UNCF: Wear Your Crown With Confidence Loan Forgiveness Program 2019

UNCF in conjunction with Strength of Nature presents the 'UNCF/Wear Your Crown with Confidence' UNDERGRADUATE Loan Forgiveness Program. This program is open to African American students with a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale at the time of their undergraduate graduation, or during their period of attendance at a four-year, accredited HBCU. Who Can Apply? 1. Students who earned their undergraduate degree within five years or less; OR 2. Students who stopped out during their undergraduate matriculation anytime between 1999 and 2019. Application Process?

• Complete an online application consisting of the following:
  • Under Education question: Current Enrollment - be sure to select "Undergraduate 4 Year" and the last attended Classification of Academic Level (i.e. Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, etc.) even though you are currently not enrolled. Please do not select "Not Enrolled" under this question.
• Essay
  • In at least 500 words, describe a world that you exist in where you are living your best debt-free life. Explain how this award would impact the world you live in (family, professional, community).
• Upload an academic transcript demonstrating the applicants final grade point average. For graduates, the transcript will need to identify the graduate date, and degree attainment.
• Verification of all sources of the applicant's current income through the uploaded submission of the following:
  • Upload their 2018 tax transcript; requested from the IRS, showing only the last for digits of the applicant's SSN,
  • A letter from all current employers confirming the applicant's current income, and
  • Verification of all forms of undergraduate student loan debt through loan statements from each provider that show the current balance.
  • Have a recommender complete the Reference Form attesting to the applicant's involvement and contributions to their community.

NOTE! 1) Essay-You may want to type your essay as a word document, checking for any grammatical errors, then copy and paste it into the essay template. 2) Online Application Completion-Once you have completed your application and advanced to the page in which you will hit the SUBMIT button, be sure to thoroughly review your application prior to hitting submit. If you do not hit the submit application button, your application will not be received. 3) Reference Form/Letter of Recommendation-Please be aware that only COMPLETED packets (Student Applications and Reference Form) will be advanced to further candidate status/review process. Just because an applicants online submission has been complete, it is still the responsibility of the applicant to send your reference the instructions (mentioned to the right) AND ensure they have completed and submitted their portion. If an individual has indicated someone as their recommender and within a weeks' time they do not receive the reference code, please follow the pdf instructions using the link below, or contact Ms. JaiSun McCormick via email at jaisun.mccormick@uncf.org prior to the programs closing date. Allow 6-8 weeks from the program closing for decisions to be made. At that time, both selected and non-selected students will be notified accordingly. Program Details Open Date: 5/13/2019 12:00 AM EST Close Date:7/13/2019 11:59 PM EST Eligibility Requirements Minimum GPA: 2.5 Ethnicities African American/Black Colleges / Universities HBCUs Academic Classification College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, College 5th Year Senior, College Graduate Supporting Documents How to Write a Reference without Invitation Code (PDF)