This section is a running log of recent changes to the Program Information Exchange Data Definitions and related usage guidance. The most recent changes are at the top of the page.

Update History

Detail for each update follows.

Updates on 10/28/2021 (Latest)

Edits

• Award Duration Years. Several additions and changes:

  • Added a note that the system will no longer offer the option to select Award Duration Years for One-Time awards.

  • For Multiyear and Renewable awards, provided guidance on how to code awards for associate and bachelor’s degrees. 

• Blurb. Revised and expanded guidance on how to enter preference criteria in the blurb. 

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Several additions and changes:

  • In academics, updated guidance to reflect newly added Maximum GPA field.

  • In citizenship status, removed workaround guidance for AB-540 students and U.S. Nationals, as these options have been added.

  • In location, added the Country field and provided detail on how the system will default to coding United States. Outlined how the system will provide additional eligibility criteria options if Country is set to Canada.

• Program Self-Description. Provided guidance for when Program Self-Description should be entered (i.e., if it contains eligibility criteria).

Corrections

• Changed instances of “multi-year” to “multiyear.”

Updates on 5/19/2021

Corrections

• Hyphenated “Need-Based” and “Merit-Based.”

Updates on 5/10/2021

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Addition:

  • In degree being sought, added an example for doctoral degree.

• Is Need Based. Clarified that submission of FAFSA, SAR, or other financial documents does not automatically make a program need-based.

Updates on 2/2/2021

Corrections

• Removed superfluous use of “accredited.”

• Deleted “Planning to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university” and “Planning to attend a trade or vocational school, or a 2- or 4-year college or university” in favor of “Seeking Degree” statements.

Updates on 12/10/2020

Additions

• Added the Associated Organizations field.

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • In attendance at or graduation from a specific high school, added an example for homeschooling.

  • In condition, added an example for deaf or hard of hearing applicants.

  • In ethnicity, race, and gender, capitalized Black and Indigenous when referring to people.

  • In school attendance, added an example for public or state-supported schools. Added guidance directing team members not to include the name of the state for colleges and universities.

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Added a note differentiating activity from affiliation.

Corrections

• Removed redundant text referring to “full- or part-time students.”

• Replaced “One-Year” with “One-Time.”

Updates on 8/29/2020

Edits

• Is Merit Based. Added guidance for programs that hint at academic merit but do not provide a quantifiable minimum bar of academics.

Updates on 7/16/2020

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • In GPA and test scores, added an example for maximum GPA.

  • Added a usage note encouraging team members to combine related eligibility criteria when possible.

• Is Merit Based. Clarified that self-description takes precedence over academic requirements. Added guidance for maximum GPA. 

Corrections

• Corrections and cleanup throughout, such as missing punctuations and so forth.

Updates on 4/26/2020

Edits

• Award Duration Year. Added guidance on One-year awards that allow previous recipients to reapply. 

• Award Verification Criteria. Several additions and changes:

  • Expanded example values.

  • Added note on judgement calls that may require providing additional detail.

• Blurb. Added an example of a blurb with a narrative.

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Added a note regarding ineligibility for scholarships. 

Corrections

• Replaced “tie breaker” with “tie-breaker.”

Updates on 4/15/2020

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • Added guidance for age

  • In GPA and test scores, migrated examples of multiple GPA requirements to their own subsection. Added examples of GPA requirements that can be separated into individual entries.

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Several additions and changes:

  • In academics, included examples for when a program lists a range and/or multiple values.

  • In degree being sought, provided guidance on scholarships that do not specify whether an undergraduate degree being sought is a 2- or 4-year degree.

  • In graduation status, provided guidance on GED or high school equivalency. 

Updates on 3/30/2020

Edits

• Blurb. Added guidance on how to enter “Preference given to...” criteria.

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Addition:

  • In citizenship status, added example for U.S. National.

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Several additions and changes:

  • In academics, provided guidance for when a program lists a range and/or multiple values. 

  • In citizenship status, provided guidance on U.S. Nationals. 

  • In current grade level, expanded guidance on nontraditional students. Added guidance on professional degree. 

  • In degree being sought, provided guidance on professional and advanced degrees. 

• Is Merit Based. Clarified that if the scholarship lists multiple GPA requirements, then the lower GPA determined whether the program is merit-based. 

Corrections

• Removed stray references to “#.” 

