FAQ

  1. What is the difference between Sprouts and Scholars?
    • Ideally, sprouts are freshman and sophomores and are eligible for paid internships. Scholars are juniors or seniors, and they receive full tuition. They also participate in internships.
  2. Do students need to participate in Sprouts to be eligible for the tuition scholarships as a Junior or Senior? 
    • Technically no, but the goal is to have students “grow” from sprouts to scholars within the district they will be eventually teaching. We prefer that students start as sprouts to form relationships with the participating districts. 
  3. What is the commitment beyond graduation if I receive the full tuition scholarship?
    • For every year that a full tuition scholarship is received, you must commit to two years in one of our partner school districts.
  4. What school districts are participating in the GEMS program?
    • The school districts partnering with ODU GEMS are Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, & Virginia Beach.
  5. Do students apply to GEMS every semester?
    • No, when students apply to be a Sprout, we assume they will continue to be a sprout unless they tell us they do not wish to remain. Then, they will need to apply to be a scholar their junior year. They will also continue to be a scholar until they graduate or tell us they do not want to continue.  The service agreement remains even if they choose not to continue in the program but have received scholarship funding.
  6. If my application is approved, do I get to select the district and school I would like to work with?
    • Students can select the school division (Chesapeake, VA Beach, Suffolk, Norfolk) they would like to work with, but we cannot guarantee specific schools within each division.  We can try, but the availability of mentors will determine this. Students will also change mentors each year to provide various experiences in various contexts.