Eligibility
full-time undergraduate student eligible for need-based financial aid who will be enrolled at William & Mary for the 2024-25 academic year and otherwise meets the criteria established in Article III of the guidelines (PDF) provided by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) is welcome to apply for the Lemon Scholarship Endowment and the Anne R. Willis Scholarship Endowment. For ease of reference, the eligibility requirements outlined in Article III of the SCHEV guidance are reproduced verbatim below. William & Mary’s only deviation from the criteria outlined in Article III is to limit eligibility to full-time students.
Article III SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINES
A. Definitions:
For the purposes of this scholarship,
- "Historic connection to slavery in Virginia" or “nexus” can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. An applicant may submit a personal statement (general articulation) or submit documentation that shows a personal and logical connection to slavery or continues to experience the negative legacy of slavery.
- An “enslaved individual,” in the historical context, is any person who was deemed property of the institution or was forbidden to quit their service for another person or corporate entity. An enslaved individual, in the historical context, may have been placed under this condition of servitude due to indebtedness, military defeat, having a parent who was enslaved, and in most cases for Native Americans and Africans through forcible removal from their native community, or forced in-place enslavement of entire communities.
- “Experiencing the negative legacy of slavery” means social and economic conditions born out of the institution of slavery which negatively impact an individual’s ability to fairly achieve in society. This negative legacy may include, but is not limited to, economic inequality and limited access to communal networks of assistance and technology and inadequate funding of K-12 education.
- Basic requirements:
- Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the subject institution and not to the other public or private institutions of the Commonwealth.
- May be enrolled part-time or full-time attendance
- Enrolled in a four-year undergraduate or graduate, including professional, degree program at the subject institutions.
- Eligibility requirements: For the purpose of this scholarship, a student is presumptively "eligible" when that individual:
- Is a Virginia student as defined by Virginia Code §§ 23.1-502 through 23.1-505.1, who establish a demonstrated historic connection to slavery in Virginia or students who are members of a community that is still experiencing the legacy of slavery such as the cycle of poverty shall be eligible for consideration for an award.
- Demonstrates a personal and historic connection to slavery or membership in a community which continues to experience the negative legacy of slavery in Virginia. Those individuals who are not biologically connected to those who were enslaved are presumptively not eligible.
- Intends to begin, continue, or complete education at the subject public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth.
- Conditions:
- Before any scholarship is awarded, the applicant shall sign an acceptance form under the terms of which the applicant.
- Affirms the accuracy of the information provided to the institution;
- Affirms that the award is subject to availability of funds and continued enrollment in an approved education program
- Agrees to permit the institution to share personally identifiable information with the State Council of Higher Education for evaluation and reporting purposes.
- Priority may be given to those individuals whose ancestors may have been enslaved individuals connected to the present institution.
- Before any scholarship is awarded, the applicant shall sign an acceptance form under the terms of which the applicant.
