Frequently Asked Questions

New Scholars FAQ

 

When and how do I receive my money?

Approximately one month prior to the start of each semester, the Foundation mails a single check representing the semester funds for all Flinn Scholars enrolled at your university. We also provide your university with a list of the students to whose accounts the funds should be credited.

Those funds take from one to four weeks to work their way through each university’s accounting system. Your Flinn funds, along with all your other scholarship awards, are pooled in your bursar’s account. Check your bursar’s account on-line, starting about two weeks before classes begin, to see what funds have been credited. The university credits the money to your account, deducts any money you owe the university, and gives you the remainder in a check.

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Do I have to pay to register for my classes out of my own money?

No. Your university’s scholarship office will note that you have received Flinn Scholarship support and allow you to register. The cash value of your tuition is your university’s financial contribution to the Flinn Scholarship and is included in whatever merit scholarship package that university has offered you.

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I have been sent a bill to pay a deposit for my dorm room. Do I pay it?

Pay the deposit; you will be reimbursed.

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When will I be reimbursed?

Once the your semester funds are sent to the university in August and any deposits paid, the university deducts from your bursar’s account the money you would otherwise pay for tuition, room, board, library fines, parking tickets… Any balance remaining in your bursar’s account after the semester has begun will be returned to you as a personal check.

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Do I have to pay taxes on the award money?

This is something you will need to discuss with your tax preparer and/or the IRS. We can offer no advice in this area.

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Can the money be used for other things not related to my education, like a car?

The intent of the award is to allow you to focus your full attention on your academic career and free you to continue your engagement with your university and civic communities (domestic and global), as anticipated by your high-school record.

We strongly encourage scholars to save any surplus funds from their scholarship awards for additional study-travel, professional development, or future graduate- and/or professional-school expenses, including application fees and interview costs. However, we do not control how you choose to use the money.

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How much do I receive each semester?

Assuming that you remain in good standing in the program, you will receive $6,300 each semester.

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Why must I live on campus the first year?

In order to fully integrate yourself into college life and establish your varied communities of interest, we require that you spend your first year in a campus residence hall. Students may elect to continue to live on campus for their second and subsequent years (assuming space is available) or move into off-campus housing, often with one or more friends made during their first year.

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Why can’t I live at home?

The Foundation pays the semester stipend to cover the cost of living away from home. This is to encourage independence during college, urge you to become self-sufficient, and prepare you for extended time away from home during your international study-travel.

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Can I live in house or condo that is owned by my parents if they don’t live there?

Yes.

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How does my travel fund work?

As of August 2008, you start out with $8,000 in your travel fund; this money is held by the Foundation, not by your university. From that $8,000, the Foundation will deduct the round-trip airfare between Phoenix and the site of the study-travel seminar for rising sophomore Scholars (currently, the study-travel seminar is in China). This leaves a balance of roughly $6,500 for future study-travel experiences.

You will apply in advance (generally 2-3 months) for travel funds using forms on the Foundation’s web site; instructions there will detail the additional supporting materials you will need. All study-travel must warrant the award of academic credit by your home university.

The Director will review your application and supporting documentation. If approved, your application will receive further review by the Foundation’s CFO and CEO. Their final approval will generate a check to the university with instructions to distribute it to your bursar’s account. As with semester funds, this may take one or more weeks after the funds are authorized. The Foundation cannot issue any funds directly to a student.

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