The Dean’s Scholarship at St. Edward’s University is set to undergo a name change for the 2012-2013 year.

While the requirements to receive the scholarship will remain the same, it will now be referred to as the Faculty Scholarship.

What seems like a simple name change is actually part of a strategy that will hopefully increase the amount of aid awarded to students.

“We want to reduce [the applicant] pool to make awards higher,” Scholarship Coordinator Jean Byers said.

Byers hopes the name change will also increase awareness of students’ need to apply for the scholarship.

“Students who make [the Dean’s List] sometimes just assume they’ll get the scholarship and often don’t realize they still have to apply,” Byers said.

For the 2011-2012 year, 416 awards were given out, with the largest award being $1,500 for a full year.

Byers said that a few applicants became ineligible due to final grade postings, but, for the most part, everyone who applied got the award.

The name of the scholarship is also being changed to better clarify the application and selection process.

Byers first receives applications from students and then sends the applications to a special faculty committee within each college at St. Edward’s. The committee then decides who receives the scholarships.

The application process and requirements will remain the same despite the name change.

Applications will be made available in early December of 2011, and the winners will be notified during the following spring semester.

Applicants are still required to have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA, take a minimum of 12 hours in the fall and be registered for 12 hours in the spring.

Beyond the requirements, applicants must submit a resume, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member and a short essay. The Student Financial Services website suggests the student choose a faculty member who can write about the student’s worthiness for the scholarship.

The scholarship will still remain open only to full-time undergraduates.