Contact:  Melissa Reifert
October 20, 2006

Tobacco Scholarship Available at MECC for Eligible Area Residents

The members of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission have implemented the Burley Tobacco Scholarship Program as a means of assisting residents of southwest Virginia with tuition and fees at Mountain Empire Community College.  The program is administered by the MECC Financial Aid Department.  It is designed to assist eligible Virginia resident burley tobacco quota holders, growers, and/or workers, as well as their direct descendants, with up to full tuition and fees during the 2006-2007 academic year. 

For a student enrolling in 18 semester credits per semester, this funding for tuition could be as much as $2,831.40 for the year.  If the student receives other federal and state financial aid for tuition, the tobacco scholarship is reduced by the amount of other aid received. For example, if tuition for spring semester is $1,400 and the student received a federal aid grant of $800, the tobacco scholarship would pay the $600 balance of tuition.

Since the college does not participate in federal student loan programs, a student can save over $5000 in educational loan cost by completing their first two years at MECC before transferring to a four-year college or university that does offer loans.  All financial aid at MECC is grant, scholarship, and work study which does not have to be repaid after graduation.

To be eligible for this Burley Tobacco Scholarship, recipients must be a current resident of Virginia and be a burley tobacco quota holder, grower, worker, or a direct descendant (spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, son or daughter-in-law, etc.) of one of these individuals. The quota must have been held within the past five years. Recipients must attend MECC to receive the scholarship.

Applications for the scholarship are available from the Financial Aid Office, Mountain Empire Community College, 3441 Mountain Empire Road, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219.  You may also request an application by phone at (276) 523-7470.

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