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Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for the PALiISaDS program:

• U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or refugee*

• Full-time student (per institution's definition) in good academic standing

• Minimum 3.0 GPA**

• Low-income status, defined as eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant program and demonstrated unmet financial need*** 

• Majoring or minoring in Statistics (BA or BS) or Data Science BS at one of the Alliance institutions

• Both “native” juniors and new transfers from community colleges and four-year institutions will be considered equally, without any predetermined priority. 

Admitted PALiISaDS scholars must:

• Remain in their SDS program of study and maintain a term GPA of at least 3.0 within their major to maintain scholarship eligibility for their senior year.

• Complete their undergraduate programs after two years of support. For students who require extra time to complete their BS degree, partial-year support beyond two years will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

• Enroll in one of the eligible graduate programs at one of the Alliance institutions and continue to meet low-income requirements to maintain scholarship eligibility for the third year.

*As defined in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act), aliens admitted as refugees under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or aliens lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Please note that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) individuals are ineligible for support from this solicitation unless they meet the requirements listed in the first sentence of this bullet by the time of application. 

**Please reach out to a site director if you face special circumstances that led to a GPA under this threshold and believe you still meet all other criteria. Admission rubrics de-emphasize GPA and focus on promise and motivation. 

**If selected, precise scholarship amount (up to $10,000/year) will be determined based on your financial need by the financial aid office at each institution and is the difference between estimated cost of attendance and the expected family contribution based on each student's FAFSA.