ewubd: East West University: Scholarship and Financial Aid

Since its inception, East West University has been awarding merit scholarships and need-based financial assistance to deserving students. Each year the university distributes at least 9% of its total earnings among 20% or more of its regular students. Such scholarships/financial assistance are not available to those students who have already spent the normal study time required for the programs for which they are enrolled (e.g. Bachelor's degree program students are not eligible for any scholarship/financial aid beyond the four years that are required to complete the course as a regular student). No student of the university is entitled to benefit from more than one scholarship/financial aid facility at any point of time.

According to the provision of the Private University Act, 1992, private universities are required to provide scholarships to 5 (five) percent of its enrolled poor but meritorious students. Since its inception, the founders of East West University have adopted a policy of not paying any profit or dividend to themselves but to use a good part of its operating surplus towards nurturing merit and providing financial support to students in need. In the last twelve years, the scholarship and financial aid policy adopted by East West University has become a source of great encouragement to meritorious but financially constrained students. The academic world has greeted this policy pursued by East West University enthusiastically. Benefits to students are awarded in the following forms:

1. Merit Scholarships

EWU has generous merit scholarships/financial aid programs. The sum of Taka 2,89,55,780 (two crore eighty-nine lakh fifty-five thousand seven hundred and eighty) only was awarded to 923 students in 2010. Full-year tuition waiver merit scholarships (for a maximum of one-fourth of the total credit requirement of the program for undergraduate students) are awarded to:

1. Top scorers in the Undergraduate Admission Test with a minimum score of 75% marks: three (3) from the Faculty of Business and Economics, and one (1) each from the Faculty of Sciences & Engineering and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Top scorers in the graduate admission test with a minimum score of 75% marks: one each in MBA and Telecommunication Engineering, provided that at least 20 students get admitted to the program.
   The continuation of this scholarship is contingent upon maintaining a minimum CGPA of 3.50 as a regular student (All Undergraduate students must register at least 9 credits in a semester; this credit requirement is 12 credits in a semester for the students of B.Pharm. Program; students of MBA Program must register at least 8 credits in a semester and students of Telecommunication Engineering Program must register at least 6 credits in a semester) and abiding by the rules and regulations and University's Code of Conduct for students at all time.
2. Candidates scoring GPA 5.00 (excluding 4th subject) in the most recent SSC & HSC Examinations will be awarded 100% Merit Scholarship at entry level in Undergraduate Programs for 4 (four) years subject to maintenance of minimum GPA 3.50 in each semester as a regular student (All Undergraduate students must register at least 9 credits in a semester; this credit requirement is 12 credits in a semester for the students of B.Pharm. Program) and abiding by the rules and regulations and University's Code of Conduct for students at all time;
3. Candidates securing 7 (seven) A's in 'O' Level Examination (at one sitting) and 3 (three) A's in 'A' Level Examination (in one year) will be awarded 100% Merit Scholarship at entry level in Undergraduate Programs for 4 (four) years subject to maintenance of minimum GPA 3.50 in each semester as a regular student (All Undergraduate students must register at least 9 credits in a semester; this credit requirement is 12 credits in a semester for the students of B.Pharm. Program) and abiding by the rules and regulations and University's Code of Conduct for students at all time;
4. Candidates scoring GPA 5.00 (including 4th subject) in the immediate past SSC & HSC examinations, will be awarded 50% waiver of Tution Fee as Merit Scholarship at entry level in Undergraduate Programs for first 1 (one) year subject to fulfillment of the followig requirements:
   1. Qualify the EWU Admission Test.
   2. Maintenance of minimum GPA of 3.50 in each semester as a regular student (All Undergraduate students must register at least 9 credits in a semester; this credit requirement is 12 credits in a semester for the students of B.Pharm. Program).
   3. Abide by the East West University Disciplinary Code for Students at all time;
5. Students securing GPA 5.00 in the most recent HSC Examination (this will be applicable only for six students from six divisions who are from poor financial background); The continuation of this scholarship is contingent upon maintaining a minimum CGPA of 3.00 in each semester as a regular student (All Undergraduate students must register at least 9 credits in a semester; this credit requirement is 12 credits in a semester for the students of B.Pharm. Program) and abiding by the rules and regulations and University's Code of Conduct for students at all time;
6. A committee will assess and recommend for scholarship/financial aid etc. for foreign students and students from other systems.
7. Top 10% students (10% of the actual number of students of each batch of each department enrolled during the immediate past year/two semesters for one year programs, whichever is applicable) of each batch of each department of undergraduate programs who have completed at least one-fourth of the total credit requirement of the program during the immediate past year with a CGPA of 3.90 and above will get full-tuition free Merit Scholarship for equal number of credits to be adjusted in the next three consecutive semesters.
   In cases of a batch where 6 or less students fulfill the scholarship requirement (i.e., completed at least one-fourth of the degree requirement with a CGPA of 3.90 or better), only the top student will be entitled to receive one scholarship. The award will go to the best performer among students securing CGPA 3.90 or better. For calculation of the number of scholarships in each batch, the number will be rounded up if the fraction is 0.5 or above. Merit Scholarships are extendable, subject to fulfillment of requirement (vii) above. To avail Merit Scholarships undergraduate students must register for at least three courses (9 credits) in each semester. (For the students of B.Pharm. this requirement is at least four courses) The Merit Scholarship will be discontinued if any student of the undergraduate or graduate program violates 'the East West University Disciplinary Code for students' and/or if his/her CGPA falls below 3.50. To be eligible for Merit Scholarship/Financial Aid a student of Undergraduate Program must earn credits as mentioned in the table below, in the last three consecutive semesters:

