Institute for Humane Studies Scholarship

Humane Studies Fellowships are awarded to graduate students and outstanding undergraduates embarking on liberty-advancing careers in ideas. The fellowships support study in a variety of fields, including economics, philosophy, law, political science, history, and sociology. 


Awards range from $2,000 to $15,000 and fellowship winners may re-apply for each year of their studies. In 2011, the Institute for Humane Studies awarded more than $750,000 to 195 students.

The program is open to full-time and prospective graduate students, including law and MBA students. There are a limited number of fellowships open to undergraduate juniors and seniors with a demonstrated interest in pursuing a scholarly career.

For more information please visit www.TheIHS.org/pursuit
Application deadline: December 31, 2011

SMART Scholarship

SMART - The premier scholarship program supporting the education of America's future scientists and engineers. The Department of Defense is proud to offer scholarships and post-graduation career opportunities to our nation's research leaders of tomorrow.

SMART Scholars Receive:

• Generous Cash Award
• Full Tuition and Fees
• Health Insurance
• Book Allowance
• Summer Internships (multi-year participants)
• Career Opportunities

For more information and to apply to to http://smart.asee.org/
Direct all questions to smart@asee.org

How to Pay Student Loans: Too much debt? Too little income? Find a game plan that works for you.

Article found at Kiplinger.com by Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor

You got through college with straight A's, but now you face your first big test as a young adult: squaring a starting salary with the payments on your student loans.

That's a pressing issue for June grads as their six-month grace period on student-loan repayment ends. The challenge is especially great for borrowers whose debt includes private loans. Whereas federal loans -- including Staffords as well as Grad PLUS loans -- generally carry a fixed interest rate (Staffords issued before July 2006 have variable rates) and flexible repayment terms, private loans usually have variable rates and less-forgiving repayment policies. You could end up paying far more than you expected, with no relief in sight.

Best strategy? Figure out a way to make the federal loans manageable, then throw every spare nickel at the private loans (assuming the lender allows you to prepay), says Edie Irons, of the Project on Student Debt. "Because there are fewer protections, it should be a priority to try to pay off private loans first."

Luckily, you have plenty of choices on the federal-loan side, whether your loan comes from a private lender who participates in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program or from the government's Federal Direct Loan program.

I have Stafford loans and want to repay them as painlessly as possible. Which plan should I choose? You're automatically enrolled in the standard repayment plan unless you say otherwise. Stick with this plan, under which you make 120 equal monthly payments over a ten-year period. Be sure to take advantage of any discounts, such as 0.25% off the interest rate for having payments deducted automatically. If you want to unload your loans on a faster timetable and save on interest, pay a bit more than the allotted amount each month. Be sure to specify in writing that you want the extra amount to be applied to the principal.

My salary is low now, but I expect it to jump in the next few years. The graduated repayment plan suits your situation. Monthly payments start low and rise in increments over the ten-year period. Because you pay less in the early years, you pay a bit more in interest over the life of the loan than you would with the standard plan.

Say you have a total of $25,000 in Stafford loans, each with a 6.8% interest rate. With a standard repayment plan, you'd pay $288 in 120 monthly payments, for a total of $34,524. With a graduated plan, you could pay $142 a month for the first three years and $375 a month for the remaining seven. Your total payments would add up to $36,590.

I have $40,000 in Stafford loan debt and can't afford the monthly payments. The extended repayment plan applies to borrowers who owe more than $30,000 on their federal loans. The plan lets you stretch the payments as long as 25 years, lowering the monthly amount but increasing the cost of the loan. On $40,000, you would pay $227 a month for 25 years, for a total of $83,289.

I'm a freelance writer. I don't expect to earn enough to make my payments affordable anytime soon. If you're in the Federal Direct Loan program, look into the income-contingent plan, which calculates monthly payments according to your income, family size and the total amount of your loans. You get up to 25 years to repay the debt, after which the feds forgive the remainder.

Thanks to recent legislation, borrowers who work in the public sector -- say, as a firefighter, teacher or government employee -- and who make 120 payments after July 2008 in this or the standard plan qualify for loan forgiveness after ten years. The income-contingent plan is available only to borrowers in the Direct Loan program, which you can switch into by consolidating your loans in that program (go to http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/ for details).

Parking Sticker Clarification

All students on campus must have a valid parking sticker for the 2011-2012 school year. If you are looking for a parking application, please check your Bay Path email, as several attachments have been sent to you. Once we receive the application, we will be happy to give you a parking sticker.  You may send them to cdame@baypath.edu, fax to 413.565.1171, or drop off in person Monday - Friday 9am - 12pm or 2 pm - 2 pm.

Stickers will not be available for pick up on Saturdays as our Business Office is closed.

American Associate of University Woman - Career Development Grant

American Association of University Women (AAUW) is offering Career Development Grants for graduate students for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

Career Development Grants support women who hold a bachelor's degree and are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the work force. Special consideration is given to women of color, and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields. Grants provide support for course work beyond a bachelor's degree, including a master's degree, second bachelor's degree, or specialized training in technical or professional fields. Funds are available for distance learning. Course work must be taken at an accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States, or at a technical school that is fully licensed or accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Funds are not available for PhD-level work.

Award: $2,000 – $12,000
Applications available*: August 1 – December 15, 2011
Application deadline*: December 15, 2011
Grant year: July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013

* All supporting documents must also be received by this date. If an application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, supporting documents must be received the next business day.

Questions about applications must be directed to the Iowa City office. Please do not contact the AAUW office in Washington, D.C., or local branches for application information. Please call 319/337-1716 ext. 60, e-mail aauw@act.org, or write to the customer service center at

AAUW
Fellowships and Grants
101 ACT Drive
P.O. Box 4030
Iowa City, IA 52243-4030

...but I only attended ONE class!!!

Have you ever wondered why you were charged for a percentage of a class, even though you didn't complete it or attend most of the classes? This is a very common question that our office is faced with on a daily basis, and for those of you who think the percentages are selected at random, please read further! Bay Path's Institutional Refund Policy as noted in our Financial Information brochure is listed as a refresher below.

Sessions containing 8 weeks: (Graduate Program)
Within the first week - 90% refund
Within the second week - 30% refund
After the second week - NO REFUND

Sessions containing 6 weeks: (One Day Saturday Program)
Within the first week - 90% refund
After the first week - NO REFUND

Sessions containing 15 weeks: (Traditional Program)
Within the first week - 80% refund
Within the second week - 60% refund
Within the third week - 40% refund
Within the fourth week - 20% refund
After four weeks - NO REFUND

Please note: if you withdraw prior to the first scheduled class, you get 100% refund. You may be subject to a $100 drop fee if you withdraw within the 2 week deadline.