Overview
Welcome to the website for the Virginia Tobacco Scholarship/Loan Forgiveness Office. It is the responsibility of this office to administer the $1.25 million Southwest Burley Tobacco Scholarship Program and the $3.8 million Southside Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program at the request of the members of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (http://www.tic.virginia.gov).
The SW Burley Tobacco Scholarship Program assists current Southwest Virginia residents who were former (1998 – 2004) Burley tobacco quota holders or growers and their direct descendants with up to $2,750 for tuition and academic fees per year.
The mission of the Southside Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program is to provide a stimulus for economic revitalization in communities within Southside Virginia by encouraging native Southside Virginians to complete a degree and then return to and settle in a locality within Southside Virginia, the region that nurtured and developed them during their formative years. Current residents of Southside Virginia localities can receive up to $3,750 for tuition and academic fees per year.
The links to the left of this page will assist in completion of the online application, submission of the correct documentation, and completion of the online Career Planning Workshop. Contact information for both the VA Tobacco Scholarship/Loan Forgiveness Office and the Virginia Tobacco Commission is available at this site.
Thank you for your interest in the Virginia Tobacco Scholarship/Loan Forgiveness Programs.
Announcements
The 2009-2010 Southside Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program application process is closed for this academic year. It is anticipated that the 2010-2011 application process will open on March 1, 2010. You are invited to apply at that time and submit the required support documentation in a timely manner. Please monitor the websites at www.tic.virginia.edu or by typing tobacco.swcenter.edu into Internet Explorer 8.0 or better after January 15, 2010 to determine when the process will open. Applications will be awarded on a first come, first served basis after all eligibility requirements have been met and ALL support documents received.
Please be advised that all of the funds for the 0910 Southside Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program have been awarded. Applicants who submitted the 0910 Student Authorization Form after September 14, 2009 will not receive an award for the 0910 academic year. Likewise, funds are not available for all of the applicants who have received an eligibility letter but have not yet submitted the 0910 Student Authorization Form. Written notification of award denial will be mailed within the next two weeks.
An applicant portal has been established to assist you in determining your current status. Click the Create A New Account link under the Applicant Portal heading. Once you have created your account, click the Login link and enter your new username and password. Clicking on the Documents Received link will allow you to view the dates your support documentation and SAF were received. To complete the online application and receive an eligibility letter, the PromNote, Agreement, Transcript, and IRF had to be submitted. Once the eligibility letter was received by the applicant and the online workshop completed, the SAF and the FA09 schedule were due. If the date under SAF is later than 9/14/09 or empty, you are no longer eligible for an award for the 2009-2010 academic year (Fall 09, Spring 10, and Summer 10 semesters).
The staff of the VA Tobacco Scholarship and Loan Programs office regrets any inconvenience that may have been encountered. As stated in the applicant criteria, the Agreement to Terms, and all written documentation from this office, awards are dependent upon the availability of funding.
If you feel you have received this message in error, please mail a written letter of appeal to Southside Tobacco Loan Forgiveness Program, P. O. Box 1987, Abingdon, VA 24212-1987. Phone calls and e-mails need to be directed to the Paul Farrar at (434) 572-5484 or pfarrar@swcenter.edu. Every attempt will be made to respond to phone calls within 48 hours.