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The application program will be available again in September. Please return then to view the updated Eligibility and Awards for the upcoming academic year! If you are an applicant who would like to discover more scholarship opportunities you might qualify for, please continue to the Scholarship America Hub and sign up!

Valley Telephone Cooperative
Application status: Closed

Valley Telephone Cooperative has initiated a college scholarship program.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Eligibilities

Applicants to the Valley Telephone Cooperative Scholarship Program must be:

  • Dependent* children of a current member of Valley Telephone Cooperative (VTCI) who resides in the Valley Telephone service territory, and who has been a member of the Cooperative for at lease one year as of the application deadline date.
    *Dependent children are defined as biological, step- or legally adopted children living in the member’s household or primarily supported by the member.
  • High school senior as of the deadline date.
  • Have a minimum high school grade average of 80% or 2.7.
  • High school seniors who plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year College or University in Fall 2024.
  • Applicants must prepare an essay, not to exceed 500 words, on the topic: “Cooperatives’ Contributions to the Community and Economy of South Texas.”

Award Information

20 awards of $12,000 each will be granted. Awards will be disbursed at $3,000 per year over 4 years. Applicants compete first within their own districts; if there are scholarships remaining to be awarded, the remaining pool of applicants can be considered for ‘at large’ scholarships. The intent is to award two scholarships per each of the 10 member districts, for a total of 20 scholarships, provided that the applicants meet the criteria of the selection process.

Awards are renewable up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, based on recipients maintaining residency requirements, satisfactory academic performance (2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale) and full-time enrollment status at an accredited 2 or 4-year college or university. The renewal award amount will include a bonus of $250 each year the student maintains a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) or better in the prior year of college. Students may transfer to another accredited institution without penalty of losing their awards. The student must be a dependent child of a current Cooperative member who reside in the Valley Telephone service territory.

Awards may be used for tuition, books, supplies and room and board expenses (any amount used for room and board may be subject to tax).

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Notification

Applicants will be notified in February. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Valley Telephone Cooperative. Payments are made in one installment in early August.

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Honors
  • Work experience
  • Statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • An online recommendation

Also, an essay, not to exceed 500 words, on the following topic: “Cooperatives’ Contributions to the Community and Economy of South Texas”.

Financial need is not considered.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Valley Telephone Cooperative play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

As part of your application, you must upload the following document:

  • A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

    NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

Also as part of your application, one online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf by a school official no later than November 21, 2023 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.

Valley Telephone Cooperative has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.