasons or special circumstances in your life indicating why you are requesting a needs-based scholarship. Please include enough detail so that we can evaluate your need relative to the needs of other applications. Between 300 and 400 words should be adequate but you can include more detail if you wish.
• There is only a limited amount of funding available for needs-based scholarships for minors.

Conference Travel:

The Sociology Department is trying to entirely fund all student travel to domestic academic conferences, including airfare, hotel, transportation, per diem, etc. The only condition to be funded is that you attend as a presenter. This can mean you are presenting in a normal, round table, or poster session. If you are presenting, you do not need to apply for funding during the application windows.

To apply, please email the department secretaries at soca_sec@byu.edu with the PDF form found above, being sure to CC Margaret McCabe (margaret_mccabe@byu.edu) as well.

To fill out the form, you will need to have the following information ready:

1. Your name
2. Your faculty mentor’s name
3. The conference name, dates, and location
4. The name and type of session you will be presenting in
5. A budget that includes the cost of
   · Airfare
   · Hotel
   · Transportation
   · Per diem (see https://purchasing.byu.edu/per-diem)
   · Other miscellaneous costs

Travel for presenting at international conferences will also be funded up to but no more than $1,500 per conference. Applications should be submitted following the procedure outlined above.

For information about additional scholarships available to BYU students, please select one of the following links:

• BYU General Scholarship Information
• FHSS Scholarships
• Global Women's Studies Scholarships
• Ballard Center Grants