Latin American & Caribbean Scholarship Guidelines

1. Students from Latin America and the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are eligible to receive Latin American - Caribbean (LAC) Scholarships at UNF. In order to qualify, they must be admissible to UNF under existing criteria for undergraduate or graduate programs and meet other standards detailed below.

2. The LAC scholarship will be a minimum of $500 per academic term. On the basis of this LAC Scholarship, the student will be classified as a Florida resident for tuition purposes.

3. Units awarding LAC Scholarships commit to the scholarship for the number of hours required for a given student’s degree program (i.e., NOT simply for the duration of studies or until graduation).

4. A LAC Scholarship must be documented with a student contract that stipulates the number of hours covered by the student’s degree program on a term-by-term basis. Each LAC advisor will review the contract on a term-by-term basis. If a student changes their major or college, then a new or modified contract will have to be written; a LAC advisor needs to approve a change of major before it is processed. If a student withdraws, the scholarship is canceled; unless there are extenuating circumstances, a student would have to re-apply for the scholarship. Students who graduate and then enter a new degree program must re-apply for a LAC Scholarship.

5. Students who for any reason lose their LAC Scholarships will revert to out-of-state tuition classification.

6. LAC Scholarships may be granted for the fall and spring semesters, and, on a limited basis, for the summer terms. Students must meet with their LAC Advisors each term.

Application packages must include:
A. Application Form (all sections completely filled out)
B. A copy of the applicant’s passport page, showing name and country of citizenship
C. Essay (must be typed) - Please write a three to five paragraph essay concerning a problem in your home country and how you believe that your academic study and degree will help resolve that problem.
D. Letter of Recommendation (academic source preferred).

The selection committee will not consider incomplete packages.

UNF evaluates candidates based on their academic record, area of specialization, proof of ties to their home country, and aspirations for the future. The selection process is highly competitive, and awards are limited.

To be eligible to receive the LAC Scholarship, the following requirements must be met:

A. Must be a citizen of one of the countries of Latin America or the Caribbean: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Bolivia; Brazil; British Virgin Islands; Caribbean Netherlands; Cayman Islands; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curacao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Falkland Islands; French Guiana; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Jamaica; Martinique; Mexico; Montserrat; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Puerto Rico; St. Barthelemy; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Maarten/St. Martin; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Uruguay; U.S. Virgin Islands; and Venezuela.or as identified by the UNF Vice President for Student and International Affairs.

B. Must be a registered student in good standing at the University of North Florida or a prospective student who has been admitted to UNF. The minimum GPA requirement for both new and continuing LAC scholarship students, whether graduate or undergraduate, shall be set by the sponsoring units, but in no event may a LAC award be made to a student who is not in good academic standing or on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Suspension.

C. Must be registered for a full-time course load during each semester the scholarship is awarded (12 credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours for graduate students).

NOTE: To maintain eligibility while receiving the LAC Scholarship, you must inform the International Center
of any changes in: (1) course load, (2) residency status, and/or (3) academic major change.