Virginia Code 30-231.3: Amount of scholarships; use of scholarships; disbursement and recovery of scholarship funds; terms and conditions; penalty
A. Scholarships shall be awarded from gifts, grants, donations, bequests, or other funds made available to the Program. No scholarship awarded under this Program shall exceed the total annual costs of tuition, a book allowance, and fees assessed by the educational agency for the specific program in which the student is enrolled, as determined by the Committee.
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 misdemeanor | up to $500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 30-231.3
- Approved education program: means an educational agency or transition program or services accepted for participation in the Program by the Brown v. See Virginia Code 30-231.01
- Committee: means the Brown v. See Virginia Code 30-231.01
- Educational agency: means any (i) public school in the Commonwealth, (ii) public or private accredited two-year or four-year Virginia institution of higher education that is in compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation standards for institutions and academic programs or other national or regional organization or agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education for accrediting purposes, (iii) high school equivalency preparation program in compliance with Board of Education guidelines, (iv) College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) in compliance with the requirements of the College Board governing college level examination programs, or (v) accredited career and technical education postsecondary school in the Commonwealth, that accepts for admission recipients of the Brown v. See Virginia Code 30-231.01
- Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Program: means the Brown v. See Virginia Code 30-231.01
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. The full amount of each scholarship awarded to a recipient shall be used solely for the payment of tuition, a book allowance, and fees, or for a one-time only payment of the costs of a preparation program, instructional materials, and high school equivalency examinations approved by the Board of Education or the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations.
C. Awards granted to applicants accepted for enrollment at accredited career and technical education postsecondary schools shall be made in accordance with Article VIII, § 11 of the Constitution of Virginia.
D. No scholarship under this Program shall be used to obtain multiple baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, or professional degrees.
E. Before any scholarship is awarded, the applicant shall sign an acceptance form under the terms of which the applicant affirms the accuracy of the information he has provided and agrees to pursue the approved education program for which the scholarship is awarded until his graduation or the completion of the program, as appropriate. Following verification of enrollment by the relevant educational agency to the State Council of Higher Education, educational agencies acting as agents for students receiving awards under this chapter shall promptly credit disbursed funds to student accounts. A scholarship award made in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall not be reduced by the educational agency upon receipt of any other financial assistance on behalf of the student. However, the scholarship award may be reduced by the Committee to ensure that, when such award is added to other financial assistance, the award does not produce a total of financial assistance that exceeds the annual total costs of tuition, a book allowance, and fees, pursuant to this section. Beginning on July 1, 2008, every educational agency acting as an agent for students receiving awards under this chapter shall notify the Committee and the State Council of Higher Education upon request concerning the type and total of other financial assistance received by such students. In addition, every educational agency accepting for admission persons awarded a Brown v. Board of Education scholarship shall, upon request, provide the Committee information concerning the accreditation status of the school and academic programs offered, and other relevant information as the Committee may require to evaluate the person‘s eligibility for the scholarship and to determine the eligibility of the educational agency for participation in the Program. Whenever a student withdraws from an educational agency or otherwise fails, regardless of reason, to complete the program in which he is enrolled, the educational agency shall surrender promptly to the Commonwealth the balance of the scholarship award, in accordance with the tuition refund policy in effect at the time of the student’s admission to the educational agency.
F. Any person who uses a false or fictitious name or gives a false or fictitious address in any application for a scholarship or knowingly makes a false statement or conceals a material fact or otherwise commits a fraud in any such application shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
G. This chapter shall not be construed as creating any legally enforceable right or entitlement on the part of any person or any right or entitlement to participation in the Program. Scholarships shall be awarded to the extent funds are made available to the Program through gifts, grants, donations, bequests, or other funds.
2005, cc. 753, 834; 2006, c. 518; 2008, c. 680; 2009, c. 444; 2010, c. 579; 2014, c. 84.