Academic and Cultural Sharing Scholarship

St. Cloud State University offers a unique opportunity for international students. Committed to quality education and international vision, the university provides qualified international students with the Academic and Cultural Sharing Scholarship which entitles the student to pay resident tuition, currently a savings of about $4000 per year. This scholarship serves a dual purpose:

1. To provide financial support and incentive for international students to attend SCSU, especially for those who may not be able to attend SCSU without this special scholarship.
2. To provide opportunities for residents of Minnesota (students and community members) to learn about the wide array of world cultures through interaction with our SCSU international students and their cultural sharing programs.

ACSS (Academic & Cultural Sharing Scholarship) Guidelines and Participation Contract for F-1 students.

Given the specific purposes of the scholarship, every effort has to be made by each and every international student receiving the ACS Scholarship to share his/her culture with American students, faculty, staff and members of the community by devoting themselves to activities that will benefit the Americans academically and culturally. By sharing, we mean sharing with the American residents who made the scholarship possible. By academic and cultural, the activities need to be academic and cultural in nature. The end result of such academic and cultural sharing activities will enable the American students, faculty, staff or members of the community to become more knowledgeable of the culture and country where the international students come from and gain a better sense of the global society.

1. Who is eligible?
2. What are the requirements?
3. What is not qualified?
4. What are exemptions?
5. Summer Sessions
6. How do I apply?
7. How do I appeal if I lose the scholarship?
8. Other SCSU Scholarships

Who is eligible?

• Any F-1 student visa holder admitted to SCSU is eligible to receive the scholarship by meeting all of the following requirements. Students who are out of status are not eligible.

What are the requirements?

• Attend the International Student Orientation (fall 2008 schedule will be available in the summer) during your first semester at SCSU.
• Maintain a 2.5 Cumulative GPA as an undergraduate student or a 3.0 Cumulative GPA as a graduate student.
• Register and maintain at least 12 undergraduate or 8 graduate credits each semester. Or must obtain authorization to drop below a full course load from CIS and have this documented on I-20.
• Complete 30 hours of qualified academic and cultural sharing service hours every semester at SCSU. Check out the ACSS Guidelines for more detailed information about how to fulfill these requirements.
• Turn in your ACSS Service Hours Verification Form to the Center for International Studies by the semester deadline (December 15th for fall semester and May 1st for spring semester).
• Follow all Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services requirements, the University Code of Conduct, and the federal, state and local laws.
• Returning students after an absence of a semester or more must meet the CGPA requirement before the scholarship can be awarded. Attending the New International Orientation may be required.

What is not qualified for ACSS Service Hours?

• Any paid activity is not qualified.
• Any social, religious or athletic activity for personal reasons is not qualified (e.g., a dance with ethnic music for your own entertainment purposes or a cricket match for fun, an Iftar Party or Church Services for your own personal growth purposes, ). However, it would count if you would like to deliver a presentation concerning these activities to a class on/off campus or incorporate these events in a Culture Night, Passport to the World, or the International Spring Festival. Meet with an International Advisor at the Center for International Studies prior to the event to receive written approval.
• Membership alone or attending only general meetings in an international student nationality organization does not qualify for ACSS Service Hours. You must actively participate in the production of a cultural activity offered by that organization to receive the scholarship. These include Cultural Nights, Daytime "Kitchens", Passport to the World, and International Spring Festival.\
• Any volunteer service that does not have a cultural sharing compontent. This includes such things as volunteering for Student Disability Services, the St. Cloud Hospital, St. Benadict's Senior Center, and other on-or off-campus volunteer service that does not include a planned cultural sharing component.
• When in doubt about what counts and what does not count, contact the Center for International Studies for clarification before claiming the service hours. If you do not receive prior written approval for an event, you may be in jeopardy of losing your scholarship for the following semester.

What are the exemptions?

• Graduate students with SCSU full-time or part-time assistantships are exempt from service; See Graduate Studies for information on Tuition Waivers.
• International students on full athletic scholarships will be exempt from this requirement, but are highly encouraged to seek opportunities to share their culture with the American residents in many other ways.
• Students fully sponsored by their governments who are willing to pay out-of-state tuition and fees.
• Exchange students who are on a tuition reciprocity agreement with their home institution, however you are highly encouraged to seek opportunities to share your culture with the American community on and off campus while you are here.
• MBA students, as the MBA program has a separate fee scale from the rest of the university.

Summer Sessions ACS Scholarship Policy

• Cultural sharing service hours submitted at the end of the spring semester are used for both the following summer and fall semesters.

• Students may do cultural service hours during the summer to be applied toward the fall’s semester service hours requirement due on Dec. 15 of the same year. 

How do I apply?

• The scholarship application deadline is the same as the Admissions application deadline. The requirement is documented on your I-20. New F-1 students must attend the International Student Orientation (fall 2008 schedule will be available in the summer) and sign the ACSS Participation Contract in order to receive the ACS scholarship.  Once you have signed the Participation Contract and continue to fulfill the requirements of the scholarship, it is automatically awarded for each successive term. If you fail to fulfill any of the requirements and lose the scholarship for a semester or more, you must reapply when you once again meet the requirements. It is the responsibility of each student to see that the requirements are followed.
  Download Academic and Cultural Sharing Scholarship Application

How do I appeal if I lose the scholarship?

• Students who lose the scholarship for either CGPA or service hours may file for an appeal.  ACSS Appeal Form is available at CIS and must be submitted by specified dates.  Please complete the ACSS Appeal Form completely.  The following criteria will be examined in an appeal:  Timely and appropriate completion of Cultural Service Hours, CGPA and GPA history, billing payment history, and filed documentation of events impacting a student’s ability to maintain the scholarship (health, family, academic, and financial). Appeals will not be available for initial entry students (to SCSU) who do not attend International Student Orientation.
• Remember, if you miss any required portion of the orientation, you run the risk of losing your scholarship for the initial semester and must reapply for the scholarship for the next semester.

If you have any questions regarding the Academic and Cultural Sharing Scholarship, please contact the Center for International Studies.