Scholarships are awarded in one of two ways. First, they are awarded as part of the admission process as a means of attracting undergraduate students of great skill and potential to matriculate in the University. Of the factors that are taken into consideration in this process, the most important are the potential for success in an academic career and the potential for contributing to the overall intellectual, co-curricular, and extra-curricular environment of Jacobs University Bremen.  Second, mid-career scholarships may be awarded during the course of a student’s study at Jacobs University Bremen for extraordinary academic achievement.

Decision authority concerning the awarding of scholarships for both new and continuing students rests with Academic Council, acting on advice of the Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the Committee on Admission and Scholarships. Scholarships for new students are awarded based on the assessment system used by the Office of Admission and the Committee on Admission and Scholarships in the process of admitting new students.  Students who are highly ranked using this system will be given preference in the allocation of scholarship funds.  Any scholarship adjustments or new scholarships for continuing students will be awarded based on the University’s grading system as quantified in each student’s cumulative grade point average.

Typically scholarships are awarded only up to the amount normally charged by the University for undergraduate tuition, based upon the criteria named above.  In very special cases, exceptions may be made to this rule. The total budget for scholarships is established by Academic Council and approved by the Board of Governors, based upon available resources and donor generosity in providing scholarship support. Students who are awarded a scholarship as part of the admission process are informed of their scholarship at the same time that they receive their letter of admission to the University.

Continuance of Scholarships

Scholarships awarded to students as part of the undergraduate admission process remain available to students during their first year of study so long as they remain enrolled at the University. No scholarship may be cancelled in the first year of a student’s study at Jacobs University Bremen on the basis of academic performance, unless the student fails to meet the minimum requirements for remaining at the University, namely a cumulative grade point average of 4.33 or better. Students on academic probation may in the first year of study retain their scholarship for the full two semesters of enrollment.

For students beyond the first year of study, a stated minimum cumulative grade point average must be maintained in every semester in order to retain scholarship support from the University.  The minimum cumulative grade point average will be set by Extended Management Board in consultation with the Committee on Admission and Scholarships. After the first year of study and in every subsequent semester, any student whose cumulative grade point average falls below the minimum cumulative grade point average will forfeit her or his scholarship until such time as the cumulative grade point average rises above that level. At that point, the student may petition Academic Council in writing through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs for reinstatement of the scholarship. The Vice President in consultation with the Committee on Admission and Scholarships will make a recommendation to Academic Council in each case.  The University reserves the right not to reinstate the scholarship or to reinstate a scholarship at a reduced level, based upon the student’s performance. In such cases, a written explanation of the decision and the reasons for it will be provided to the student.

Privacy

The amount of scholarships awarded individually to undergraduate students is a matter of utmost confidentiality. No officer or faculty member of the University may divulge or discuss the amount of any student’s scholarship to other students, to faculty, to donors, or to other parties either within or outside the University. Through recognition programs and public acknowledgement of donor generosity, the University may from time to time divulge who among the undergraduates may have received scholarships. Such information, however, should not be represented nor construed as being definitive as to the true number or identity of all students receiving scholarships, nor should it be represented or construed as indicating the amount of scholarship support that has been awarded to any individual student.