• Changed instances of “first-generation college students” to “first-generation students.”

Updates on 3/21/2020

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • In GPA and test scores, added example for programs with GPA renewal requirements. 

  • In school attendance, added examples for high schools within the same state that share the same name, program open to students from multiple high schools, and scholarships offered to students in multiple states.  

  • Added examples for tie breakers and ordered lists in “Preference given to...”

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Addition:

  • In current grade level, provided guidance on nontraditional students returning to college.

Corrections

• Replaced stray references to “United States” with “U.S.”

Updates on 3/05/2020

Edits

• Award Verification Criteria. Added examples for transcripts, tax returns, financial aid letter, and academic references.

• Blurb. Added examples for programs open to residents of specific boroughs.

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • Added guidance for condition criteria.  

  • In GPA and test scores, added example for GPA range and a note regarding converting a percentage grade to a 4.0 scale. 

  • In location and residence, added examples for residents of specific boroughs. 

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Addition:

  • In current grade level, provided guidance on graduate students, postgraduate law school, 5th year college undergraduate, and Nth year college undergraduate. Clarified distinction between “graduate degree” and “advanced degree.”

• Is Merit Based. Clarified that program is merit based if designated for class valedictorian and/or salutatorian. 

Updates on 1/15/2020

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Addition:

  • Added guidance for class rank.

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Several additions and changes:

  • In academics, added an example value for minimum class rank percentage as well as a corresponding usage note. 

  • In degree being sought, specified that professional certification, 1-year certificate, and graduate degree should not be selected unless noted in the program description or a provider’s FAQ.

• Blurb. Added the word “programs” to existing blurbs for readability (i.e., The Adam Carroll Scholarship program awards need-based scholarships).

Updates on 12/31/2019

Edits

• Application URL.

  • Noted the lack of standardization in placement of the application URL by community foundations or other organizations that list multiple scholarships.

• Blurb. Clarified that we typically won’t list names and contact information. Provided guidance on directing students to the school’s guidance office for additional information. 

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • Expanded guidance around citizenship, particularly DREAMers and AB-540 students.

  • In school attendance, added a note regarding requirement that applicants be planning to attend a 4-year college or university and not a community college 

• Eligibility Criteria Usage. Several additions and changes:

  • In demographics, specified which values to select if scholarship provider used the term “minority” without defining the race or ethnicity.

  • In degree being sought, specified that no value should be selected if program description or FAQ does not specify the type of degree being sought. 

  • In citizenship status, specified which values to select for DREAMers and AB-540 students.

• Is Need Based. Clarified that a scholarship is need-based if a program indicates it considers financial need in any way. 

Updates on 12/19/2019

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • Added guidance for religious titles and styles criteria. 

  • In ethnicity, race, and gender, added a note regarding use of the term “minority.” 

  • In degree being sought, clarified the distinction between “Seeking a bachelor’s degree” and “Planning to attend a 2- or 4-year…” with a preference for “Seeking a bachelor’s degree.”

  • Revised “Preference given to...” criteria from a bullet point to a sentence at the end of the criteria list separated by a paragraph break.  

Updates on 10/18/2019

Additions

• Added an entry for Application Type. Clarified rules around Online vs. PDF entries.

Edits

• Award Amount. Clarified that “Average Amount” is okay to use if we don’t have a range.

• Application URL.

  • Clarified that we typically won’t link to a PDF document.

  • Noted that close attention should be paid to this data point during QA, especially near application open dates.

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Several additions and changes:

  • Added guidance for religion, faith, and belief system criteria. Noted in membership criteria that membership in a church should be included in the religion criteria section.

  • In degree being sought, clarified that “Majoring in..." or "Seeking a major in..." are equivalent to "Studying for a degree in..." and "Seeking a bachelor's degree in..." and should be listed thus.

  • Added an Independent student status example with usage details.

• Logo. Clarified that the logo file dimensions not have to be square, meaning such as 300 x 250px are fine.

Corrections

• Corrections and cleanup throughout, such as removing stray references to “associates degree” and similar.

Updates on 9/20/2019

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Updated incorrect guidance regarding associate degree listings. The guide variously and incorrectly used “associate’s degree” and “associates degree” in examples throughout.

Updates on 8/25/2019

Edits

• Eligibility Criteria Detail. Added a note regarding “Preference given to…” criteria.