<p>You have to qualify for the Pell Grant to be eligible for Gates.</p>
<p>@gagamom and other people
Do we have to send a physical copy of FAFSA to Gates or is completing it online for colleges enough? How does Gates get our FAFSA information?</p>
<p>They want to see our Student Aid Report.</p>
<p>fafsa isn’t due until Feb. 15th but apparently GMS is supposed to contact you and request it?</p>
<p>does that mean they should be contacting people soon???</p>
<p><a href=“https://nominations.gmsp.org/GMSP_App/[/url]”>https://nominations.gmsp.org/GMSP_App/</a> bottom of the page in bold</p>
<p>How do you request it? Do you mail a copy to GMS?</p>
<p>Does GATES recalculate GPA? What is the cutoff average? 3.4? And what is the cutoff average on the 100pt scale!</p>
<p>To be eligible for the Pell grant your family has to make below $60000. I hope everyone knew this and didnt write 8 essays for nothing.</p>
<p>^ ^ ^ I used the FAFSA forecaster back in december to see if I’d be eligible. It showed that I wouldn’t be eligible for the Pell, so I didn’t apply for the Gates. I finished my actual FAFSA this past weekend, and apparently I was eligible :(</p>
<p>To sweetea,</p>
<p>I think so, I heard that when you are a finalist, they ask for additional documentation (including fafsa doc’s).</p>
<p>How many students are selected? I’ve been looking everywhere, but it doesn’t say.</p>
<p>1000 total. I believe the breakdown goes like this (but I’m not 100% sure):</p>
<p>-350 African Americans
-350 Hispanics
-150 Native Americans
-150 Asian Americans</p>
<p>There are only 1000 Scholars selected. Last year there was over 21,000 applicants but I’m not sure how many Finalists are selected. At my school four applied, two didn’t even make it to the second round and me and Noah were named Scholars. My essays were only about a page each. Need based is on income I believe because you have to be Pell Grant eligiable. Gates covers all unmet need, I go to a pretty inexpensive school so my unmet need was about $500-$600 and I received a refund check for $2,500 which was to cover my personal expenses and travel. So yeah just one big refund check to cover those expenses, but I guess it’s different at every college.</p>
<p>Hi DakotaYoung, congrats! I was just reading the 2009-2010 discussion and saw your name, so your posting on this year’s thread and my quick reply is entirely coincidental.</p>
<p>The cut off GPA is 3.3. IF you are named a Finalist (it says semi-finalist on the paper but in general you appealed for candidacy) you will be required to send additional documents (including your Student Aid Report) and other documents. The FAFSA doesn’t need to be filled out ASAP because in the Finalist letter it reminds you to fill it out so that you get your SAR ASAP. They just want to make sure you are Pell Eligable. 1000 are selected for the scholarship. I’m not sure how many people are named Finalists but of those finalists ONLY 1000 are selected. MANY MANY MANY apply over 21,500 for the 2009-10 year and 20,500 didn’t receive it.</p>
<p>has anyone been notified of any status yet?</p>
<p>We don’t find out until March, sweetea.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many people applied this year? And when we will find out when we are semi-finalists? </p>
<p>Thank you! 
</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE</p>
<p>@Heyburrito: Do you know when in March we’ll be notified?</p>
<p>@ chrisakelly, most likely during the second week of March but DO NOT freak if you aren’t notified by then because there are a lot of applicants and whether or not you’re selected you will get notified.</p>
<p>@chrisakelly It really varies if you look through the old boards, but as Dakota said, it probably will be the second week of March, which is why I’m freaking…especially since I forgot to submit my financial aid info to Brown.
bahahaha FAIL.</p>