Students using iPhones, iPads and computers can use the system to file scholarship applications at the touch of the button. “You log in with your HSU user name and password and you’re ready to go,” says Kim Coughlin-Lamphear, HSU’s director of Financial Aid.
Students can also get a quick read on their eligibility. They submit a capsule of personal and academic information and respond to a few questions. STARS then pinpoints which scholarships a student has the best chance of obtaining. “The system matches you up automatically with the ones you’re most likely to qualify for,” says Katie Kitchen, Financial Aid scholarships specialist.
STARS is geared to efficiency as well as convenience. Kitchen explains: “Although a lot of scholarships require a specific major, there are many others that require only a certain GPA. You could be eligible for five different scholarships at five different locations on campus. Instead of having to walk to all of them, it’s one-stop shopping online: complete accessibility, without wasting paper on throw-away activities.”
STARS has built-in confidentiality, based on differing security levels.
In development for nearly a year, the system is interactive. If an application requires essays, videos, research projects or letters of recommendation, students can upload them directly to STARS.
The system functions best with Explorer 8 or higher, but it works with most browsers. The academic information that applicants enter—intended degree or major, number of completed college credits, high school and college GPAs—speeds up the matching process.
STARS enables financial aid administrators, college deans and selection committees to track the number of applications and the number of them for each scholarship. The system went live Jan. 5. Applications close Feb. 17.
Details on how to use the new system are posted at http://humboldt.edu/finaid/stars_quickstart_guide.php.