Scholarships offered to UH students impacted by Harvey

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- There is still a need for help nearly two years after Hurricane Harvey, and University of Houston and its system campuses are helping students who are continuing to recover.

The university announced at least 300 students from the UH system - including the main campus, UH-Downtown, UH-Clear Lake, and UH-Victoria - will receive scholarships of up to $5,000 each as part of a Rebuild Texas Fund endowment valued at $500,000.

According to UH, 279 students across the system were forced to fully withdraw after Harvey. About 880 more were forced to partially withdraw.

The scholarships will apply to fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters, and they will fund tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and any other unmet costs of attendance.

"Hurricane Harvey tested our resilience as a university system and as a city, but together we stood strong. However, like so many others in our region, some students continue to struggle," said Renu Khator, University of Houston System chancellor. "I am extremely grateful to the Qatar Harvey Fund and Rebuild Texas Fund for supporting these students and giving them an opportunity to pursue their educational goals."

Each of the four universities has already contacted students who may be eligible for this assistance and invited them to apply. Beginning last week, students were already being notified of any scholarships granted.

While priority will be given to students who have exhausted all other forms of aid and/or are nearing graduation, the following students are eligible for a scholarship under the program:

• Students who withdrew in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and have not re-enrolled.
• Students who have reduced their credit hours as a result of Harvey's impact.
• Students facing financial challenges in maintaining their current enrollment due to ongoing hardship.

The Rebuild Texas Fund receives its money from the Qatar Harvey Fund, which comes from the $30 million pledged by the Mideast nation in the wake of the disaster.

Contact information on the UH campuses can be found here.

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