AmeriCorps Education Award
Full-time AmeriCorps members who complete a year of service earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (Segal Award) to pay for current educational expenses or to pay back qualified student loans. The award is projected to be valued at $5,920 for the 2018–2019 academic year, and individuals may earn education awards for up to two year-long service terms. Relay students may participate in AmeriCorps through the Relay Residency program, Teach For America, Citizen Schools, or another eligible AmeriCorps service program.
For students currently enrolled in an AmeriCorps program, tuition in the amount of the Segal Award is deferred until the end of the academic year. Relay defers tuition so that students are able to use their Segal Award funds to pay this balance when they receive them at the end of the academic year. If students do not receive their Segal Award for any reason, or if they do not use these funds toward paying their deferred tuition balance, they will be responsible for paying this balance out of pocket. If students take a leave of absence, withdraw, are administratively withdrawn, or are dismissed from the program before this balance has been paid, it will no longer be deferred and will become payable immediately, even if students have not earned or will not earn their Segal Award. For more information on deferred tuition, please see Deferred Tuition.
Students who receive an AmeriCorps award also should be aware of the following:
- Students may use the award for any expense allowed by the AmeriCorps rules;
- The amount of the Segal Award is dependent on congressional funding for the AmeriCorps program and is subject to change. Students are responsible for paying all tuition and fees that are intended to be covered by their Segal Awards; and
- Students who do not receive their award (due to withdrawal, administrative withdrawal, or program dismissal from Relay, withdrawal, administrative withdrawal, or program dismissal from their AmeriCorps program, or any other reason) will be responsible for covering out of pocket any portion of their tuition and fees that has been deferred and would have otherwise been covered by their award.
The Segal Award is subject to federal and state tax when it is used; students should consult a tax advisor for more information.
More information about AmeriCorps is available at: http://www.americorps.gov
TFA corps members may be granted TFA Education Awards at the end of each year of service in lieu of a Segal Award. Relay is eligible to accept these awards and will defer tuition for students expecting the TFA Education Awards. All terms and conditions related to deferred tuition still apply.
Outside Scholarships
Students may receive financial assistance from sources other than federal and institutional financial aid programs. Under federal law and school policy, Relay must consider outside resources when deciding what other aid or loans students may be eligible to receive. Outside awards may reduce students’ eligibility for federal and institutional financial aid.
Outside awards are incorporated into financial aid packages in three steps: first, they may replace an equal amount of the Relay Fellowship, as the award is intended to help students without access to outside sources of aid; then they reduce students’ out-of-pocket responsibilities; and finally they may replace other institutional scholarships. Students whose financial-aid packages are adjusted to account for outside awards in the middle of an academic year will receive email notifications and/or updated financial aid award letters.