Achieving Excellence: Understanding the RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award Requirements

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) places a high value on academic excellence and provides various avenues to recognize and support its high-achieving students. Among these recognitions is the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award, a prestigious honor bestowed upon students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement. This article delves into the requirements for this award, alongside other academic standing stipulations and scholarship opportunities available at RIT.

Maintaining Good Academic Standing at RIT

Before exploring the specifics of the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award, it's crucial to understand the general academic requirements for all undergraduate students at RIT.

General Requirements:

An undergraduate student must maintain a cumulative and term Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.00 or above at RIT in order to remain in good academic standing.
Individual colleges and/or programs may define more rigorous requirements for maintaining good academic standing, in addition to the RIT requirements outlined below. Such requirements must be approved by the Provost's Office, clearly defined within published college policy, and communicated in the university bulletin.
All probation and academic suspension actions are taken at the end of the fall, spring and summer terms.

Probation:

Probation refers to the academic action taken when a student is not in good academic standing.
A student placed on probation is expected to sufficiently raise their GPA so as to return to good academic standing in the succeeding term.
Students placed on probation will be required to complete an academic success plan.
Without consultation with their advisor and written permission from the dean of the college, students on probation may enroll in no more than 16 credits.
In some circumstances, a student will also be required to satisfy specific conditions required by the home program.
Failure to meet the terms of probation may result in suspension.

Suspension:

Students on academic suspension may appeal an academic suspension decision to their primary home department by completing and submitting an appeal form.
Decisions regarding deferred suspension require dean (or designee) approval. For programs housed outside the college structure, the approval of the academic unit in which the enrollment is requested is required.
Students on academic suspension may be admitted to another program if it is approved by the dean (or designee) of the college in which enrollment is requested.
Students must apply through undergraduate admissions for re-admission at the end of their academic suspension. Such re-admission must be approved by the dean (or his/her designee) of the college for which they are requesting enrollment (this may be the original college or another) in consultation with the academic program.
A suspended student may be admitted to another program if it is approved by the dean (or designee) of the college in which enrollment is requested.
A suspension may be waived upon written appeal to the student’s home program. Final suspension waiver requires dean (or designee) approval.

The Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award: Recognizing Academic Excellence

The Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award has been established to recognize excellence in academic achievement by students. Those selected to receive the award are designated RIT Scholars in perpetuity. The achievement is noted on the Scholar’s transcript and recognized through a specially designed medallion symbolic of high academic achievement.

Eligibility and Requirements:

Open to eligible students, report generated from Registrar's.
To qualify for this award, you must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.85 with 83 credit hours completed.
The award is given to the top 1% of undergraduate students across the university who achieve academic excellence while giving back to the community through civic and volunteer service, research, or being engaged in a co-op in their related field.

Application Requirements:

Application
Resume
Brief narrative
3 letters of recommendation

Additional Scholarship and Award Opportunities

RIT offers a plethora of scholarships and awards to support students in various fields of study. Here are a few examples:

College of Engineering Technology Scholarships and Awards:

WIT Conference Student Support Funding: The College of Engineering Technology supports students' professional development through participation in national and regional conference attendance. To receive the WIT Conference Student Support Funding, CET students must be in good academic standing, have not received funds to attend a conference in the last academic year, and are active participants in Women in Technology for at least 2 semesters.
- Application Requirement: Complete application form affirming eligibility requirements.
Student Clubs/Organizations Conference Support: CET can sponsor up to four students from an organization to attend conferences. Individual students are welcome to submit an application to attend a conference that does not have a corresponding Student Club/Organization. Preference will be given to students who have not received funding in the past from the College of Engineering Technology Dean's Office. Students must be in good academic standing.
- Application Requirement: Complete application form affirming eligibility requirements.
Patrick Lee Scholars: Recognizes students who demonstrate the highest ethical standards, embrace innovation, and strive for professional excellence in their chosen fields, alongside community, civic, and/or philanthropic engagement.

Specific Program Scholarships:

Joseph F Novek Scholarship: Supports students from New England enrolled in RIT's School of Print Media, with preference given to those with a strong interest in pursuing a career in book publishing, printing, or supporting graphic arts field.
Donald and Jay P. Samuels Scholarship: Founded by Mr. and Mrs. Donald Samuels.
Hrishikesh Banerjee Endowed Memorial Award: Supports exceptional RIT students enrolled in the School of Physics and Astronomy. Considerations include:
- Teaching Contributions: Any activities that advance science education.
- Scientific Contributions: Undergraduate research accomplishments that contribute to the overall advancement of scientific understanding.
Physics BS Program Scholarships: Provides scholarships to students enrolled in the physics BS program within the College of Science.

The Path to Recognition: A Student's Perspective

One RIT student shared their experience upon receiving the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award:

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"Thursday night I was awarded the RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award… It is an incredible honor to earn this achievement, and even more so to do as a third year student… I have taken 18+ credit semesters since I started here at RIT, on top of the multiple jobs and leadership positions I have held throughout my academic career. I have pushed myself harder and further day after day to achieve success, almost quitting at times. I persevered, leaning into my passions and goals of creating a better future, for myself and others, to gain the strength and motivation to keep going… I realized that this was a much larger accomplishment than I gave myself credit for."

This student highlighted the dedication, perseverance, and support system required to achieve such a prestigious award, acknowledging the influence of family, advisors, and professors.

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