Description of
the Program
In order to broaden the array of summer
activities open to students receiving financial aid,
the University has established the Summer Waiver Award
Program. Students who are accepted to participate in
the program and who meet the eligibility requirements
listed below will qualify for a full or partial waiver
of their expected contribution from summer savings.
Who is Eligible?
Applicants must be freshmen, sophomores or juniors during the current academic year (incoming freshmen are not eligible) who are: a) receiving university need-based grant aid or b) expect to qualify for university grant aid during the 2013-2014 academic year. A student who receives a full waiver (100%) during
one summer is not eligible to participate in future
summers. However, a student who receives a partial
waiver in a given summer may participate in future
summers up to the combined equivalent of a full waiver. For
instance, a student who receives a 75% waiver in one
summer may still qualify for the remaining 25% waiver
in a future summer.bsite.
Qualifying Summer Activities
A committee appointed by the Deputy
Provost will review applications for summer savings
waivers. Waiver awards may be given to students who
are participating in low-paying (see below for details)
or unpaid public or community service internships. Students
performing low-paying or unpaid work in the private
sector related to their academic program or career
aspirations (an internship that provides room and board
is considered unpaid if no monetary compensation is
received) may also be granted a waiver. Examples of
programs that do and do not qualify include:
May qualify:
- Working for a non-profit arts organization such
as an orchestra or museum
- Working for a community service organization
such as a homeless shelter
- Unpaid or low-paying work (that is academic
or career related) for a private sector firm
- Working on agricultural or community development
in another country
- Unpaid work for a government agency
Do not qualify:
- Independent study, in the United States or abroad
- Activities for which a student receives University
course credit, e.g., summer courses or study abroad
- Traveling abroad without taking classes
- Working for a religious organization in an activity
whose primary aim is to proselytize.
Amount of the Award
Note: A student who would not
otherwise be eligible for University need-based grant
will not necessarily receive grant aid as a result
of the waiver.
The standard expected student contribution from summer earnings is $2,500-2,900. Students with a lower level of expected earnings in their financial aid package will only be eligible for that level of waiver.
Because federal regulations mandate
a specific contribution based on earnings during
the previous year, it may not be possible to apply
the entire amount of the waiver to summer earnings.
In such cases, the student’s self-help component
(loan, work-study) for the following year will be
adjusted by the remaining amount.
Waiver of the summer earnings expectation
will reduce the overall expected family contribution,
and increase the level of financial need. A student
who would be eligible for University need-based grant
can expect an increase in the grant to cover the waived
summer earnings expectation. The actual award will
be applied, in two equal installments, to the fall
and spring bills.
Level of Award
To qualify for a full waiver, an applicant
must participate in the qualifying activity for at
least twelve weeks, for at least 35 hours per week.
Activities of a shorter duration, and/or involving
fewer hours per week, will qualify for reduced waivers
according to a declining percentage of length of time
and number of hours worked.
Example 1: A student works
10 weeks at a government agency for 30 hours/week. Waiver: Assuming
the work at the agency is approved, the student would
receive a waiver of approximately 70%.
For low-paying internships and work
in the private sector, we will further adjust the
level of waiver based on the compensation level received.
| $6.91+ |
0 |
| 5.61-6.90 |
25 |
| 4.51-5.60 |
50 |
| 3.35-4.50 |
75 |
| Under 3.35 |
100 |
|
| $12.96+ |
0 |
| 11.21-12.95 |
25 |
| 9.31-11.20 |
50 |
| 7.86-9.30 |
75 |
| Under 7.85 |
100 |
|
Example 2: The
above student is living away from home and receiving
$14.00/hour from the agency. We would multiply
the student’s
wage by the length of time spent in the activity
to come up with an adjusted wage of $10/hour. Based
on the above table, the student’s waiver
would be further reduced from 70% to 50%.
Note: The level of waiver is
based on the assumption that the time students have
outside of their approved activities can be used
to earn additional money to contribute toward their
education.
Application and Verification Procedures
The deadline for applying for a waiver award
is May 23, 2013. If applications are received
after this deadline, we may not be able to consider
them. Applications are available on
the SFS website https://www.sfs.upenn.edu/forms/sumwaive.php and
can be submitted online or mailed to:
Summer Savings Waiver Program
221 Franklin Building
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Applicants will be notified of their eligibility
via e-mail.
To receive the waiver award, the student’s employer must, at the end of the summer, submit a verification form confirming that the student has completed the approved activity. A link to the verification form will be sent to the selected participant in the student’s notification e-mail. Verification forms must be submitted to the above address no later than September 30, 2013. |