 

Undergraduate Programs	Credits
Bachelor of Business Administration	30
BSS in Economics	30
BA in English	30
B.Sc. in Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering	35
B.Sc. in Information and Communications Engineering	35
B.Sc. in Computer Science	33
B.Sc. in Computer Science & Engineering	35
B.Sc. in Electrical & Electronic Engineering	35
Bachelor of Pharmacy	40

2. Directors Scholarships

Each of the fifteen Founder Directors of the university, at a point of time, awards two full-tuition scholarships to two students or splits the scholarships into half or quarter tuition waiver/scholarships. This is renewable at the discretion of the Founder Director concerned unless the recipient scholar performs poorly.

3. Financial Aid

(a) General

At the beginning of each semester, the university considers applications on prescribed forms for the granting of financial aid to deserving students on a need-cum-merit basis.
Undergraduate applicants who have completed at least one-fourth of the total credit requirement of the program during the immediate past year with a minimum prescribed CGPA of 2.70 and with demonstrated financial need are offered financial assistance to cover part of the tuition fees. The actual amount depends on the number of applicants and the availability of funds. This is by far the largest component of the funding support both in terms of the amount of money as well as the number of recipients. Financial assistance is also extendable on fulfillment of the above requirements.

(b) Family Concession

When two siblings (brother/sister with the same parents) study simultaneously at East West University, the second sibling is entitled to a half-tuition waiver. However, both must be admitted full-time into regular programs. The benefit commences on the date of admission of the second sibling and ceases on the discontinuation of the study of any one of them, after his/her graduation or for any other reason. This benefit may extend up to the third sibling under the above-mentioned conditions. A merit scholarship awardee cannot qualify to get the benefit for siblings or other similar benefits.
If either of the siblings maintains a minimum CGPA of 2.70, while the other maintains a minimum passing CGPA (2.00 for Undergraduate Programs, 2.50 for Graduate Programs) the sibling benefit will be awarded and continued for the one who maintains the CGPA of 2.70. In case of the newly admitted students, if the first sibling could maintain the minimum CGPA of 2.70 the sibling benefit would be awarded to the second sibling provided the first sibling is not currently receiving any merit scholarship/ financial aid from the EWU.

(c) Freedom Fighters' Scholarship

As a mark of respect to the valiant freedom fighters of the War of Liberation and Independence, the university reserves 5% admission quota for the wards of freedom fighters of all categories, subject to their fulfillments of the minimum admission requirement at East West University. The university also considers maximum 100% tuition waiver scholarship to the wards of wounded, deceased and financially needy freedom fighters, subject to the fulfillment of the following requirements:

The candidate must qualify in the EWU admission test; the candidate must provide proof that his/her parent was a freedom fighter. The Tuition Fee waiver as above will then be continued provided that the CGPA in each semester remains 2.70 or more. To avail financial aid, undergraduate students must register for at least three courses (9 credits) in each semester. (For the students of B.Pharm. Program this requirement is at least four courses (12 credits) in a semester) Financial Aid is discontinued if any student of undergraduate or graduate program violates the East West University Disciplinary Code for students and/or if his/her CGPA falls below 2.70. The same is applicable for the beneficiaries of siblings and other similar cases and for Freedom Fighters' Scholarship.

4. The Medha Lalon Fund

In order to be able to extend further support towards nurturing merit, particularly to students from middle-class background, to female students, and to students from outside the metropolis, the Board of Directors of East West University set up in 2002 a scheme called the East West University Medha Lalon Fund with an initial endowment of Taka one and a half crore. The Board has also sanctioned an amount of Taka one crore thirty lakhs from the operating surplus of the university for the Fund. This is in addition to the disbursement each year on regular components such as the merit scholarships and financial aid. Several philanthropic persons/organizations have contributed a combined amount of Taka twenty-seven and a half lakh to the Medha Lalon Fund. This need-cum-merit based financial aid is awarded from the annual earnings of the East West University Medha Lalon Fund deposited in a lucrative five-year interest earning Scholarship Deposit Account of Mercantile Bank.
The East West University Medha Lalon Fund is administered by the Financial Aid Committee of the university. To procure such aid, students must apply on a prescribed form. Applications are processed based on information provided by the applicants and according to the criteria set by the university and is subject to change at its discretion. Selection of scholars and financial aid beneficiaries is done through a computerized system that ensures full transparency.