The Robert C Byrd Honors Scholarship Program funded federally by the US Department of Education & administered by the various states, is monumental in terms of the number of Robert Byrd Scholarships awarded every year and one of the major programs that recognizes and rewards brilliant high school seniors and ensures excellence in education at high secondary level is achieved. The department provides the funds to the State Education Agencies (SEA) to be distributed amongst various applicants annually. The estimated program funding for 2009 is to be more than $40 million for more than 27,000 applicants to help pay for college expenses. Because of the sheer size of the Byrd Scholarship Program, students stand a decent chance of realizing one. If you fall into the Byrd Honors Scholarship criteria then apply without hesitation.
The US Department of Education (www.ed.gov) was created in 1980 with a mission to promote achievements and excellence in education and to prepare the US scholars for global exposure & competitiveness by ensuring equal access to education for all. The department is responsible for preparing the policies for federal financial aid for education, distributing and monitoring those funds. The department has annual budget of more than $64 billion for the year 2009 and provides educational loans and grants to more than 13 million students across the US. The Robert Byrd Scholarship was established in 1985 and is funded by the US Congress which has been providing financial assistance to the deserving candidates annually. The Robert C Byrd Honors Scholarship Program was the first merit-based scholarship of the US and was named after the US Senator Robert Byrd as a scholarship memorial.
The Byrd Scholarship Program is open to the permanent residents of the US only. Any full-time high school graduate accepted for enrollment at institutes of higher education (IHE) and with outstanding academic merit (various criteria) can apply for the Byrd Honors Scholarship program to the SEA at the state of residence. Even home schooled students are eligible at some SEAs. The entire application package with the details about the application process is available from the SEA only. The deadlines for the application processes are managed by the SEA individually. The scholarships are allocated by the counties of each state. There are various conditions including students attending military academy are not eligible and they are to be adhered to. Financial need is not considered as a selection condition. As the states are allowed to define their own selection criteria each state has its own application criteria. The average Robert Byrd Scholarship amount is $1,500 per applicant per year and is renewable for up to four years based on the academic progress. The amount totally depends upon the state, based on the annual funding done. The SEAs have to renew their participation for the award annually as well.
With the distribution ratio of 99% for the funds allocated annually for education every year, the Department of Education is committed to sponsor the education for each and every American citizen. As their mission clearly specifies the Department needs to provide access to all levels of education to everyone. One such initiative is the Robert Byrd Scholarship Program that rewards the merit of the students to motivate them for further success. The Byrd Scholarship enables various scholars to continue educational brilliance in their undergraduate programs. It’s enormous in size & scope thus increasing every student’s chances of being awarded one. This certainly is a big scholarship program. Don’t let this financial opportunity slip by. Apply now!
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